🍔Addiction can extend beyond drugs and include substances like food.
📲One in five Canadians will meet the criteria for substance use disorder in their lifetime.
🧠Changes in the brain area responsible for survival-based motivated behaviors were observed in rats exposed to sugar.
🌱Addiction is a result of our highly evolved brains seeking out rewarding substances in the modern environment.
❌🚬Addiction should not be limited to drugs, but rather any highly rewarding substance or behavior.
What is addiction beyond drugs?
—Addiction can extend beyond drugs and include substances like food.
How common is substance use disorder in Canada?
—One in five Canadians will meet the criteria for substance use disorder in their lifetime.
What were the results of the study involving rats and sugar?
—Rats exposed to sugar showed binge eating and escalated intake, as well as changes in the brain area responsible for survival-based motivated behaviors.
Why do our brains seek out rewarding substances?
—Our highly evolved brains seek out rewarding substances in the modern environment as a result of evolutionary adaptations for survival.
What should addiction be defined as?
—Addiction should not be limited to drugs, but rather any highly rewarding substance or behavior.
00:00Introduction to addiction beyond drugs
03:28Statistics on substance use disorder in Canada
06:28Study involving rats exposed to sugar
08:54Changes in the brain area responsible for survival-based motivated behaviors
10:00War between evolved biology and modern environment
