December 2016

A key issue of the alcohol addiction study (as well as other addictions) is the issue of control. Given that alcohol intake is an action, it shall go its path from the stimulus to the realization. Assuming we’ve lost control of any process we’ve a fundamental and still unclear question of what or who controls it. In case of alcoholism, the search of an answer is more difficult due to our previously described internal and external worlds of a human. It happens that our environment isn’t just the nature and the social world, but also the processes in our inner organs and even or mind. That makes another question what a remote control is or, in other words, how we can determine the structure that, firstly, control things around and inside a human and, secondly, for the sake of which things called the feast of life are done.

In its conclusions, the book emphasizes seven major points. First and foremost is the common biological and behavioral basis of motivation and reward. In the vertebrates, at least, all motivated behaviors involve stimuli that function as rewards, and thus, direct and modify behavior. Activation of neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and anatomically related structures (ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens) make up a major component of the arousal of motivated behavior and reward. In addition, dopamine appears to be a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in both.

We can find an opposite approach to dieting. People eagerly listen to advice that to be healthy one shall eat properly, do sports, have a good daily routine of activities, etc. However, it happens quite rarely that they follow this advice strictly. They say it’s laziness. On the other hand, most of such pieces of advice are mere recommendations. The exceptions are few. One of them is to avoid eating sugar when having diabetes. Ignoring this recommendation (which is a must) may cause serious threats to one’s health. Moreover, the threats are to come in the nearest future.  There’s a popular saying, the nerves are the root of all diseases. Indeed, the human somatic system is rather stable. It “reports” only in a serious situation.