How can certain visual stimulants provide temporary relief to opiate users going through withdrawal symptoms?

Public project summary

Due to the heightened criminalization of drug use following the war on drugs in the 1970s, incarceration rates for drug use and drug-related deaths peaked. While some forms of treatment are available for drug rehabilitation, these methods remain highly inaccessible for many opiate drug users. This research project examines the possibility of using visual stimulants as an accessible temporary treatment method for relieving drug withdrawal symptoms. By examining the activity of various neurotransmitters in the brain’s reward system alongside the potential of visuals to insight activity in the same receptors, the research is expected to determine whether visual stimulants can counter the adverse neurological effects of withdrawal to provide temporary relief to recovering opiate users.