0:00:02.208,0:00:04.404
>>[Person #1] I don't think[br]addiction is a disease.

0:00:04.404,0:00:06.060
>>[Person #2] I think addiction[br]can be overcome.

0:00:06.060,0:00:09.951
>>[Person #3] You have choices, [br]and you can choose to stop.

0:00:09.951,0:00:11.081
>>[Person #4] It's not a disease.

0:00:11.081,0:00:14.829
>>[Person #5] It is a disease, but it [br]doesn't need medication to be treated.

0:00:14.829,0:00:16.340
>>[Person #6] Of course it is a disease.

0:00:16.340,0:00:21.131
>>[Person #7] I just experienced working[br]in a professional capacity with addicts--

0:00:21.131,0:00:22.632
I think it's a disease.

0:00:22.632,0:00:25.005
>>[Bill Nye] Have you ever heard that[br]people say addiction is a disease?

0:00:25.005,0:00:27.280
>>[Person #7] I've heard[br]a few people say it, but it isn't,

0:00:27.280,0:00:28.702
because you can stop whenever you want.

0:00:28.702,0:00:30.096
>>[Bill Nye] So, who's right?

0:00:30.096,0:00:31.628
Is an addiction a disease?

0:00:31.628,0:00:34.970
Or isomething you overcome[br]with your force of will?

0:00:34.970,0:00:37.334
♪ [Singing the show's title: [br]"The Eyes of Nye"] ♪

0:00:37.334,0:00:41.034
♪ [fast-paced digital music] ♪

0:00:41.034,0:00:48.371
♪ ♪

0:00:48.371,0:00:53.929
♪ [singing continues] Nye... Nye... ♪

0:00:53.929,0:00:56.036
♪ The Eyes of Nye! ♪

0:00:58.132,0:01:00.828
>>[Adam Carolla] Hey, everybody. It's Love Line.

0:01:00.828,0:01:03.435
I'm Adam Carolla. That is Dr. Drew.

0:01:03.435,0:01:07.724
Phone number: 1-800-LOVE-191.[br]Bill Nye, the Science Guy in here.

0:01:07.724,0:01:08.726
Jamison? [button beeps]

0:01:08.726,0:01:10.297
>>[Jamison]Yes.[br]>>[Adam] You're 16?

0:01:10.297,0:01:11.486
>>[Jamison] Yes.[br]>>[Adam] What's up?

0:01:11.486,0:01:16.340
>>[Jamison] Lately I've been having[br]these dreams of, like, me smoking pot,

0:01:16.340,0:01:19.324
and I've been clean for 3 months now.

0:01:19.324,0:01:22.407
>>[Dr. Drew] Well, "using dreams" [br]are absolutely routine.

0:01:22.407,0:01:26.000
Anyone who's been addicted to a [br]drug and stops, will have "using dreams."

0:01:26.000,0:01:30.083
It's your brain really craving the drug.[br]That's the feeling you have.

0:01:30.083,0:01:31.918
You want to be using. [br]You want it so badly.

0:01:31.918,0:01:34.866
It doesn't sound like you're in a program,[br]because if you were,

0:01:34.866,0:01:37.060
people would tell you that everyone has that.

0:01:37.060,0:01:39.986
>>[Jamison] Well, I was in the program,[br]and I didn't really bring it up.

0:01:39.986,0:01:42.178
It just started recently...

0:01:42.178,0:01:44.667
>>[Dr. Drew] [br]Okay, well, tell your sponsor about it then.

0:01:44.667,0:01:46.203
>>[Jamison] Um...I don't have a sponsor.

0:01:46.203,0:01:48.234
>>[Dr. Drew] Alright, like I said, [br]you're not in the program.

0:01:48.234,0:01:50.527
>>[Adam] We'll take ourselves [br]a little break. We'll be back.

0:01:50.527,0:01:52.101
♪ [music starts] ♪

0:01:52.101,0:01:55.446
>>[Bill Nye] So, Drew, you do this [br]radio show, Love Line, every night?

0:02:02.204,0:02:07.825
It takes you just a few moments to analyze [br]people's problems, and you seem to be dead on.

0:02:07.825,0:02:11.933
What is it about addicts, what is it [br]about addiction, that you pick up on?

0:02:11.933,0:02:15.190
>>[Dr. Drew] How do I know it's addiction?[br]It's just...I, I...it's almost like a smell.

0:02:15.190,0:02:16.575
>>[Bill Nye] You're on the radio!

0:02:16.575,0:02:19.881
>>[Dr. Drew] I know! And I'll go to Adam:[br]"I smell it. I just know it's here."

0:02:21.450,0:02:26.375
♪ [music like from old TV shows] ♪

0:02:26.375,0:02:28.384
♪ ♪

0:02:28.384,0:02:31.454
>>[narrator of the video] Youth is [br]a happy time and a carefree time.

0:02:31.454,0:02:34.929
A time of auto rides and double dates.

0:02:34.929,0:02:38.072
It's a time of fun, pranks, and jokes.

0:02:38.072,0:02:43.124
Youth is a time for finding[br]one's place in the world.

0:02:43.124,0:02:47.150
But, sometimes in these troubled days,[br]the very thoughtlessness of youth

0:02:47.150,0:02:50.235
♪ [music changes to ominous] ♪[br]has led to a living nightmare:

0:02:50.235,0:02:55.005
addiction to drugs, too often [br]acquired with tragic carelessness.

0:02:55.005,0:03:00.286
To these addicts, life's only work [br]is to find money for drugs.

0:03:00.286,0:03:04.128
In their desperation, [br]no means is too foul.

0:03:04.128,0:03:10.528
Their only goal in life is to keep the deadening[br]chemicals forever in their heart's blood.

0:03:10.528,0:03:12.680
[sound of old film reel ending]

0:03:12.680,0:03:17.137
>>[Dr. Drew] It is important for me to--[br]for people, in this country in particular,

0:03:17.137,0:03:18.637
to understand this disease of addiction,

0:03:18.637,0:03:20.988
because the perception is [br]so far from the reality.

0:03:20.988,0:03:23.474
It breaks my heart,[br]the amount of suffering

0:03:23.474,0:03:26.836
and the amount of loss that [br]goes on because of this disease.

0:03:26.836,0:03:30.041
>>[Bill Nye, narrating] When Dr. Drew's [br]not working the phones on Love Line,

0:03:30.041,0:03:34.091
he's the director of chemical dependency[br]services at Los Encinas Hospital,

0:03:34.091,0:03:36.159
where he works with hundreds of addicts.

0:03:36.159,0:03:38.608
>>[Dr. Drew, addressing an audience][br]...and I want to hear how, again,

0:03:38.608,0:03:40.658
it was or was not relatable to your stories.

0:03:40.658,0:03:44.175
>>[audience member #1] I smoked pot [br]with thousands of kids in my high school.

0:03:44.175,0:03:46.981
I ended up homeless and toothless on heroin.

0:03:46.981,0:03:48.731
>>[audience member #2] [br]Through this drug that I got introduced to--

0:03:48.731,0:03:52.080
it was like cocaine, and couldn't get [br]the cocaine, and moved on to speed--

0:03:52.080,0:03:56.691
I became this, like, superwoman and [br]I was just, like, everything and anything.

0:03:56.691,0:03:59.178
>>[audience member #3] [br]And every time I got pregnant,

0:03:59.178,0:04:02.082
like that [snaps her fingers],[br]I stopped taking drugs,

0:04:02.099,0:04:04.349
I stopped doing alcohol, I stopped everything.

0:04:04.349,0:04:08.982
Then after your child is a year or two old, [br]just naturally, you start using again.

0:04:08.982,0:04:15.833
>>[audience member #4] Since I accepted[br]that idea that addiction was a disease,

0:04:15.833,0:04:20.165
it's been relatively easier for [br]me to deal with my addiction.

0:04:20.165,0:04:22.964
>>[Bill Nye] Drew, in your opinion, [br]addiction is a disease, right?

0:04:22.964,0:04:25.631
>>[Dr. Drew] Addiction is a disease, [br]but really to answer that question accurately,

0:04:25.631,0:04:28.065
you've got to be able to [br]understand what a disease is.

0:04:28.065,0:04:31.607
The definition of disease, for me, would [br]be an abnormal physiological process

0:04:31.607,0:04:35.231
brought on by a relationship between the[br]genetics of the individual and the environment.

0:04:35.231,0:04:37.936
That pathophysiology will create[br]a set of signs and symptoms

0:04:37.936,0:04:41.064
that progress in a predictable way, [br]we call it a "natural history,"

0:04:41.064,0:04:43.060
and by affecting the natural history,

0:04:43.060,0:04:45.712
we can create a predictable [br]response to treatment.

0:04:45.712,0:04:47.464
>>[Bill Nye] Mm-hmm. [br]>>[Dr. Drew] That's it. That's disease.

0:04:47.464,0:04:48.597
And addiction does fit that,

0:04:48.597,0:04:51.080
but people get hung up on[br]where the physiology goes wrong,

0:04:51.080,0:04:52.748
and they don't understand [br]that it's a brain disease.

0:04:52.748,0:04:55.597
>>[Bill Nye, narrating] [br]Now, Dr. Drew went through that pretty fast.

0:04:55.597,0:04:59.064
Let's go over it again. So, what is a disease?

0:04:59.064,0:05:01.368
Well, it's an abnormal physiological process.

0:05:01.368,0:05:05.680
Something is going wrong inside you:[br]a virus is replicating, a tumor is growing,

0:05:05.680,0:05:08.631
or your brain is being [br]altered by steady drug use.

0:05:08.631,0:05:13.996
Now, diseases are brought on by the [br]combination of the environment and genetics.

0:05:13.996,0:05:18.697
So, [for example] you've inhaled a flu virus and [br]you've gotten infected, that's the environment.

0:05:18.697,0:05:21.390
You're color-blind? Well, that's genetics.

0:05:21.496,0:05:26.920
Diseases all have signs and symptoms, [br]they all have natural histories,

0:05:26.920,0:05:29.639
and they all respond to [br]treatments in predictable ways.

0:05:29.639,0:05:32.388
So, to see why we often think [br]of addiction as a disease,

0:05:32.388,0:05:35.038
we have to take a look [br]at how our brains work.

0:05:35.038,0:05:39.908
Like everything else inside you, [br]your brain is made of cells, billions of them.

0:05:39.908,0:05:41.770
We call them neurons.

0:05:41.893,0:05:46.732
Messages are carried from neuron [br]to neuron with tiny chemical signals,

0:05:46.732,0:05:50.282
across gaps we call synapses.

0:05:50.282,0:05:53.829
Now, at this chemical level,[br]everything we find pleasurable

0:05:53.829,0:05:56.546
amounts to nothing more [br]than a microscopic flood

0:05:56.546,0:05:59.847
of the neurotransmitter called dopamine.

0:05:59.847,0:06:02.480
So, we call this the "reward pathway."

0:06:02.480,0:06:05.114
We like the pleasurable feeling, [br]so we do it again and again,

0:06:05.114,0:06:06.147
do it again and again.

0:06:06.147,0:06:09.532
Things like eating, drinking,[br]and having sex are pleasurable

0:06:09.532,0:06:11.233
because they're required for our survival.

0:06:11.233,0:06:15.632
But, it turns out, there's a connection [br]between drugs and dopamine.

0:06:15.632,0:06:18.015
[cavemen eating loudly]

0:06:18.015,0:06:21.965
>>[caveman #1] Wow, these cocoa leaves [br]are really raising the level of dopamine

0:06:21.965,0:06:23.697
at the synapses in my brain!

0:06:23.697,0:06:24.658
>>[caveman #2] Yeah, you know, it's like...

0:06:24.658,0:06:27.632
it's, uh, almost mimicking the [br]neurotransmitter's structure

0:06:27.632,0:06:31.831
by tying up to binding sites the[br]molecules that transport dopamine.

0:06:31.831,0:06:36.740
>>[caveman #1] I've heard that to get high,[br]they have to occupy at least 47% of those sites.

0:06:36.740,0:06:38.896
>>[caveman #2] [br]Really? You know, I heard it was 60 to 80%.

0:06:38.896,0:06:43.902
>>[caveman #1] Well, sure, 60 to 80% for [br]MAXIMUM effect, but 47% at the minimum.

0:06:43.902,0:06:45.306
>>[caveman #2] Well, I don't want to get high;

0:06:45.306,0:06:47.988
I just want to get through [br]the cold temperatures at night.

0:06:47.988,0:06:49.994
>>[caveman #1] The cold doesn't bother me.

0:06:49.994,0:06:54.941
>>[caveman #2] Really?[br]So, um...why are you chewing on these?

0:06:54.941,0:06:58.267
>>[caveman #1] Because my dad[br]never played catch with me.

0:06:58.267,0:07:00.753
I think I'm gonna need a hug here.

0:07:00.753,0:07:02.848
>>[caveman #1] No, dude.

0:07:04.212,0:07:07.747
>>[Dr. Drew, to an audience] Down in here, [br]down in the sort of reptilian part of your brain,

0:07:07.747,0:07:11.531
we share that with mice and rats [br]and other, certainly, lower mammals.

0:07:11.531,0:07:17.327
And it's why addiction is so easily studied [br]in rodents and lower mammalian life forms,

0:07:17.327,0:07:19.871
because this is a disease [br]of this part of the brain,

0:07:19.871,0:07:23.424
of an area called the mesolimbic reward system.

0:07:23.424,0:07:26.801
And it's a part of the brain [br]that does not have language,

0:07:26.801,0:07:28.134
does not have logic... [trails off]

0:07:28.134,0:07:29.431
[to Bill Nye] It's basically what drives us--

0:07:29.431,0:07:30.850
it's the survival center of your brain.

0:07:30.850,0:07:33.775
Addiction is basically a hijacking [br]of the survival system.

0:07:34.584,0:07:38.504
>>[Bill Nye] To show the powerful effect[br]that drugs can have on the survival system,

0:07:38.504,0:07:41.538
an experiment was done with laboratory mice.

0:07:41.640,0:07:45.240
Now, these were special mice, [br]they were already alcoholic mice.

0:07:45.240,0:07:50.374
They were given access to all the cocaine [br]they wanted every time they pressed a lever.

0:07:50.374,0:07:55.074
So, the mice would maintain a precise [br]concentration of cocaine in their bodies,

0:07:55.074,0:07:58.824
pressing a lever every 12 minutes exactly.

0:07:58.824,0:08:03.640
After 14 days, the mice died. Powerful stuff.

0:08:27.773,0:08:30.273
>>[Dr. London] I'm a brain researcher.

0:08:30.273,0:08:32.817
Here at the Brain Mapping Center at UCLA,

0:08:32.817,0:08:37.463
we have this wonderful opportunity[br]to look inside a human brain.

0:08:37.463,0:08:41.994
>>[Bill Nye] So, doctor, let's say I were gonna [br]get a PET scan (positron emission tomography).

0:08:41.994,0:08:45.378
First, I got the sunglasses[br]because it's bright, right?

0:08:45.378,0:08:47.044
But, then what happens?

0:08:47.044,0:08:50.228
>>[Dr. London] If you were going to get [br]a PET scan, we would... [dialogue trails off]

0:08:50.228,0:08:51.927
>>[Bill Nye, narrating] [br]Now there are exciting breakthroughs

0:08:51.927,0:08:57.300
using magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs)[br]and positron emission tomography (PET scans).

0:08:57.300,0:09:00.250
We can get to the next level [br]of addiction research.

0:09:00.250,0:09:03.183
We can see exactly what drugs [br]do to the human brain.

0:09:03.183,0:09:05.250
>>[Dr. London] Here, we're looking at

0:09:05.250,0:09:08.515
the comparison of a group of [br]methamphetamine abusers

0:09:08.515,0:09:11.949
and a group of non–drug-using volunteers.

0:09:11.949,0:09:17.083
The blue areas are areas where the [br]methamphetamine abusers are not working.

0:09:17.083,0:09:19.749
If you have a look at the pre-frontal lobe,

0:09:19.749,0:09:24.616
the central area that's so important[br]for being able to make a decision

0:09:24.616,0:09:30.034
that involves balancing reward against [br]knowing that there's a negative consequence.

0:09:30.034,0:09:33.283
You can see that that area is just turned off.

0:09:33.283,0:09:36.816
But these other areas that are [br]part of that executive center

0:09:36.816,0:09:42.217
that are important in the emotional [br]state of craving are really hot.

0:09:42.217,0:09:44.700
>>[Bill Nye] You've lost your [br]ability to make decisions;

0:09:44.700,0:09:48.567
at the same time, you've lit up [br]your need, your craving.

0:09:48.567,0:09:49.778
So let me ask you this:

0:09:49.778,0:09:54.495
Is it possible that the methamphetamine abuser

0:09:54.495,0:09:59.136
cannot decide NOT to take the[br]drug that's related to addiction?

0:09:59.136,0:10:02.032
>>[Dr. London] [br]In fact, the very nature of addiction

0:10:02.032,0:10:05.384
has to do with the inability [br]to make proper decisions.

0:10:05.384,0:10:10.234
>>[Bill Nye] This pattern where the [br]decision-making part is sorta turned off--

0:10:10.234,0:10:14.668
Is this what happens to an addict?[br]"I can't decide-- Like, this is gonna kill me,

0:10:14.668,0:10:17.799
this is gonna kill me, but I gotta have it, [br]I gotta have it, I gotta have it"

0:10:17.799,0:10:20.253
and there's no-- [br]They can't think about the future?

0:10:20.253,0:10:21.566
>>[Dr. London] Well, you know, for many years,

0:10:21.566,0:10:25.532
we were thinking that the[br]best way to treat addiction

0:10:25.532,0:10:29.149
was to come up with a blocker to block[br]the high, but that didn't really work.

0:10:29.149,0:10:33.679
And then the next wave of work [br]in coming up with treatment

0:10:33.679,0:10:37.714
was to reduce craving, but in fact,

0:10:37.714,0:10:43.315
I think the biggest problem in drug abuse is [br]the decision making that you just talked about.

0:10:43.315,0:10:47.257
Sure, craving occurs, but then [br]what is someone going to DO with it?

0:10:47.257,0:10:49.365
>>[Bill Nye] Because they're not thinking.

0:10:49.365,0:10:52.329
>>[Dr. London] The part of the brain[br]that's really critical for decision making

0:10:52.329,0:10:56.948
is just not functioning properly[br]in the methamphetamine abuser

0:10:56.948,0:10:59.147
(and in drug abusers in general).

0:10:59.147,0:11:04.571
One of the things that my colleagues[br]who are treatment providers have told me

0:11:04.571,0:11:11.088
is that it's very useful to take pictures like[br]this to show people that are in treatment

0:11:11.088,0:11:17.387
and it allows the person not to feel guilty[br]about not being able to do the right thing.

0:11:17.387,0:11:23.507
It allows the person to see that there is [br]some chemical problem that needs to recover

0:11:23.507,0:11:27.675
before they get back to a state where [br]they can make all the right decisions.

0:11:27.675,0:11:30.041
>>[Bill Nye] So, Doctor, you look [br]at these images all day, right?

0:11:30.041,0:11:31.125
You analyze these things.

0:11:31.125,0:11:34.427
If you had one thing to tell the world[br]about your research, what would it be?

0:11:34.427,0:11:39.441
>>[Dr. London] Addiction is a brain disease;[br]no matter how the addict got there,

0:11:39.441,0:11:42.491
at this point, he has a [br]problem making decisions.

0:11:42.491,0:11:46.225
The whole executive center [br]of the brain is involved.

0:11:46.225,0:11:50.757
The central area that's really needed[br]for him to be able to make a choice

0:11:50.757,0:11:53.508
when he's got to balance between a quick fix,

0:11:53.508,0:11:58.906
knowing that there's a negative consequence[br]is something that's not happening properly.

0:11:58.906,0:12:02.297
>>[Bill Nye] Addiction is a brain disease.[br]>>[Dr. London] It is.

0:12:02.297,0:12:04.142
>>[Bill Nye] There it is, in black and white...

0:12:04.142,0:12:06.720
>>[Dr. London] ...and color.[br]>>[Bill Nye] ...and blue and orange.

0:12:07.922,0:12:11.370
So how do drugs affect your brain?

0:12:11.370,0:12:14.421
Different drugs affect[br]the brain in different ways.

0:12:14.490,0:12:19.037
[narrating] For example, cocaine molecules[br]resemble dopamine molecules,

0:12:19.037,0:12:24.840
so cocaine molecules end up binding to[br]the receptors of the cells in such a way

0:12:24.840,0:12:29.786
that prevents the cells from removing or[br]pumping the dopamine out of the synapses.

0:12:29.786,0:12:34.068
And so the brains end up with [br]more dopamine and more pleasure.

0:12:34.068,0:12:39.792
It may be that the neurons in addicts' brains [br]receive such high levels of dopamine

0:12:39.792,0:12:46.385
that the cells try to adapt by reducing the [br]number of sites to which dopamine can bind.

0:12:46.385,0:12:51.208
Well, then, between hits, or during withdrawal,[br]when the addict isn't taking the drug,

0:12:51.208,0:12:55.757
their brains end up having not [br]enough dopamine after all of that.

0:12:55.757,0:12:59.542
So they start out taking cocaine [br]in order to feel high,

0:12:59.542,0:13:02.844
and they end up taking it [br]in order not to feel low.

0:13:02.844,0:13:05.474
>>[Dr. Drew] Every addict has experience[br]with being able to start and stop it

0:13:05.474,0:13:06.641
earlier in their disease;

0:13:06.641,0:13:09.840
that's what makes it so difficult for them[br]to accept that they can't, later on.

0:13:11.738,0:13:14.228
♪ [music like from old TV shows] ♪

0:13:14.228,0:13:17.807
>>[Mr. Sanders] Children, what do you think[br]causes addiction to drugs in humans?

0:13:17.807,0:13:22.342
>>[Mary] The neurons in the brain adapt and [br]respond to excessive stimulation from the drugs,

0:13:22.342,0:13:25.572
causing molecular changes that lead to [br]cravings when the drug is not present.

0:13:25.572,0:13:27.838
>>[Mr. Sanders] That is one possibility, Mary.

0:13:27.838,0:13:29.123
Tommy, what do you think?

0:13:29.123,0:13:32.389
>>[Tommy] I've read that addiction [br]can also be traced to genetics,

0:13:32.389,0:13:36.401
which (when combined with trauma) can [br]lead the addict to seek relief from reality.

0:13:36.401,0:13:37.465
>>[Mr. Sanders] Perhaps, Tommy.

0:13:37.465,0:13:39.688
But I believe addiction occurs [br]when someone you love

0:13:39.688,0:13:43.255
suddenly decides you're too needy[br]and throws your clothes out on the lawn.

0:13:43.255,0:13:45.529
>>[Tommy] Gee, Mr. Sanders, I sure [br]hope science finds a cure for that

0:13:45.529,0:13:46.739
by the time I'm older.

0:13:46.739,0:13:48.967
>>[Mr. Sanders] I wouldn't count on it, Tommy.

0:13:48.967,0:13:51.428
[sound of old film reel ending]

0:13:53.838,0:13:55.223
>>[Dr. Drew] You've got a family [br]history of addiction there,

0:13:55.223,0:13:56.365
you see a genetic predisposition,

0:13:56.365,0:14:00.716
there's some sort of environmental trigger -- [br]oftentimes, it's trauma -- set up...

0:14:00.716,0:14:01.531
>>[Bill Nye] What's a trauma?

0:14:01.531,0:14:04.831
>>[Dr. Drew] Trauma would be-- usually a [br]childhood trauma is what we're talking about

0:14:04.831,0:14:07.099
and it's an experience of [br]powerlessness in childhood;

0:14:07.099,0:14:10.731
a feeling that they're threatened with [br]not being able to survive, quite literally.

0:14:10.731,0:14:13.081
And you're 15 and you feel out [br]of control and life sort of sucks,

0:14:13.081,0:14:14.231
and you can't figure out what's going on,

0:14:14.231,0:14:17.250
you can't feel good about yourself [br]or what you're feeling.

0:14:17.250,0:14:19.548
You look for solutions and [br]somebody hands you a joint

0:14:19.548,0:14:21.838
and oh, things are okay now!

0:14:43.432,0:14:46.082
>>[Bill Nye] We're gonna run [br]a little test here, right?

0:14:46.082,0:14:49.962
We're gonna have these people [br]drink what they think is beer...

0:14:51.342,0:14:52.619
but there's no alcohol.

0:14:52.619,0:14:53.854
>>[Dr. George] Correct.

0:14:53.854,0:14:57.044
>>[Dr. Marlatt] Some people think [br]it's just a biological disease, period.

0:14:57.044,0:15:00.996
But we're saying that's PART of it,[br]but the psychological factors

0:15:00.996,0:15:06.178
and the social factors and the [br]cultural factors play also a big role.

0:15:06.178,0:15:07.953
>>[Bill Nye] So what do we expect to happen?

0:15:07.953,0:15:11.936
>>[Dr. Marlatt] Well, we're gonna see [br]if we get a sort of placebo effect

0:15:11.936,0:15:14.751
in the sense that people,[br]if they think they're drinking alcohol

0:15:14.751,0:15:18.053
and they're in a bar setting [br]and they're with other people,

0:15:18.053,0:15:21.768
how much of the effects are due to alcohol

0:15:21.768,0:15:25.169
and how much are due to the setting [br]and the expectancy and they contact high?

0:15:25.169,0:15:28.194
>>[Bill Nye, narrating] Dr. George and I [br]are now observing behind a mirror

0:15:28.194,0:15:30.628
while Dr. Marlatt plays bartender.

0:15:30.628,0:15:33.267
>>[Man] Here's to science.[br][Glasses clink together.]

0:15:33.267,0:15:36.468
>>[Dr. George] I'm looking for the usual types

0:15:36.468,0:15:38.478
of changes that you see in [br]people after they have a drink,

0:15:38.478,0:15:42.093
which are feeling a little bit more relaxed,[br]being a little more sociable,

0:15:42.093,0:15:45.643
perhaps a little giggly, being a little looser.

0:15:45.643,0:15:48.015
[Cheering, glasses clinking]

0:15:50.425,0:15:52.543
>>[Man, unclear]

0:16:02.202,0:16:04.377
[overlapping chatter]

0:16:04.377,0:16:06.953
>>[Dr. George] Those are the [br]typical types of things that happen

0:16:06.953,0:16:09.030
when folks normally drink alcohol,

0:16:09.030,0:16:12.048
and so, as a consequence, [br]those are their expectations.

0:16:12.048,0:16:13.732
And that belief is so strong

0:16:13.732,0:16:18.418
that just believing that they've been [br]drinking can stir up those effects.

0:16:20.677,0:16:23.421
>>[Dr. Marlatt] I'm gonna tell you something[br]now about what you've been drinking.

0:16:23.421,0:16:25.287
Somebody asked about what brands.

0:16:25.287,0:16:28.306
These were the beers; they're alcohol-free.

0:16:28.306,0:16:30.344
[various reactions]

0:16:30.344,0:16:33.932
>>[Bill Nye] Ladies and gentlemen...

0:16:33.932,0:16:37.249
It's really cool. You guys were carrying on

0:16:37.249,0:16:39.738
like you were just drinking, [br]you know, a lot of beer.

0:16:39.738,0:16:41.539
Not that I've ever done that.

0:16:41.539,0:16:43.190
>>[Some participants laugh.]

0:16:43.190,0:16:44.439
>>[Bill Nye] So let me ask you this:

0:16:44.439,0:16:47.274
Do you think it would change [br]the way you drink in the future?

0:16:47.274,0:16:50.580
>>[Participant] We could still [br]have fun without getting drunk?

0:16:50.580,0:16:52.285
>>[Bill Nye] That might be one conclusion.

0:16:52.285,0:16:53.857
>>[laughter from participants]

0:16:53.857,0:16:55.228
>>[Bill Nye] So I just noticed,

0:16:55.228,0:16:57.592
as soon as you guys found out,[br]nobody's drinking anything.

0:16:57.592,0:16:59.198
>>[laughter from participants]

0:16:59.826,0:17:03.373
>>[Man] Ray! Big meeting in 15 minutes.[br]C'mon! Put your game face on. Let's go!

0:17:03.373,0:17:09.092
>>[Ray] Uh, okay, um...

0:17:09.092,0:17:15.640
♪ [jazzy elevator music] ♪

0:17:15.640,0:17:22.150
♪ ♪

0:17:23.517,0:17:24.906
>>[Man] Hey, Ray. What's up?

0:17:24.906,0:17:29.251
>>[Ray] Oh, we got a big meeting in 15 minutes[br]and I thought I'd have a quick smoke.

0:17:33.228,0:17:37.831
[sighs] Oh, geez, I guess [br]I left them on my desk.

0:17:37.831,0:17:40.617
>>[Man] Oh. That was my last one.

0:17:45.136,0:17:47.257
>>[Dr. Drew, to an audience] [br]So let's talk about cocaine.

0:17:47.257,0:17:49.766
So you're using cocaine, [br]you get going with crack.

0:17:49.766,0:17:52.859
What does that look like when you start?[br]Are you with friends? Are you by yourself?

0:17:53.480,0:17:55.257
>>[Woman] In the beginning, you're with friends.

0:17:55.257,0:17:56.612
>>[Dr. Drew] You're with friends, [br]you're hanging out,

0:17:56.612,0:17:59.310
[unclear] you're at a party, [br]you start smoking crack...

0:17:59.310,0:18:00.626
♪ [sirens] ♪

0:18:00.626,0:18:03.531
The first time you take a hit,[br]the first hit of that [unclear].

0:18:03.531,0:18:05.566
How does that feel? [br]>>[Man] Awesome.

0:18:05.566,0:18:07.565
>>[Dr. Drew] How about the second?[br]How about the second hit?

0:18:07.565,0:18:08.983
[distorted speech] How does that feel?

0:18:08.983,0:18:10.282
>>[Man] Not quite as good.[br]>>[Dr. Drew] Not quite as good.

0:18:10.282,0:18:11.316
How about the 100th hit?

0:18:11.316,0:18:13.999
>>[Woman] You're just kinda like, [br]"Why am I even doing this?'

0:18:13.999,0:18:16.466
[distorted speech] That's the insanity.

0:18:16.466,0:18:20.165
>>[Dr. Drew] Let's say now, we're about [br]36 hours into this. Where are you?

0:18:20.165,0:18:22.965
>>[Woman] Underneath the tables.[br]>>[Another woman] In the closet.

0:18:22.965,0:18:25.449
>>[Dr. Drew] Under the table, closet...[br]>[Woman] Locked in a motel room.

0:18:25.449,0:18:26.832
>>[Dr. Drew] Locked in a motel room;

0:18:26.832,0:18:27.966
brightly lit with the curtains open?

0:18:27.966,0:18:29.132
>>[several] No.

0:18:29.132,0:18:30.283
>>[Dr. Drew] Who's with you?[br]>>[several] Nobody.

0:18:30.283,0:18:33.949
>>[Dr. Drew] Nobody. You're by yourself.[br]Who do you see outside?

0:18:33.949,0:18:35.615
>>[various responses] Everyone, police, the CIA.

0:18:35.615,0:18:38.732
>>[Dr. Drew] Police, CIA, who else? Who else?[br]FBI. Uniformed officers.

0:18:38.732,0:18:41.599
You look out the window.[br]Where do you see them?

0:18:41.599,0:18:43.932
>>[Someone] The trees.[br]>>[Dr. Drew] The trees! The palm trees!

0:18:43.932,0:18:45.081
>>[several laugh]

0:18:45.081,0:18:46.617
>>[Dr. Drew] You're in a dark room[br]with a single light bulb.

0:18:46.617,0:18:50.482
Your fingers are burned, you're under the table,[br]you're looking out at the LAPD in the palm trees.

0:18:50.482,0:18:52.384
Why don't you stop smoking crack?

0:18:52.384,0:18:56.172
You know, you KNOW, not only are you [br]NOT going to get what you got that first hit;

0:18:56.172,0:18:59.564
with each subsequent hit, you're gonna [br]feel crappier and crappier and crappier.

0:18:59.564,0:19:02.799
So you just stop, right? No, when do you stop?

0:19:02.799,0:19:04.153
>>[Man] You can't.[br]>>[Dr. Drew] You can't.

0:19:04.153,0:19:05.350
>>[Someone] When you run out of money.

0:19:05.350,0:19:07.699
>>[Dr. Drew] When you can't get it anymore.[br][He chuckles.] That's when they stop.

0:19:07.699,0:19:12.598
They know hit #2, that they're heading down [br]this path to just misery and can't stop.

0:19:13.504,0:19:21.870
>>[Man] There's nothing that anyone can do, [br]say, or-- No way can they really help you stop

0:19:21.870,0:19:26.138
until you decide inside for yourself: [br]"I've had it."

0:19:26.138,0:19:28.720
>>[Another man] One has to be sick [br]and tired of being sick and tired.

0:19:28.720,0:19:33.758
When you get tired of just getting [br]ran over by a truck everyday...

0:19:33.758,0:19:38.575
>>[Woman] It doesn't matter the level of losses,[br]the level of death, the level of financial --

0:19:38.575,0:19:43.192
How many times people have been to prison.[br]When is it enough? You just have to be done.

0:19:43.192,0:19:45.858
>>[Dr. Drew] If all I had to do was [br]convince addicts they needed to stop,

0:19:45.858,0:19:47.341
my job would be very easy.

0:19:47.341,0:19:52.404
The problem is, I get them on their knees,[br]begging for some help with stopping.

0:19:52.404,0:19:53.330
>>[Someone] Mm-hmm.

0:19:53.330,0:19:55.677
>>[Dr. Drew] Their lives are being destroyed.

0:19:55.677,0:19:58.203
They want to stop in the most sincere [br]way they know; they can't do it.

0:20:36.027,0:20:37.367
Addicts have a misconception

0:20:37.387,0:20:40.188
that they can just get off the drugs,[br]get through the withdrawal, and that's it.

0:20:40.188,0:20:42.405
But no, the hardest part is staying off the drug,

0:20:42.405,0:20:45.955
and some of that is the result of [br]the chronic changes the brain is in.

0:20:45.955,0:20:47.921
But the real significant changes --

0:20:47.921,0:20:51.571
the the feeling of loss, irritability,[br]mood lability -- goes about a year.

0:20:51.571,0:20:53.171
Pinsky's Rule is one year.

0:20:53.171,0:20:54.655
>>[Bill Nye] Pinsky's Rule.[br]>>[Dr. Drew] Pinsky's Rule.

0:20:54.655,0:20:56.804
It takes one year to get the brain[br]back to normal after addiction,

0:20:56.804,0:20:58.838
and by "normal," it's still never really normal

0:20:58.838,0:20:59.921
because they always have drives

0:20:59.921,0:21:02.397
that are activated by cues or [br]exposure to these chemicals.

0:21:02.397,0:21:03.174
>>[Bill Nye] Mm-hmm.

0:21:03.174,0:21:07.338
>>[Woman] I have a drug counselor in an[br]outpatient program who always says to me,

0:21:07.338,0:21:11.069
"Your addiction is sitting in that corner [br]over there doing one-armed pushups.

0:21:11.069,0:21:13.320
He's just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting."

0:21:13.320,0:21:15.036
>>[Man off-screen] Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

0:21:28.761,0:21:30.544
>>[Bill Nye] It the costs of addiction are so high

0:21:30.544,0:21:34.739
and the substances that get you [br]addicted are so common in nature,

0:21:34.739,0:21:39.161
then how can these genes [br]for addiction have persisted?

0:21:39.161,0:21:42.396
Why weren't these people [br]selected out by evolution?

0:21:42.396,0:21:45.547
Nobody knows for sure [br]but there must be a reason,

0:21:45.547,0:21:48.653
and there are some pretty interesting theories.

0:21:48.653,0:21:53.046
>>[The addicts I know were rich, phenomenal, [br]intelligent, interesting human beings.

0:21:53.046,0:21:54.646
>>[Bill Nye. off screen ] Bright.[br]>>[Dr. Drew] Bright! Brighter than average.

0:21:54.646,0:21:59.713
This cannot be all bad. There must be something[br]here that has caused this gene to be perpetuated.

0:21:59.713,0:22:04.046
It should have burned out centuries ago[br]if it really were just all about a disease.

0:22:04.046,0:22:08.329
Then i saw the movie "Braveheart,"[br]and I watched 10,000 guys go into battle.

0:22:08.329,0:22:10.879
Three guys survived, the three [br]remaining were alcoholics,

0:22:10.879,0:22:12.579
and I thought, "Of course. Of course."

0:22:12.579,0:22:14.646
They are so activated by thrill

0:22:14.646,0:22:19.844
that these incredibly overwhelming situations [br]for a normal person, they're somehow--

0:22:19.844,0:22:22.062
Time slows down, they're focused, they're into it.

0:22:22.062,0:22:28.516
If you look at populations of humans that have[br][withstood] repeated military genocidal assaults,

0:22:28.516,0:22:31.173
you find a refinement of the gene for alcohol.

0:22:31.173,0:22:32.428
>>[Bill Nye] Give me an example.]

0:22:32.428,0:22:34.305
>>[Dr. Drew] Scottish. Irish. [br]North American Indian,

0:22:34.305,0:22:35.788
Central Europeans --

0:22:35.788,0:22:39.278
populations that have just [br]withstood incredible atrocities.

0:22:39.278,0:22:41.785
So I started going back to my patient group.

0:22:41.785,0:22:45.253
I give lectures every week, and I say,[br]"Guys, what would happen..."

0:22:45.253,0:22:46.351
(150 patients in the room)

0:22:46.351,0:22:49.485
"What would happen if Attila the Hun[br]and a thousand hordes came over the hill.

0:22:49.485,0:22:50.584
What would you guys do?"

0:22:50.584,0:22:53.701
Almost to a person, they'd say, [br]"I'd pick something up and I'd run at them."

0:22:53.701,0:22:57.566
I'm thinking, "Are you guys high right now?"[br][chuckling] "Are you using drugs today?"

0:22:57.566,0:22:59.567
>>[Bill Nye, off screen] [br]You wouldn't run away, you'd run toward them.``

0:22:59.567,0:23:00.534
>>[Dr. Drew] They'd run towards the action.

0:23:00.534,0:23:02.375
I said, "Well, how about if a bomb[br]blew up in the parking lot?"

0:23:02.375,0:23:03.932
[They'd say] "Oh, I'd go over [br]there and check it out."

0:23:03.932,0:23:05.649
They go TOWARDS the action,

0:23:05.649,0:23:10.036
and I guess, in military circumstances, [br]being able to go at the action

0:23:10.036,0:23:13.856
and keep your wits about you makes [br]you survive, and that's evolution.

0:23:15.960,0:23:18.116
>>[Bill Nye] When you first start using drugs,[br]there's a time when you have a choice.

0:23:20.376,0:23:24.892
You really could quit if you wanted.[br]It's a window of opportunity.

0:23:24.892,0:23:30.892
But how long that window stays open depends on[br]the person, the drug, and the circumstances;

0:23:30.892,0:23:35.276
because sooner or later, [br]that window is gonna close.

0:23:35.276,0:23:38.542
And when it does, you no longer have a choice.

0:23:38.542,0:23:41.169
Now, you have a disease.

0:23:44.846,0:23:48.179
>>[Announcer] We've covered a lot of ground,[br]but it's just the tip of the iceberg.

0:23:48.192,0:23:52.268
Check out EyesOfNye.org for more cool science.

0:23:57.983,0:24:01.378
♪ [Fast-paced digital music [br]plays during ending credits.] ♪

0:24:01.378,0:24:03.980
♪ ♪

0:24:03.980,0:24:06.178
>>[singers] ♪The eyes of Nye! ♪

0:24:06.178,0:24:28.666
♪ ♪

0:24:28.666,0:24:39.542
♪ Nye... Nye... Nye... ♪

0:24:39.542,0:24:42.206
♪ The Eyes of Nye ♪

0:24:42.206,0:24:56.801
♪ ♪

0:24:56.801,0:24:59.035
[END]