Beth Benoit wrote:
Iagree that it's certainly doubtful that people become
addicted to aspirin and ibuprofen.
I'd say it's not so doubtful. See the following quote from
The State, a newspaper in SC, Summer 1993:
"While taking the occasional aspirin for a headache can
be good medicine, taking any analgesic too much can
promote regular headaches, researchers at St. Louis
University Medical Center report in a recent issue of
Headache Quarterly.
'It's really a paradox,' said Dr. Paul Duckro, an associate
professor of psychiatry. 'People who suffer from headaches
are typically taught to rely on medication for their pain, but
we've found that regular use of analgesic medication can
contribute to the transformation of an occasional headache
into the nearly constant pain of chronic, daily headache.'
Note that this is not so strange when one considers
classical conditioning mechanisms of tolerance and
withdrawal, as in Siegel's influential research. I regularly
introduce my discussion of conditioned compensatory
responses (in my Learning course) with the above quote.
Best,
Mike
*****************************************************
Michael J. Kane
Psychology Department
Georgia State University
University Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
phone: 404-651-0704
fax: 404-651-0753
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"It is morally as bad not to care whether a thing
is true or not, so long as it makes you feel good,
as it is not to care how you got your money as
long as you have it."
-- E.W. Teale
