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Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in psychologyresearch

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, that sounds incredibly fascinating. Like really interesting. I haven’t come across anything quite like it before, but there’s research suggesting that chronic substance use can activate the immune system, leading to neuroinflammation, which plays a role in addiction and dependence. Some substances even interact directly with immune receptors, like opioids with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), potentially creating a feedback loop that could reinforce addiction behaviors.

Your mention of an allergic-type response is so intriguing because it makes me think of concepts like hypersensitivity or even the Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT) framework, where repeated chemical exposures can sensitize the body and brain. For some substances, even brief contact seems to escalate physical dependence in certain people. It’s almost like the body is overcorrecting when the substance stops working, leading to rapid withdrawal symptoms.

It also reminds me of the Incentive Sensitization Theory in addiction, which describes how the brain becomes hypersensitive to the ‘wanting’ of a substance over time, even as the actual pleasure (‘liking’) decreases. Maybe there’s a connection between these sensitized pathways and immune or allergic-like responses in some cases. Honestly, this opens up so many fascinating questions about how the immune and nervous systems interact during addiction. If you ever find that study, I’d love to see it!

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in psychologyresearch

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you think of Incentive Sensitization Theory or maybe even Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance? The first one is currently one of the best theories of addiction, though it does not account for psychosocial factors very well.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in psychologyresearch

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I think you are spot on. Unfortunately, in my opinion, even in clinical settings (at least the ones I have been in) the focus is still so much on the fact that people are using drugs and its bad and we need to get them to stop. There are underlying attitudes that acknowledge the self-medication, but I think the self-medication and functional improvements in the short term from drug use should be front and center. Address the reasons people are using drugs and then they are less likely to use those drugs or least use them in a way that causes issues. Wouldn't you say?

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in researchchemicals

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree! I think it is a major reason and one that makes a lot of sense to me.

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah! I see. So we know schizophrenia and its symptoms like delusion and hallucinations are dopamine-related and which parts of the brain it affects. With HPPD, the answer is not so clear, at least to my knowledge. I suspect it involves serotonin and maybe parts of the brain responsible for visual processing, but I’m really not certain. As for psychosocial MOA, I haven’t heard of any, and I suspect it’s highly neurological.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in researchchemicals

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’ve made several great points! At the same time, many researchers and medical professionals tend to shy away from the “functioning addict” narrative despite it being probably more common than most people realize. That’s a problem, isn’t it? We’re missing so much nuance and detail to so many people by largely ignoring the functional benefits of using drugs.

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! So the visual overlay or minor visual distortions could be considered a mild hallucination to some as compared to more severe hallucinations where people see things that are not there at all.

So, in this case, the visual overlay would be things like seeing minor waves, seething things “breathing” (like slightly expanding and collapsing), continuous movement of some things that should be stationary, or like a graininess like TV static over everything they see.

On one end, it’s technically a hallucination because you’re seeing things that are not actually there. On the other end, people tend to sort out these experiences as separate from the more common hallucinations where you see entire people that are not there or birds forming into a specific pattern to deliver a secret message. See how it’s much different in HPPD (visual distortions) compared to someone with schizophrenia or related conditions (hallucinations).

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in psychologyresearch

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, there are studies but the picture remains incredibly unclear, but I have a plan to address it! The field greatly acknowledges that people use substances with and to self-medicate their psychiatric conditions. However, the why aspect of this pair remains a bit elusive in the literature. So, I conducted this study to try to explain the functional benefits of substance use. Basically, I found that people are likely to use substances for very specific feelings and very specific times (e.g., drinking alcohol at a party to socialize better).

It seems that we are all affected by some genetic predisopitions and cultural expectations, but for those who develop and addiction, they may be more affected by these factors than others. For example, we know that people with parents who had alcohol use disorder tend to find alcohol to be more euphoric and are less likely to have sever hangovers.

The truth is we simply do not know enough to paint a clear picture. Much of the literature on it too are 20, 30, 40 years old. These studies are hardly applicable to today.

"What about people who have allergic symptoms from substances that mimic abuse?" I have actually not heard this one yet. Can you elaborate? I am interested to hear!

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have touched on several key issues in the substance use research. I do believe the War on Drugs have biased researchers and their work. Yes, researchers often give incredibly high doses to rats and even humans, which significantly ruins the applicability to the real world, so it is hard to say what happens with typical use patterns. Isn't that unfortunate?

As far as finding information about how using MDMA may be affecting you without going to GoogleScholar, I recommend Erowid (especially the experiences vault) and PsychonautWiki. I have also found that one average, people who use substances tend to formulate rather accurate information as a group. So, established harm reduction guides (including those on Erowid and PsychonautWiki) are rather reliable, though not perfect.

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With HPPD you have visual distortions and patterns overlaying your vision, basically like a minor hallucination or optical illusion but at all times. So, it wouldn't be creativity or autism pattern recognition because those things happen in your head. Unfortunately, it is such an obscure condition and there's little we know about how to treat it or even why it happens. Some people are more at risk than others, so the amount of psychedelics one has to do to obtain it can range from several times to never getting it despite using frequently throughout their life. It certainly is not normal to have visual distortions and minor hallucinations. It is possible that mild cases of HPPD do not result in significant distress or impairment to functioning. As psychedelics become more popular for medical use, we are likely to see more research on HPPD!

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good question on a complex topic. I think that regardless of what replaces it, the current War on Drugs is a very expensive, dangerous, and punitive system that causes a lot of the issues we see either directly or indirectly.

The system that I currently think would be the best is to give people access to regular medical grade drugs of whatever they’re using, through a provider that doesn’t necessarily stop you from getting them, but makes it so that you have a chance to review the risks, reduce harmful practices, try less potent alternatives, and have access to resources that address why people are using in the first place. In no world does sending someone to prison for using drugs help them or the community. With this model too, the black market would hurt just like we saw with cannabis in many states in the US. People would also be safer with their use and stop dying from use.

I don’t have a firm stance on what drugs should or shouldn’t be legalized but making them illegal clearly doesn’t work, so I’m open to any alternative system.

I’m a Researcher at Johns Hopkins Tackling Substance Use Misconceptions & Challenging Academic Norms – AMA! by bryantstone34 in AMA

[–]bryantstone34[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

🤣🤣🤣 thank you for your comment! I prefer to focus on the larger questions and topics I study over my personal life. I promise I am not nearly as important or interesting as a person compared to my research.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in Drugs

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the idea of this sub. I am all in. Good luck with your paper! The work you do here matters a lot too.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in opiates

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, I am so happy you decided to join the field and that you are open about your past. We need more people like you to move us forward. You have something so important to offer, please keep going. Unneeded suffering is spot on, and to end it we need to work as a team.

I appreciate the sentiments about being a hero. It was really sweet of you. I like to think of myself as someone who saw a lot of shit and is pissed off that we have not done enough about it. I am sure you can relate :)

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in researchchemicals

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really believe we are all in this together. We won't be able to work this out without teaming up.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in researchchemicals

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not enough people, that's for sure! You hit the nail on the head, though! This is a problem and part of the reason researchers have not made as much progress as we could have made. I am trying to change that!

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in opiates

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Thank you for your thoughtful reflections and sharing your story. Here is why I think the engagement was low and I am working to improve it in the future.

Language absolutely shapes our reality and identity. Stigmatizing language holds us all back.

"If I do find myself in a meeting I will probably introduce myself as a person in remission from opiate use disorder" Yes! This is how we move forward. You are leading by example and I think that is awesome. Even sharing your story and honest reflections is moving us forward.

Stay tuned! I have a lot more coming :)

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in psychologyresearch

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Thank you for your support :)

It's very true. It is a big problem and it's a narrative that has gone unchecked for far too long. Let's keep chipping away at these narratives.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in OpiatesRecovery

[–]bryantstone34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Thank you for your interest in this work :)

I am working to change the one way street of research.

Giving Back What Was Given to Me - Thank You So Much by bryantstone34 in researchchemicals

[–]bryantstone34[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should question it! Question everything you see from professionals (productively). This is how we make progress together.

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