Opioid addiction research is progressing. Zebrafish play a big part in new discoveries. This may sound strange. But one recent zebrafish study is gaining lots of attention. This post tells you all about this study. As an opiate addict, you may wonder why this info matter. You’ve heard the saying “knowledge is power”. This applies to addiction and recovery, too. Seeing the science behind addiction may benefit you. Read on to discover more.
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Why Use Zebrafish For Addiction Research?
You might be wondering how zebrafish help addiction research. The use of zebrafish for research is actually pretty common. There are many reasons for this. Some main benefits of using zebrafish are listed below.
- Using zebrafish is cost effective. These low-maintenance fish are cheaper than mice and other animals.
- Zebrafish lay hundreds of eggs each week. This gives researchers great opportunities for large studies.
- Zebrafish are genetically similar to humans. We have 70% of the same genes as them.
- There’s a link between disease in humans and zebrafish. 84% of genes related to human disease are parallel to zebrafish genes.
- Humans and zebrafish have a lot of the same major organs.
- The muscle, blood, and kidneys of zebrafish are similar to humans.
These details are helpful to know, but overall it’s simple. Humans and zebrafish share many genetic traits. This means that studies done on zebrafish are high-quality. The results using these fish can really benefit humans. Before you learn about those benefits, read the next section. It’s a summary of the recent zebrafish study. It gives insight into the importance of animal addiction research. You will quickly see how and why these studies happen.
Highlights From The Latest Research
This blog post is inspired by a recent study. The research determined many things about addiction. The end result is that zebrafish can develop signs of opioid addiction. Highlights from the study are listed below.
- This zebrafish study took place over five days.
- Zebrafish were taught how to self-administer opioids.
- Zebrafish developed symptoms of addiction after this.
- Once zebrafish were conditioned to self-administer, they craved drugs.
- The fish began seeking out opioids on their own.
- Zebrafish sought out these drugs despite experiencing negative side effects.
- Anxiety and stress occurred when zebrafish went through withdrawal.
This info is interesting, but you may wonder what it means. How does it relate to human opiate abuse and addiction? In the section below, you’ll learn the answer to this question. ” column_min_width=”[object Object]” column_spacing=”[object Object]” rule_style=”[object Object]” rule_size=”[object Object]” rule_color=”[object Object]” hide_on_mobile=”[object Object]” class=”[object Object]” id=”[object Object]”][object Object]
What Does This Mean For Opioid Addicts?
You likely know that animals and drug research go hand in hand. But many people don’t know why this research is crucial. The National Center For Biotechnology Information has an insightful article. It covers substance abuse statistics and the benefits of animal testing. Here are highlights from the article:
- In 2009, the World Health Organization stated that 15.3 million have drug use disorders. This was before the opioid epidemic in America, too.
- In 2007, 19.9 million Americans 12 years of age and up currently used illicit drugs. Again, this was before the intense increase in opiate addiction.
- The article explains how addiction is not a choice. It defines addiction as a brain disease that results in compulsive drug seeking and drug use even when there are bad consequences.
- The biological part of drug addiction is less understood than other diseases. For example, the biological factors of cancer and heart disease are well-known. This makes treatment and recovery from them easier.
- Animal testing is improving drug addiction research. Researchers have learned about self-administration and drug preference.
- Further research using animal testing may help drug addicts. Researchers hope to learn more about drug use patterns and relapsing. This can be done using animal testing. We’ll expand on this more.
This info can be summed up for you very easily. The zebrafish study and other studies are vital. Opioid addiction research is needed to treat this disease. This is just one study out of many. The research and statistics are endless. Below you’ll find out more information about opioid addiction. This info comes from studies like the zebrafish study.
Opioid Addiction Statistics And Relation To Research
An interesting study from 2013 covers opioid addiction statistics. The numbers have climbed since then. However, this is a great example of how important research studies are. There’s a major link between these stats and the need for research. First, take a look at the numbers related to opioid addiction. Below you will see highlights from the 2013 study.
- 2.1 million people abused prescription opioid substances in 2012.
- Of those 2.1 million people, 467,000 were addicted to heroin.
- These stats show that prescription painkiller abuse is a huge problem.
- Accidental death from prescription pain relievers has quadrupled between 1999 and 2012.
- There were about 76 million prescriptions written for painkillers in 1991.
- There were about 207 million prescriptions written for painkillers in 2013.
- The U.S. consumes almost 100% of the world’s hydrocodone (Vicodin) supply.
- In 2004, there were about 144,600 E.R. visits related to painkiller abuse.
- In 2008, this number increased to 305,900 visits.
- Addiction treatment for opiate pain relievers has increased greatly.
- In 2001, around 35,648 people received treatment for opioid addiction.
- In 2011, around 180,708 people received treatment for opioid addiction.
- Women seem to be more at risk for opioid addiction.
- From 1999 to 2010, the number of deaths from opioid painkiller increased five times in women.
- In this same period, the number of deaths increased 3.5 times in men.
- In 2010, there were around 2,789 fatal heroin overdoses.
- This is an increase of about 50% between 2010 and the early 2000s.
So, what’s the link between these numbers and research studies? It’s impossible to know how dangerous addiction is without these numbers. If these stats weren’t available, helpful studies like the zebrafish study may never occur. These studies happen in order to:
- Learn more about the mental process of addiction.
- Learn more about the physical process of addiction.
- Learn the best ways to treat opioid addiction.
- Learn the best ways to prevent opioid addiction.
- Decrease the number of overdoses related to opioids.
- Decrease the number of deaths related to opioids.
It’s clear that animal model research must happen. Without this research, treating opioid addiction would be difficult. Learning about addiction would be nearly impossible. Your chance for long-term recovery is affected by studies like the fish addiction research study.
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Information About Opioid Addiction And Treatment
If you’re curious about opioid addiction, you may enjoy this in-depth post. Learning about drug abuse and addiction on your own is good. Seeing these startling numbers may be shocking. But it can also open your eyes. You know now that these stats lead to helpful research. And opioid research like the study above will continue. This means that treatment options are possible. Hopefully, there will be higher recovery numbers and lower addiction numbers over time. You may not know if you’re an opioid addict. It’s common to second guess yourself. You may also wonder what exactly addiction is. Testing and assessment can help you. You’ll learn a lot of facts about addiction. You’ll also discover what your own struggles are. Then move forward by exploring your treatment options.
