Kenneth Blum, Peter K. Thanos, Marlene Oscar-Berman, Marcelo Febo, David Baron, et al.
Recently there has been debate concerning the role of brain dopamine in reward and addiction. David Nutt and associates eloquently proposed that dopamine (DA) may be central to psycho stimulant dependence and some what important for alcohol, but not important for opiates, nicotine or even cannabis.

James Fratantonio, Lawrence Andrade and Marcelo Febo
Synthetic stimulants can cause hallucinations, aggressive behaviors, death and are sometimes legal. These substances are sold as plant food and bath salts that are “Not for Human Consumption”, therefore skirting the 1986 Federal Analogue Act and giving a false pretense of safety.

Kenneth Blum, Benjamin Thompson, Zsolt Demetrovics, John Femino, John Giordano, et al.
There are some who suggest that alcoholism and drug abuse are not diseases at all and that they are not consequences of a brain disorder as espoused recently by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Some would argue that addicts can quit on their own and moderate their alcohol and drug intake.

Stephen J. Schoenthaler, Kenneth Blum, Eric R. Braverman, John Giordano, Ben Thompson, et al.
The connection between religion/spirituality and deviance, like substance abuse, was first made by Durkheim who defined socially expected behaviors as norms. He explained that deviance is due in large part to their absence (called anomie), and concluded that spirituality lowers deviance by preserving norms and social bonds.

Thomas McLaughlin, Kenneth Blum, Marlene Oscar-Berman, Marcelo Febo, Zsolt Demetrovics, et al
Lucid Dreams are a form of dream life, during which the dreamer may be aware that he/she is dreaming, can stop/re-start the dreams, depending on the pleasantness or unpleasant nature of the dream, and experiences the dream as if he/she were fully awake.