This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Over the past year and a half, Scientific ...

Remarkable scientific progress over the past five decades has helped us develop knowledge of how drugs of abuse induce pleasure, reinforce use, and lead to the compulsive self-administration we call ...

People struggling with many addictions, ranging from opioids to gambling, are reporting similar experiences in clinics, on social media and around dinner tables.

Gina Roberts used to have this recurring nightmare: frantic and broke, she would search everywhere for a drink, but always the alcohol would remain out of reach. The dream would trigger such ...

Ana Clara Bobadilla receives funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Everyday human behavior is guided and shaped by the search for rewards.

Ziyad Al-Aly receives funding from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A patient of mine, a veteran who had tried to quit smoking for over a decade, told me that after he started a GLP-1 drug for his ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis (THE CONVERSATION) A patient of mine, ...