It is arguable that we might not have had as much support for abortion reform, or addiction treatment, or HIV-AIDS research, or marriage equality, without them.

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Timothy Fong, the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, which conducts research and treatment into gambling addiction, said some people can become addicted to lottery games.

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Martin conducts research on topics related to addiction.

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Research into the neuroscience of sex addiction has not been conclusive, the Mayo Clinic said.

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Statistically, that would not matter too much if the amount of epigenesis were the same in identical and fraternal twins, but research published last year by Art Petronis of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and his colleagues, suggests it is not.

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Despite research showing that competition might be a factor leading to aggression, addiction, and violence, the developmental benefits of activities such as team sports are hardly questioned.

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His research has helped people make overall changes to their life as well as recover from addiction.

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Obesity treatment "is high priority" among drug research, said Dr. Mark Gold, chair of psychiatry at University of Florida who focuses on addiction and eating habits.

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Except for pockets of research in academia, drug companies have devoted almost no funding to searching for cures for drug and alcohol addiction.

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