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Combined Effects of Systemic Alcohol and Nicotine on Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell
Alcohol Alcohol. 2007 Aug 8; [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
AIMS: This study was undertaken to determine whether simultaneous administration of both alcohol and nicotine systemically would result in an additive dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NACC). Moreover, to also investigate whether nicotinic receptors may be mediating these effects of alcohol and nicotine, the effects of mecamylamine, a nicotinic receptor antagonist was also evaluated.
METHODS: Microdialysis was applied to measure the dopamine overflow in the shell region of NACC. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally. The doses of alcohol ranged from 0.5-2.0 g/kg, and nicotine and mecamylamine 0.25-1.0 mg/kg.
RESULTS: An additive effect of combined alcohol and nicotine on dopamine release was obtained. This effect of alcohol and nicotine was dose-dependently blocked by mecamylamine pre-treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings further support the hypothesis that an additive effect of alcohol and nicotine on the mesolimbic 'reward pathway' may contribute to the high incidence of smoking in alcoholics. Furthermore, nicotinic antagonists can block such effects of combined alcohol and nicotine.
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/agm057v1
Sep 7 07 11:40 PM
Let me echo everyone else's welcome and assurance that you are in the right place. Your background in AA will serve you well here. You basically come to us with a thorough understanding of addiction. If you didn't, you would not be a recovering alcoholic but rather, an actively drinking one. You understand the principal of one drink, or one sip for that fact.
Now it is just transferring your experience and knowledge with alcohol and aiming it at nicotine. Same problem, drug addiction--same solution, stop delivering it into your system.
You probably feel quitting is scary, what will your life be like without smoking? Well, you probably had those exact same fears when quitting drinking. You were right when you thought your life would be different. It in all likelihood became immeasurably better. The same will hold true with this effort.
I always state it this way. Treat an addiction as an addiction and you will learn to control it. Treat an addiction like a bad habit and you won't have a prayer. Your use of nicotine is an addiction. Take your understanding of addiction, aim it at nicotine and you will do fine.
I should point out, whenever I have anyone who quits smoking after quitting another substance; they often have a harder time than many others in the group. Smoking may have been a crutch off the other substance. Now, when quitting, not only are they trying to break free from a primary addiction, but, they are trying to pull off the crutch from the other addiction.
While it may be harder up front, they are usually more successful than the average, again, because they understand addiction. Aim your other program at this and you will do fine.
If anything we can do to help, don't hesitate to ask.
Joel
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