Last night (7 Nov 02) I attended a lecture/forum discussion at my son's school about alcohol and drugs effects on the brains of adolescents. The guest speakers were Wilkie Wilson, Ph.D, Professor of Pharmacology, Duke Univ. Medical Center, author of "Just Say Know - Talking to Kids about Drugs and Alcohol," and Dr. William J. Bennett, former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar. (Bennett's son attends my son's school).

It was very informative. Dr. Wilson described what happens in the brains of people, from a pharmacological standpoint, when the body processes drugs. He described the brain's "reward system" that provides positive feedback to pleasurable stimuli by releasing dopamine. Of course, according to Dr. Wilson, the brain does not discriminate between harmful drugs and "normal" pleasurable responses, such as feelings of love, when it's stimulated to release dopamine.

You know where I'm going with this.

Dopamine is the "love drug" and like stimulus drugs, the brain's response to it can have addictive characteristics.

OK, you say, so what? We already knew there was a biological aspect to the "fog" and genuine feelings of love and we all observed our WSs in the throes of it as they beamed back and forth to the Mothership.

Here's the new info: Dr. Wilson also described the results of new research that he expected to be published today in the journal "Science" that links the effects of dopamine directly to the brain's hard wired "oops response." (I'll try to find a link and post it here later - see below.) As he described it, the "oops response" is that automatic, self checking reaction that normally permits the recognition of impending danger or poor judgement. The more dopamine on the loose in the brain, the less effective the "oops response" becomes. This is one explanation for why people on dopamine highs due to drugs - or love for that matter - do such stupid things. The poor judgements are obvious to everyone except themselves. They don't pause for "oops!"

Dr. Wilson did not draw parallels between love and drugs as distinctly as I am. I could be wrong. But he did equate the initial feelings of love to drug induced highs via a common dopamine reaction.

So, perhaps my theory of WS alien abductions is wrong after all. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Later: I found the research article at sciencemag.org "Mistakes don't trouble a boozy brain" but I couldn't access it because I don't have a subscription.

<small>[ November 08, 2002, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: worthatry ]</small>

I dunno, maybe with a little more research we can link both theories! Maybe dopamine is implanted by the mothership??

Very interesting information WAT and it makes sense to me.

Hmmm....is there any kind of vaccination that was mentioned to use against this Dopamine drug? Maybe some kind of shot I give my WH in the A** while he is sleeping to make him come to his senses?

Hmmm....is there any kind of vaccination that was mentioned to use against this Dopamine drug? Maybe some kind of shot I give my WH in the A** while he is sleeping to make him come to his senses?

LOL!!! Yea...and the A$$ would be the perfect place to inject it, since WS's in the fog tend to keep their head up there. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="images/icons/tongue.gif" />

<small>[ November 08, 2002, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: hope4future ]</small>

All,
If you inject WS with antigen, how do your WS start feeling/craving for love to you ?. Interesting dilemma,probably should be use donly first few weeks of withdrawal similiar like buprenex for heroin addiction but then the cow has to be willing to come home first. Dunno, it is too early for my tiny brain. -rh-

bumped for freetobe

(Quote by Worthatry in italics)

I think this is interesting.

"So, perhaps my theory of WS alien abductions is wrong after all. "

Is your alien theory squashed because this new information supports that what happens to WS oops repsonse is internal not alien induced? LOL I think the responses were very funny-LOL.

Everyone, thanks for making me laugh! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> AT least I can still laugh through all of this.

BTW, I like the alien abduction theory, maybe someone will write a book someday. I am sure that excuse hasen't ever been used for cheating..."Aliens made me do it"!

Sevenselves

seven - the book is in progress...........

Worthatry, let me know when it comes out! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />
I would be more then willing to read it then the other books I have invested time in...At least that would make sense to me! LOL

Okay, WAT, that wasn't nice. You FREAKED ME OUT! I thought there was someone else posting under my name! But after I had a stroke I noticed the date. Sheesh! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by worthatry:
<strong> seven - the book is in progress........... </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">WAT,
That book or the manuscript is probably gathering dust somewhere. Where's that other book we were all suppose to contribute a chapter or 2? Wasn't it JDMac's idea?

Now as for the 'dopamine', what a good name and how true it is 'dope a mind'.....some just don't need a physical supplement to get in the fog, some can just mentally put themselves in that transient state of mind or the lack thereof. LOL!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

L.

up for robertinboat

Funny I was talking to SIL last night, and I came up with its like my W has been taken over by the POD people. LOL need to find humor.

Clearly you guys have never been a member of a cult. I'm a cult survivor. I know all about FOG and lying to myself. It's a bum wrap. My H was in the cult with me, so you'd think he would have recognised the symptoms when they struck again. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me"!

Also, if you want to read a book about weirdo theories about A's try looking up reincarnation. They would have us believe that our spouses knew their OP in a previous existence. Which would be weird in my case as my husband is blonde with blue eyes of christian anscetery and the tart is muslem with very dark skin and almond eyes. Maybe my H was on some expedition that sailed the pacific ocean and he had himself a native a couple of centuries ago?

As to the research??? Pls tell me the same reaction can set in from infaturation. Is infatuation different to love?

dumbo - I, and hopefully most others, believe infatuation is FAR different than love. Infatuation is probably a better word to describe the state of a relationship that most affairees are experiencing - at best a shallow prelude to potential love. BUT - it produces the same pleasurable effect, differing only as a matter of degree, as any other "drug".

WAT

WAT, I'm glad you reposted your theory. I needed to hear it today for a couple of reasons. (1) Events of the last year are just going through my brain, and I can't believe my H was so crappy. Just this morning I found out he had our son months ago set up aol instant IM so he could talk and say goodnight to OW. (2) While talking and crying in bed with H this morning I challenged their so called love by saying, "How can it be love when 2 people are encouraging each other to do the cruelist things to the people they love?" Hs response: "You don't know what your talking about." In other words, THEIR LOVE was the real deal. If I think about dopomine flushing into his brain maybe it will make this a bit more bearable. Thanks! CV

^ for roughroad

I totally belive in the whole dopamine thing. I'm a nurse and it is truly amazing what the body can experience. Take for instance, psychosomatic symptoms experienced. Somone could experiencing such an intense stress that they actually feel that their arm goes numb, or they can become blind!

i am of the mindset that my H is infatuated w/the OW because of how she makes him feel or how he feels as a result of being around her, talking to her, etc. but at the same time i feel this is EXTREMELY dangerous because i also think this is how a lot of people fall in love. I can honestly say that i think that's how it started between me and my H, i became infatuated w/him.

so, with that being said! all the more reason for me to fight for my M, do what i can to clear the fog, and get my H into treatment. thanks for bumping the post for me.