PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Not everyone who tries cocaine becomes addicted. But a recent study by Rutgers University suggests people who have high sensation-seeking habits could be more susceptible to drug addiction.
Dr. Morgan James, assistant professor of psychiatry at Rutgers, wanted to find out if personality plays a part in substance abuse. His study of rats found that those willing to take risks for stimulation and those overly curious about their surroundings were more likely to seek out the spot where they could find the drug.
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“Those with high sensation-seeking tendencies consumed more cocaine. They also showed several behaviors that typified substance abuse in humans,” he explained. “They exhibited gradual loss of control over their cocaine intake and exhibited increased willingness to exert high amounts of effort to gain access to cocaine.”
James said this information can help doctors better target drug treatment and education.
“We can use this sensation-seeking trait as a screen to identify high-risk individuals, which then allows us to better target interventional strategies,” he said. “Things like drug education and support to hopefully stop people from developing drug use problems.”
It could also help scientists develop medications targeted at those thrill-seekers who are more likely to develop an addiction.
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