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SUMMARY:From Habit to Addiction: A Slippery Slope? - Scott Vrecko - King's
  College London\, Karen Ersche - University of Cambridge\, Gunter Schumann
  - King's College London\, and John Marioni - EMBL-EBI
DTSTART:20130515T171500Z
DTEND:20130515T201500Z
UID:TALK44314@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:28180
DESCRIPTION:We all have an occasional craving for something enjoyable to e
 nhance our mood\, whether it’s having a bar of chocolate\, a couple of p
 ints down the pub or smoking a cigarette. These activities may help us fee
 l better\, but when we become dependent on something to feel normal\, the 
 path to addiction is in front of us. \n\nThe transition from occasional ha
 bit to chronic addiction may be a dominant factor in society's negative re
 lationship to drugs\, but how much do we know about the process of becomin
 g addicted? Addiction can be thought of as a combination of factors includ
 ing social\, psychological and cultural\, but what role does biology have 
 in this process? Are some people predisposed to addiction? How does addict
 ion affect our brains? To unravel this process we must consider how these 
 different factors combine into one condition. \n\nBoth social and cultural
  environments shape our attitudes towards addictive substances and excess.
  However the effect of personality or individual psychology cannot be unde
 restimated. Are some people biologically more susceptible to developing ad
 diction? Factors such as genetic susceptibility and neurological variation
 s can greatly influence our risk of succumbing to addiction.\n\nTo constru
 ct an image of this complex condition we present the seventh annual EMBL-E
 BI Science and Society Symposium “From Habit To Addiction: A Slippery Sl
 ope?”\, bringing together three expert speakers for an evening of insigh
 tful talks and discussion.
LOCATION:Michaelhouse Centre\, Trinity Street\, Cambridge\, CB2 1SU
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