How isolation fuels opioid addiction | Rachel Wurzman

What do Tourette syndrome, heroin addiction and social media obsession all have in common? They converge in an area of the brain called the striatum, says neuroscientist Rachel Wurzman — and this critical discovery could reshape our understanding of the opioid crisis. Sharing insights from her research, Wurzman shows how social isolation contributes to relapse and overdose rates and reveals how meaningful human connection could offer a potentially powerful source of recovery.

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42 Comments on How isolation fuels opioid addiction | Rachel Wurzman

  1. Romans 12: 4-5 ” For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

    • Sounds like an empty “New Age” platitude…like “present in the stillness” and blah, blah, blah. Lol. Addiction is the desire to create a better “present “: Misguided but sincere.

    • My experience with meditation on the present actually significantly decreased my drinking and practicing acceptance of the things I can not change is also extremely helpful which was a saying actually created by the Greek Stoics plus finding coping skills which I mentioned some already or else I’d be a miserable sober person which some refer to as dry drunks. I’ve been sober for 1 year and four months as of now and not miserable lol I’m where my feet are.

    • +Peggy Harris Not sure what you mean about new age blah blah. Sounds childish not being open to others views and experiences. Being present is accepting reality. The now is all that matters. Addiction is not being in the now. All sounds quite humble to me. 🙂

  2. These white Opioid Junkies should get put in prison for 30 years just like black people got with crack. #JustSayNo

    • +Nova Zone Um… my point is Black people got 30 years in prison for being drug addicts.

      A lot of Black people got LIFE SENTENCES under that “3 strike law”.

      Where is that same treatment for white Opioid Junkies?

    • +The Blood Of Ogun #AfricanGodOfWar #B1 I keep saying that it doesn’t matter who you are, if your convinced of a crime you get sentenced based on the severity of that offense, But I guess you just don’t get it.

    • +Nova Zone but u still haven’t answered the question… White Junkies are doing the same exact thing that Black crack addicts did yet white people aren’t getting mass incarcerated.

      They are even building safe spaces for white people to shoot up heroin so they won’t get arrested.

      If race has nothing to do with it why are white junkies are getting special treatment?

    • +The Blood Of Ogun #AfricanGodOfWar #B1 I already answered you several times now and I’m getting tired of repeating myself, if that’s your view of the world fine.

  3. I loved the way you described “ticks” as something even more involuntary than – regular – involuntary moves (like those times you arm/leg jumps like it has caught an electric discharge). Never thought about it that way, but it really makes sense <3

  4. I can confirm this first hand, I used to abuse codeine and the best way to describe a codeine/opioid high is like you’re loved and connected, like you’re being hugged by someone who loves you..

  5. Here’s an awkward concept that gives life meaning and creates transcendence: God.
    We’ve made God political, revengeful, blood -thirsty. No wonder…we feel lonely on a planet with over 7 billion souls.

    • +suddenlybananas …and you can’t prove the opposite. We’re not debating the existence of God. Religion once provided comfort and meaning (it doesn’t matter if it was illusory or not). Now religion is a source of contention and argument thanks to our globalised society

  6. Hurray, kinship in meglomania!!! Ok, sure, I’m willing to experiment with you dahlin’, er Doc. Look me up, and let’s see what we may create together.

  7. She does a really good job blending her ticks with natural emphases. I didn’t notice she had tourettes ’till she pointed it out, g’job!

  8. I needed to watch this one. I am a recovering addict. Im not a bad person, sick, or stupid. Im human. I love that this presentation brought “stigma” and just being human up for us to remember to ultimately, i think love each other. And help each other under any stigma/ sickness, remember that we all are human. I just appreciate the way she presents the epidemic being more than us just being sick. Normal, sick….. we’re still human. Let’s evolve. Not just be normal.
    Sending love.

  9. very interesting. jack panksepp also did research on the so called “seperation distress” with mice. the comparison with the heat seeking missile was perfect. my first Time opioids felt like becoming complete, as that was all i ever craved. im now 9 months clean, including psychotherapy and a good psychologist. it feels like the wires starting to reconnect. stay strong, ya’ll Can beat this addiction. grettings from germany

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