NEW YORK 11/20/2011 7:30:00 PM
News / Health & Wellness

Correlation between video gaming and addiction may exist

Video gaming habits could indicate potential for addiction

An overseas study recently released shows a possible correlation between excessive video gaming and an increase for potential drug addiction.  

Researchers from the University of Ghent in Belgium studied the MRI scans of over 150 14-year olds who were regular gamers, and seventy-eight 14 year-olds who played games less frequently.   It was discovered that the area within the brain called the ventral striatum contained larger volumes of neurons in those who played video games regularly.  That area of the brain is responsible for motivation and reward, primarily dopamine production - a hormone which is responsible for transmitting pleasure.  

“The Belgium scientists certainly aren’t saying that children who regularly play video games will become addicted to some type of substance,” begins a spokesperson for Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center.  “Their study, however, does offer insight into how various environmental factors may influence an individual’s proclivity towards addiction.  Studies such as this one are common place within the addiction field - the more factors that we discover that could possibly affect substance abuse, the more likely we are to find more effective courses of both prevention and treatment for those suffering from addiction.”  

Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center is highly skilled in treating a variety of substance abuse addictions.  If you or a loved one is suffering, Mountainside can help you begin your journey to recovery.  

Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center is a modern drug rehab facility that is skilled in serving a variety of clients with various addictions and in varying stages of addiction.  The caring, compassionate team is made up of licensed and certified social workers and counselors who have extensive experience and specialty in the addiction treatment field.  In addition, the staff includes a Nurse Practitioner, as well as a Registered Nurse, both of whom also have specializations and experience within the field of addiction treatment and alcohol rehab.    

Mountainside also provides services for those individuals who come to them with dual diagnoses and require the services of a Psychiatrist to help conquer the unique challenges that dual diagnosis brings.  

For the past 13 years, Mountainside has established itself as an innovator within the addiction treatment field, and the treatment modalities Mountainside utilizes are regarded as among the most cutting-edge approaches in helping individuals to get, and to remain, sober. As a result of their unique, innovative approaches to addiction treatment, Mountainside has become the model for the addiction treatment field.  

The program, along with its professional addiction treatment team, have earned national recognition and resulted in Mountainside being invited to Washington by the White House to meet with the White House Drug Czar, John P. Walters, for an in-depth meeting on what makes its program so successful.  These accolades did not go unnoticed within the addiction treatment field and resulted in the adoption by many throughout the country of a more holistic approach to drug addiction treatment.

If you or someone you love is addicted to drugs or alcohol, or if you have any questions, please contact Mountainside Drug Rehab  and Alcohol Treatment Center for a confidential inquiry at 800-762-5433.