Prescription/OTC drugs

What is the relationship between pain relief, stimulation of the reward-reinforcement circuit, and play and pleasure-seeking? ... what combination leads to addiction? ... we have increasingly given opioids for chronic pain, only to see the pain not get better - but worse! Also treatment discussions - highly functional, highly paid execs who are just resigned to addiction because the tradeoffs for treatment would be so high. And more on Dr Drew Pinsky's Celebrity Rehab and latest death - the fifth - among the regulars on this reality show. PODCAST

Early use of drugs for kids with ADHD may not be as benign as thought; other thoughts on the pill epidemic; also the shape of the brain may affect the Stop Switch works; strange addictions, and chocolate (for Valentines Day.) PODCAST.

College students are seeing high rates of depression and suicide, ever greater use and overuse of alcohol, and now the addition of common prescription drugs like the stimulants used for ADHD, anti-depression benzodiazepines, synthetic opioids, to accompany the and much more potent marijuana and heroin. We discuss issues of self-medication for depression, stress, isolation factors, strangely including Facebook and other neo-social context changes. PODCAST

A look back at 2012, and what 2013 might hold in drug and addiction issues, and treatment ... including the continuing stories of the new synthetics, aka bath salts, incense and potpourri -- also the continued increase in heroin use as pharmaceuticals become more costly and harder to get. And where are we in the evolution of treatment?

The Olympics ... ways athletes strive to enhance their performances ... by using drugs - as well as other techniques - like blood-doping ... also news about gambling -- it seems Facebook users are more inclined to gamble and make compulsive choices than "normies," and the related obsessions with FarmVille ...

Recent news includes the opioid Opana, Federal laws outlawing synthetic marijuana and "bath salts" as well as smuggling tunnels, new nicotine vaccination, and a discussion of true gateway drugs: alcohol and cigarettes.