Gambling addicts don’t have the look of regular junkies and you cannot see the addiction in their faces, but it creeps up in their relationships and finances. Fong says those who are compulsive gamblers are uncontrollable and their gambling becomes a way to escape from their problems. It is damaging beyond comprehension, yet they continue.

A recent article in the Toledo Blade points out that gambling addicts will sell off possessions and even steal from their own family to place a bet. Although compulsive gambling ranks relatively low, impacting less than 2 percent of people nationwide, the associated costs can be unbelievably high among this type of gambler.

Recent studies show that compulsive gamblers are more apt to declare bankruptcy than those in the general public. These gamblers have more debt and carry higher unemployment rates. Experts believe casinos are going to produce a new era of problem gamblers. Those who live in a 50-mile radius of casinos are at double the risk than those who live further away. Gambling addictions are now incorporated in the manual of mental disorders and are recognized as a nonchemical addictions that experts believe are caused by a combination of biological, social and psychological factors.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Addictions Services in Ohio says the new science in slot machines is designed to make you play rapidly, longer and more often, hoping the bright lights will keep you excited.

Mephedrone has its own distinctive mixture of toxicities and effects, similar to those in methamphetamine. When tested with rats, the rats kept pushing down on the lever because they craved more of the drug. Mephedrone also increases dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain, just as ecstasy does.

Repeated dosages of mephedrone damage the brain’s ability to react to serotonin and can cause the body to overheat. DEA Agent Gary Boggs told WebMD that the drug is sold in the form of bath salts in an attempt to sidestep the drug laws. It has also been sold as decorative sand and plant food, sometimes even as a type of toy cleaner.

According to a recent article posted on Medscape the drug goes by a variety of names. Two of the most popular are Vanilla Sky and Ivory Wave. Mephedrone has not been approved for consumption by humans and that is why initial studies have been performed utilizing rats. It is important to note that bath salts are not tested by the same quality manufacturing procedures as legalized drugs.

Poison controls centers in the U.S. say that since July 31, 2011 these bath salts and similar products have become a growing problem. Since that date, they have received over 4,100 calls regarding problems related to bath salt exposure. Just one year before, in 2010, there were scarcely over 300 similar calls. Michigan officials say they experienced a surge in ER visits during May 2011 from individuals who had injected, snorted or swallowed such bath salts; one patient was dead on arrival.

Director of the National Drug Abuse Institute, Nora D. Volkow, MD, urges parents and the public to learn more about the dangers associated with bath salts containing mephedrone.

Where binge eating often happens, it turns out, is at restaurants. Binge eaters are not ordering excessive amounts of food, but instead eating the large portion sizes normally served at restaurants in the U.S. Binge eaters aren’t hiding the amounts they are eating, and the food may not be identified as a common culprit for weight gain.

A study published in the November issue of SAGE Publications’ Western Journal of Nursing Research shows that when it comes to binge eating, disordered eating behaviors may be taking place regularly at restaurants.

Based on American habits of eating out, large portion sizes in restaurants, frequenting fast food restaurants and a sedentary lifestyle, it is easy to find the sources of obesity. However, the study’s authors wanted to explore the restaurant eating habits of those who binge eat.

The study compared the eating behaviors of those who binge eat and those who were dieters in order to gain an understanding of how the restaurant environment affects binge eaters.

The researchers asked the all-female participants, both binge eaters and dieters, to record their daily food intake. The analysis showed that the participants in both groups consumed more calories and fat on the days they ate out. In addition, the study showed that approximately 30 percent of binges occurred while eating out at restaurants.

The participants in the binge eating group often saw their restaurant eating as out of control and excessive. The report of a high level of binge eating at restaurants contradicts previous perceptions that binge eating is a private, hidden activity.

National Institute of Health shows that restaurants may provide an environment that is high risk for binge eaters, encouraging uncontrolled eating.

The information may be helpful for eating disorder treatment programs that train patients in life skills for healthy eating behavior patterns. Avoiding restaurants, particularly ones that serve large portions or a large percentage of high-fat foods may help recovering binge eaters avoid a relapse. Being mindful of how much food is consumed is more difficult in a restaurant setting.

Psychological scientists Eva Kemps and Marika Tiggemann of Flinders University, Australia, review the latest research on food cravings and how they may be controlled in the current issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

We’ve all experienced hunger (where eating anything will suffice), but what makes food cravings different from hunger is how specific they are. We don’t just want to eat something; instead, we want barbecue potato chips or cookie dough ice cream. Many of us experience food cravings from time to time, but for certain individuals, these cravings can pose serious health risks. For example, food cravings have been shown to elicit binge-eating episodes, which can lead to obesity and eating disorders. In addition, giving in to food cravings can trigger feelings of guilt and shame.

Where do food cravings come from? Many research studies suggest that mental imagery may be a key component of food cravings — when people crave a specific food, they have vivid images of that food. Results of one study showed that the strength of participants’ cravings was linked to how vividly they imagined the food. Mental imagery (imagining food or anything else) takes up cognitive resources, or brain power. Studies have shown that when subjects are imagining something, they have a hard time completing various cognitive tasks. In one experiment, volunteers who were craving chocolate recalled fewer words and took longer to solve math problems than volunteers who were not craving chocolate. These links between food cravings and mental imagery, along with the findings that mental imagery takes up cognitive resources, may help to explain why food cravings can be so disruptive: As we are imagining a specific food, much of our brain power is focused on that food, and we have a hard time with other tasks.

New research findings suggest that that this relationship may work in the opposite direction as well: It may be possible to use cognitive tasks to reduce food cravings. The results of one experiment revealed that volunteers who had been craving a food reported reduced food cravings after they formed images of common sights (for example, they were asked to imagine the appearance of a rainbow) or smells (they were asked to imagine the smell of eucalyptus). In another experiment, volunteers who were craving a food watched a flickering pattern of black and white dots on a monitor (similar to an untuned television set). After viewing the pattern, they reported a decrease in the vividness of their craved-food images as well as a reduction in their cravings.

According the researchers, these findings indicate that "engaging in a simple visual task seems to hold real promise as a method for curbing food cravings." The authors suggest that "real-world implementations could incorporate the dynamic visual noise display into existing accessible technologies, such as the smart phone and other mobile, hand-held computing devices."

They conclude that these experimental approaches may extend beyond food cravings and have implications for reducing cravings of other substances such as drugs and alcohol.

Medication May Reduce Cravings

Certain drugs have proven effective in helping people with drug and alcohol addiction to resist cravings. These drugs, approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), include Naltrexone (ReVia), Suboxone, Acamprosate (Campral), and Vivitrol.

• Naltrexone was the first drug approved by the FDA (in 1994) for the treatment of alcoholism and opiate addiction. For most patients, a dramatic reduction in cravings for drug and/or alcohol occurs within a few hours after the first dose. Naltrexone blocks the high from the substances and reduces the urge to consume while on the drug. It is not addictive and patients have no withdrawal effects from cessation of the drug. It reduces the probability of relapse and can be taken with other prescribed medications (such as those to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions). Since it significantly reduces craving, which can reappear months or years later, naltrexone offers the patient an increased chance of long-term successful recovery. Naltrexone is used in combination with treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy

• Vivitrol – This is the injectable version of naltrexone, approved by the FDA in 2006, intended for use in patients who are able to abstain from drinking in an outpatient setting. It is used in combination with counseling and/or group therapy.

• Suboxone – One of the newer drugs approved by the FDA, suboxone is effective in treating withdrawal from opiate addiction and also maintenance, helping to reduce cravings.

• Campral – This drug (the marketed name for acamprosate) approved for treatment of alcohol addiction, has been shown to help heavy drinkers maintain abstinence for several weeks to months, and may be more effective in severely alcohol-dependent patients.

• Disulfiram – Approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence, disulfiram (Antabuse) in clinical studies shows promise in reducing cravings for cocaine.

Drugs currently under study in clinical trials for treating cocaine and stimulant abuse include Modafinil (a stimulant, helps reduce cravings for cocaine or amphetamines), Topiramate (an anticonvulsant, helps avoid cocaine use or reduce cravings), and Baclofen (a muscle relaxant, when combined with drug abuse counseling reduces cocaine use).

It is important to note that these medications may be effective for some people but not others. You also must obtain a prescription for them. And it is recommended that most of them be used in combination with psychotherapy, either individual counseling and/or group support meetings. But if you are experiencing drug and/or alcohol cravings, don’t think you can go it alone. Cravings will grab you and steer you down the path toward relapse quicker than you think. You have to get help to combat them. Medications may help, but they’re only one part of the process.

Therapy Is Crucial

Since much of alcohol and drug dependence mechanisms are controlled by repetitive behavior, like the daily reward of alcohol or drug use in specific situations (you’re with a certain person, in a particular bar or other setting, it’s that time of day, etc.), therapy to help identify and modify these thoughts and behaviors helps to change them. This form of psychotherapy is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. The therapy helps to train the patient’s brain to learn new behaviors and has been extremely effective in helping patients to remain sober and/or drug-free. In effect, you learn new ways of thinking and behavior that do not involve alcohol or drugs. You learn how to change destructive behavior and deal with recurring issues that drive addiction, understand what is going on with your body and brain, and learn new coping mechanisms to prevent relapse.

Many drug and alcohol rehab or treatment programs offer counseling, and some use CBT as part of the continuing treatment.

Education Is Important

You need to be informed on how alcohol and drug addiction works on your body and your brain. The more you learn about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, the better the likelihood you can make the often difficult decision to stop drinking and/or doing drugs. Research as much as you can on the Internet at such sites as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), at www.drugabuse.gov), get brochures and pamphlets, talk with your counselor or therapist. Knowledge is one of your best weapons to combat cravings and avoid relapse.

Tend To Your Nutritional Needs

Most alcoholics and drug-dependent individuals entering treatment suffer some form of malnutrition. Their bodily functions are impaired due to the nutrient deficiency. Some alcoholics are also pre-diabetic or hypoglycemic. Alcoholics get caloric content from the alcohol. They drink rather than eat, with predictable nutritional consequences. You need to eat a diet high in quality nutrients: protein, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid foods high in sugar. Blood sugar levels are often mistaken for cravings. Supplements can also help.

Attend Support Groups

After you’ve left an alcohol and/or drug addiction treatment program (whether inpatient or outpatient), don’t try to chin it and expect to go it alone. That’s just a recipe for disaster. The nature of recovery is that it is an ongoing process. Relapse is blamed on cravings that can become simply unbearable – especially if they pop up weeks, months, or even years after you believe you’re fully recovered. To avoid relapse, and help minimize and/or deal with cravings when they do occur, regularly attend support groups, or continue individual counseling.

You can also join online drug and alcohol recovery forums where you can participate on an anonymous basis.

Find someone else who is at the same stage as you are in recovery. Sometimes the buddy system can work wonders as you help each other overcome the cravings to drink and use drugs.

Exercise for the Natural High

Vigorous exercise promotes the release of endorphins in the brain. This natural chemical can lift depression and reduce cravings. Whether the physical exercise is playing a game of softball, touch football, a game of golf, or going for a brisk hike, swim, running or other athletic activity, make sure you engage in exercise that’s sufficient enough to get your heart pumping. A good workout also promotes the release of endorphins. Feeling good naturally will chase away the cravings.

Meditation, Yoga and Other Forms of Relaxation

As you will learn in therapy and counseling, you need to develop ways to take your mind off of your cravings. You need to give it an outlet, a means to relax. Meditation, Yoga, Biofeedback, acupuncture, massage and other forms of relaxation can really help. When your mind and body are in a relaxed state, you’re less likely to experience the cravings. If and when they do come, you’ll be better able to deal with them.

Call a Friend

When you’re alone and cravings strike and it’s not time for a meeting or counseling, what can you do? Call a friend, someone who supports your not drinking or doing drugs. This may be your accountability partner from a group, or a minister, relative, or someone else. Experts recommend having a call list, a series of names you can call. Keep calling until you reach someone that has the time or is available to help.

Devise a Strategy

Knowing in advance what you will do and how you will act when cravings strike is more than half the battle. If you try to resist when you’re under stress, haven’t slept well, or are depressed or ill, and don’t have a plan, you’re subjecting yourself to potential relapse.

Look at the Now

Try not to think about abstaining forever. Sure, that’s your goal. But it can seem insurmountable and, at times, it may seem easier just to take that one drink, use just this one time. But remember that you can’t drink just one drink and you can’t just do a taste of a drug. They’re poison, and will land you right back at the beginning.

Instead, overcome your cravings just for today. Experts say that you should live your life in the now, live for the moment of sobriety and drug-free existence. This minute can then lead to the next minute, and more minutes beyond that. Living in the now also helps you to better appreciate the life and blessings you do have. It also helps to thank God or whatever higher power you believe in for your continued ability to overcome cravings and enjoy life to its fullest – alcohol and drug-free.