Understand the inherently peaceful presence of Awareness the art of Living in the NOW

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_BG1Az3iBwD4ZDh1nx9HIu6NWmWfCD89t-A4LBkJiz6K5IPrkbc4w8xXQq-7XmXFelJpN5TDPZyEmQccD4uXGkaxsrO_Kox4_-ClJijOuhNvpNW6YALngXmQ5l87UTZOjNE4mrbXF6A/s1600/1-INTULEXIA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_BG1Az3iBwD4ZDh1nx9HIu6NWmWfCD89t-A4LBkJiz6K5IPrkbc4w8xXQq-7XmXFelJpN5TDPZyEmQccD4uXGkaxsrO_Kox4_-ClJijOuhNvpNW6YALngXmQ5l87UTZOjNE4mrbXF6A/s320/1-INTULEXIA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Understand the inherently peaceful presence of Awareness the art of Living in the NOW, and see that this peace is not dependent upon the condition of the mind, body or world, just as a screen is not dependent on the quality of the words or images that appear on it.</span></div>

Understand the inherently peaceful presence of Awareness the art of Living in the NOW

Understand the inherently peaceful presence of Awareness the art of Living in the NOW, and see that this peace is not dependent upon the condition of the mind, body or world, just as a screen is not …

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The addicted brain is distinctly different from the nonaddicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues

<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Addictiondependence1.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj1dLOVJNKx4S5n4R20k3KNPDx6gwOu6WiQTd2_9efVNgWyP-iIntzWieDznE57GE_oBtzWI9ZERTgwLJvTtG0i1LwEKPczzxcjw8u7Se8eoXyXDslUydYKyjtwkqkWS3X_xQxNubpkloCB7FOmj8cZUqagjWHx0Wzn3R7yUv1doWc2Jty0_o7sGBN5A7RALVYYPlhMpy1b8ORCfSgfeGXfJv8cauNJHvRhMG-5s9y-_g=" /></a><br /> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">There are many biological factors that are involved with the addicted brain. "The addicted brain is distinctly different from the non-addicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues" (2) In the brain, there are many changes that take place when drugs enter a person's blood stream. The pathway in the brain that the drugs take is first to the ventral tegmentum to the nucleus accumbens, and the drugs also go to the limbic system and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is called the mesolimbic reward system. The activation of this reward system seems to be the common element in what hooks drug users on drugs (2).<br /><br />Drugs seem to cause surges in dopamine neurotransmitters and other pleasure brain messengers. However, the brain quickly adapts and these circuits desensitize, which allows for withdrawal symptoms to occur (3). Drug addiction works on some of the same neurobiological mechanisms that aid in learning and memories (3). "This new view of dopamine as an aid to learning rather than a pleasure mediator may help explain why many addictive drugs, which unleash massive surges of the neurotransmitter in the brain, can drive continued use without producing pleasure-as when cocaine addicts continue to take hits long after the euphoric effects of the drug have worn off or when smokers smoke after cigarettes become distasteful." (4)<br /><br />Since memory and pleasure zones are intertwined in the brain, many researchers have been using psychological approaches to stop drug use. Many rehabilitation centres have used classical conditioning to rehabilitate drug addicts. They combine exposure to drugs combined with cognitive scripts, like statements how drugs have destroyed a person's life or what can be accomplished without using drugs, according to DeLetis (5). By using classical conditioning, the drugs addicts pair the drugs with negative connotations and properties. "Adverse withdrawal symptoms can function as an instrumental negative reinforcer and can be linked to the opponent process theory of motivation." (6) However, drug addicts may relapse and start using again because of many environmental "cues", which are external forces that are associated with drug use in their lives. When the drugs addicts see these cues, their brain circuitry, especially the orbitofrontal cortex become hyperactive and causes these people to start craving drugs again (2). No matter how successful the rehabilitation treatment is, once those "cues" are around, the drug addicts remember how pleasurable the drugs felt and relapse into drug abuse again.<br /><br />Through all of the research done about drug addiction and its affects on the brain, one can see how drug addiction is considered a brain disease. Drug addiction is a disabling disease and can ruin a person's life. By taking drugs, a person's brain becomes "rewired" to tolerate high amounts of dopamine neurotransmitters, but once those high amounts of dopamine cease to exist, the person experiences withdrawal symptoms. However, there are ways drug addicts can control their drug intake by using classical conditioning techniques, which allows them to associate drugs with negative attributes.<br /></span> <!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fc%2Fce%2FAddictiondependence1.gif%2F350px-Addictiondependence1.gif&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj1dLOVJNKx4S5n4R20k3KNPDx6gwOu6WiQTd2_9efVNgWyP-iIntzWieDznE57GE_oBtzWI9ZERTgwLJvTtG0i1LwEKPczzxcjw8u7Se8eoXyXDslUydYKyjtwkqkWS3X_xQxNubpkloCB7FOmj8cZUqagjWHx0Wzn3R7yUv1doWc2Jty0_o7sGBN5A7RALVYYPlhMpy1b8ORCfSgfeGXfJv8cauNJHvRhMG-5s9y-_g=" -->

The addicted brain is distinctly different from the nonaddicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues

There are many biological factors that are involved with the addicted brain. "The addicted brain is distinctly different from the non-addicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activ…

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The results strongly suggest that the mechanism of depression after alcohol drinking may be related to serotonin.

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="zemanta-img"> </div> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DNktP84q0A8yD5XDphhtZMr9ElFabskxyLso5jrDz2fDsXd5gU_jB3d5SUtMdIZH0Nry9_-X2fFsX8zfJCwFR5e7U2D-zyj7PmmiLUff8eqExhaUyF4rHx84SkqWtBH3y3sqjl4E1K4/s1600/Absolut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DNktP84q0A8yD5XDphhtZMr9ElFabskxyLso5jrDz2fDsXd5gU_jB3d5SUtMdIZH0Nry9_-X2fFsX8zfJCwFR5e7U2D-zyj7PmmiLUff8eqExhaUyF4rHx84SkqWtBH3y3sqjl4E1K4/s320/Absolut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 20px 20px;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%;"><tbody> <tr><td><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">We examined tryptophan and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) levels in the blood after consumption of alcohol. Forty-five minutes after drinking, whole blood serotonin concentration was significantly reduced, whereas no changes were observed in tryptophan level. The diurnal rhythm of 5-HT in subjects who the day before had drunk alcohol was quite different from the control group, but very similar to that of patients with depression. The results strongly suggest that the mechanism of depression after alcohol drinking may be related to serotonin.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> <br /></div>

The results strongly suggest that the mechanism of depression after alcohol drinking may be related to serotonin.

We examined tryptophan and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) levels in the blood after consumption of alcohol. Forty-five minutes after drinking, whole blood serotonin concentration was significantly r…

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The important thing with serotonin, is to keep it at steady levels.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Jrmt2XNnE8LMqdHNOH87lAJDKmIne9eIzBisfYGa2Q-rhyAO9gVvJvJvUsmCSJGSTL943s77XfcvwltXe_4Rs8tKaCowQZNDL3WCrooMxqeadPF-3dD621KN3Z0qgeSEvwkcS8ezYn8/s1600/12steprev45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Jrmt2XNnE8LMqdHNOH87lAJDKmIne9eIzBisfYGa2Q-rhyAO9gVvJvJvUsmCSJGSTL943s77XfcvwltXe_4Rs8tKaCowQZNDL3WCrooMxqeadPF-3dD621KN3Z0qgeSEvwkcS8ezYn8/s320/12steprev45.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">The important thing with serotonin, is to keep it at steady levels. The medicines that raise the level of serotonin in the brain do so by slowing the re-absorbtion of serotonin. The alcohol increases the available serotonin for a bit and then it drops off quickly, leaving the depressed person feeling worse, and they tend to not take the medicine correctly when they feel badly or are drunk. High serotonin levels do not mean somebody will feel happy or good, It makes it more likely that they won't feel really bad.</span>

The important thing with serotonin, is to keep it at steady levels.

The important thing with serotonin, is to keep it at steady levels. The medicines that raise the level of serotonin in the brain do so by slowing the re-absorbtion of serotonin. The alcohol increases…

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