LONDON: Patients treated with drugs for Parkinson's disease can turn into compulsive gamblers, a study suggests.
Doctors in the US treated 11 patients who had a change of personality when prescribed drugs that mimic the behaviour of the mood chemical dopamine. One was a clergyman who said he had become obsessed with gambling, and a woman patient lost $US100,000 ($130,000) and her marriage broke up as a result of the same obsession. She could not drive past a casino without going in. The habit disappeared when the drugs were withdrawn.
Six patients developed other behavioural problems, including compulsive eating, increased drinking and an insatiable appetite for sex.
Parkinson's patients have reduced levels of dopamine, which relays messages between brain cells. It is this that causes the symptoms of muscle rigidity and tremor.
But dopamine also helps the brain seek sources of pleasure - the basis of addiction.
In seven cases, pathological gambling developed within three months of increasing the medication dose or reaching its "maintenance" level. The four others became compulsive gamblers after 12 to 30 months.
The doctors involved identified one drug, pramipexole, as the most likely to trigger compulsive gambling. But the side-effect was not common, occurring in about 1.5per cent of patients treated with the drug.
It's interesting that more and more human behaviour, even very specific examples, are being found to be genetically-driven. The nurturing side of the equation is probably a lot smaller than we have been led to believe.
I wonder what would happen if the medical profession accidently created a drug whose main side effect was an addiction to enlightenment and wisdom ..... ? Would they be excited, or would they quickly withdraw it in horror?
I suspect it would become blase at that point and humans would slowly start longing for something new. The sparkle of a fresh expression in the midst of somber reflection would tickle the fancy of the young until finally someone atractive and cool would Pied Piper the genetically predisposed sheep right back into slovenly consumerism. As long as there is even a hint of sex left, it will inevitably always be all about the sex.
DavidQuinn000 wrote:I wonder what would happen if the medical profession accidently created a drug whose main side effect was an addiction to enlightenment and wisdom ..... ? Would they be excited, or would they quickly withdraw it in horror?
Hah! But isn't any addiction an increase in identifying with - and tightening of - the pleasure & pain noose?
Tharan wrote:I suspect it would become blase at that point and humans would slowly start longing for something new. The sparkle of a fresh expression in the midst of somber reflection would tickle the fancy of the young until finally someone atractive and cool would Pied Piper the genetically predisposed sheep right back into slovenly consumerism. As long as there is even a hint of sex left, it will inevitably always be all about the sex.
In a drug addiction, the substance you are addicted to provides greater pleasure than is to be found in sex... or anything else.
If somber reflection were more pleasurable than sex and consumption, then... there'd be a hell of a lot more meditation going on.
The drug would likely be quickly withdrawn, to avoid severe economic problems caused by decreased consumption.
I agree with you about the drugged state scenario. But I wasn't thinking of enlightenment like a drug addiction or a drugged state. I was thinking more of a state of normalcy, with temptations, yet understanding and with rational choices. Even then, the lure of the unconscious, drugged-like state would be a siren call over time and it would become hip at some point to just "let it all hang out." In other words, I guess I am saying unconscious euphoria seems like an irresistable thing compared to raw awareness.
*edit*
I am speaking here of the general population and its intertwined behavior sets, not a specific individual or that individual's potential.
Last edited by Tharan on Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
How can wisdom be perceived as 'an addiction'? If it is, the doctor should prescribe more wisdom. Or, be prescribed some himself. With just one wise click, the cycling lock, would unlock itself.
The drug would likely be quickly withdrawn, to avoid severe economic problems caused by decreased consumption.
Yes, it would likely cause alarm in society when it is realized that the drug is causing people to quit work and opt out of mainstream society (a la LSD). And I dare say it would quickly turn to horror when people start opting out of family life as well.
It would be pretty funny, though - watching the news and current affairs shows getting hysterical over people becoming obsessed with truth and wisdom.
But isn't any addiction an increase in identifying with - and tightening of - the pleasure & pain noose?
How else can it be loosened? It is only by becoming addicted to wisdom that one can slowly eliminate all addictions, including the addiction to wisdom itself. It's like a fire consuming all of the flammable material, before going out.
It is not what my experience is important. What i say is just a belief to you. Its all a theory. NO Good.
To validate my theory , you have to know the truth , until then you are in no position to validate, yet you will try to judge based on your conditioning.
Basically you will see only your own belief thrown at you with ME as your miror OBJECT. Yet you will be unaware of this is actually happening.
It is so simple yet so complex because humans are immersed in this so called illusion.
I followed your instructions, and you contradicted yourself - without any awareness of it. I asked some questions, but, you delivered no answers. Instead, you projected your own past delusions onto me.
So, by your logic, I can just ignore whatever theory you 'believe' you have unearthed (by shedding your conditioning). Yeah, not everyone on Planet Earth is a Pavlov dog.
Keep thinking - and maybe you'll reach true existence.
(collapsing Ego into my trusty pocket-sized data processor)
You ask questions, You have the answers. Always. Irrespective of what i say.
Just check back your own posts. You have come to a conclusion (answer) based on your own belief trained conditioned by this society. You logical reasoning is based on a beliefs....You react based on certain trait...
Your answers are based on beliefs. Until you are able to see any answers you come up with is Your own BS. You have no chance.
AND one more important thing , Never even think for 1 minute that some one has better answer than you is a FALSE assumption.
It is not the answer that will transform you, it is your questions and your ability negate any answer given by any so called geniuses.
The absolute self confidence is start of the journey into UNKNOWN.
Your ego is too big, and it appears to be unknown to unknown. These petty truths that you are wielding are, and have been, safely tucked away in my pouch. Contradictions abound within your claims. Shall I point them out to thou? You are mocking yourself, and making it all to easy, for me.
Yeah, absolute self-confidence is key - but, only after you've uncovered the Absolute.
Take your 'peace' - and apply that poisoned hypocricy to your shattered psyche. Maybe you'll find some - some day.
And, you should ask yourself another question - are you able to truly understand what you so easily mock?
I can see through walls. You're too scared to stretch your mind, in able to see, into and through, the illusions of others. Or, you don't have the ability.
I vow to thou, that this is my last comment to you, an unknown ghost:
When you are a microcosm, you are free from illusion. No need to stretch, when you're infinite.
(And with that, Sevens takes his magical sack and zoltron blade, and ascends from the swamp. His interaction with ghosts and toads only proves to strengthen his mental agility, rigor and confiedence. He knowingly nods his head, when a small bird whispers to his ear: 'Beware of long-winded debates with ghosts, they are transparent and hold no form. They aren't able to perceive, or contain light.')
YOu are a fool. You are just an example foolish human reaction.
Why did i say all humans are monkeys?
They all resemble each other. They behave and react and rationalize with respect to their their ILLUSION.
That is the problem.
The validity of rationalization has a reference. That reference is your ILLussion.
Do not react.
Do not mumble.
I do not exists.
Only you exists, yet you manifest others.
When death arrives, all this blah blah crap is useless. It will strike everything you created. ALL the EMpire and FORTS and money you have will come crumbling down....
Yes , Death has the power to teach you.
You will be disowned by your own ILLUSION.
FOOL.
Stop reacting based on your illusion.
Stop being bitch to your illusion.
All this wisdom crap is useless. Its all just vouyeristic mental masturbation.
You can't achieve anything with words, You can't grow. EVen though it seems you learned something , infact you are all CRAP. All humans are.
You all are running around in circles trying to define things.
STOP DEFINING. Yes stop defining things according to your Illusion.
I can't tell you what to to think. I have no business in your realm.
Yet , i can only say everything in front of you. Only step you have to do is get better lens. You need to change your thought process.
Stop looking for answers. Because the more you look for answers , the more you end up with a belief.
I wonder what would happen if the medical profession accidently created a drug whose main side effect was an addiction to enlightenment and wisdom ..... ? Would they be excited, or would they quickly withdraw it in horror?
David, addiction to enlightenment is an oxymoron and thus, it is an illusion. If such a state were to take place it would self-dissolve. It's also known to be a common trap.
