Nora Volkow and the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Posted by Pat Olsen on September 08, 2011

In a recent post on marijuana (Marijuana, the Most Commonly Used Drug), I mentioned NIDA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Neuroscientist Nora Volkow heads this organization. Nora Volkow.jpgEvery industry or field has its leaders, and in the addiction and recovery field, she stands out.

You may have seen Nora in the HBO special on addiction a couple of years ago. (Here’s an interview with Nora on the HBO page for the documentary.)  

Joan reminded me that Nora is the great-granddaughter of Russian revolutionary/exiled Soviet politician Leon Trotsky. She was raised in Mexico City in the home where he was assassinated.

The New York Times, which also noted her lineage, called her “A General in the Drug War.” Joan mentioned she was an early proponent of the Reward Deficiency theory originated by Dr. Kennth Blum. It was Nora who pioneered the use of brain imaging to better understand how drug addiction affects the brain.

Nora is constantly quoted, as in this USA Today article. Here’s her bio, which describes her illustrious career and wide-ranging career interests. For years she has studied and educated people about dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward-seeking and thus addiction. In May she addressed a group of drug experts about prescription pill abuse, according to The New York Times article. And she writes, too. One of her articles I found especially interesting is Physical Activity May Prevent Substance Abuse.

NIDA and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are due to be merged, and the NYT article says Volkow approves of the idea.

“…[S]he is all for the merger, calling the current structure ‘an artificial division with many missed opportunities,’ like having an institute for every particular variety of cancer. Addictions tend to move together, she said, sharing many triggers and a great deal of biology.”

 

A Blog for Teens About Drugs

Posted by Pat Olsen on November 01, 2010

Recently I found The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s blog for teenagers—The Sara Bellum Blog at http://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/. Did you catch the joke in the title on reading that, the takeoff on cerebellum? I didn’t the first time I saw it. But what better way to try and capture teens’ attention about an important subject than to try and appeal to their intelligence with a play on words? Thumbnail image for group of kids.jpg

But teens aren’t reading this Malibu Beach Recovery Center blog, you say. Why post about a blog for teens? For several reasons. Here are five:

1. Because you may be the parent or stepparent, grandparent, or aunt or uncle of a teen and it’s wise to see what they’re reading and learning about drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found in a 2004 survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders that 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported using Vicodin without a prescription in the previous year, and 5.0 percent reported using OxyContin --“making these medications among the most commonly abused prescription drugs by adolescents.”

And by the way, teens don’t always go searching through medicine cabinets to find prescription drugs, as you’ll often hear. When my son was 16, he had his appendix removed. As we were leaving the hospital, the nurse gave us a vial of Vicodin and instructions for taking them. “These are highly addictive,” she said. “Throw them away if there are any left over.”

That was my introduction to my son taking a prescription drug. I walked on eggshells for a couple of days trying not to be too obvious about monitoring his pain and his pill intake. (He thinks I go a little overboard with the admonitions about drugs. I probably do, because one of my brothers was an addict.) When the pain subsided and my son no longer wanted the pills, I was finally able to exhale.

2. Because you may have a godchild who will be a teen one day, or you may be dating someone who has a teen.

3. Because you may work with teens or mentor a teen.

4. Because there’s a lot of good information on the site that applies to everyone, not just teens.

5. Because prescription drug abuse is a national problem. NIDA reports that 20% of Americans 12 and older have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons.

This will be the fourth year that NIDA is offering an online forum to several high schools for students to ask questions “about drug abuse and the science behind addiction.” Drug Facts Chat Day is on Nov. 9, the first day of what will be an entire week dedicated to shattering the myths about drugs and addiction each year.

Here are two facts I found interesting that are offered in a booklet for teens on the site:

1. You can become addicted to marijuana. “The chances of becoming addicted to marijuana or any drug are different for each person. For marijuana, around 1 in 11 people who use it become addicted.”

 

2. “In 2006, prescription pain medications were involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.”