To release someone of a drug or alcohol addiction, or any unhealthy addiction for that matter, is a great opportunity. However, agreeing with Logan, the drug could potentially erase more memories than intended and leave a patient with a big chunk of their life completely gone from their brain. In concern to using the drug to erase memories of addiction, there are ways that a person could relapse into that same addiction. It's not just a simple memory of the "want" or "need" to do something, it's the events that take place in a persons life that could lead them into the unhealthy addiction.

I agree with Allison that memories are a part of us. So I think that erasing them is kind of unethical to a point. I guess I understand that it could be useful in some ways such as relieving PTSD and eliminating stressful memories. However, erasing one's memories is a bad idea. Memories are something that we can learn from, and help us grow as people. You can't just erase every bad memory you have, because you are bound to have a sizable chunk of memory removed. 

I agree with Gwen that our memories are an integral part of our identity. So much of the information that we use to identify ourselves is based off of experiences and thoughts kept in our memories. Erasing these memories may have unintended effects. Also, the testing for this treatment would be largely unethical. Preliminary research on animals may not be very feasible, simply because of the difference between how humans and animals identify themselves. Our complex brains allow for a more complex understanding of self. I just don't think testing on humans without knowing all of the effects is ethical. It would probably not meet the APA's standards, as well. If the treatment would work how it is supposed to, it might be possible, but drugs hardly ever work how they are made to the first time. 

I belive that memory erasing is a very dangerous but usfull piece of tech. It would be really cool to help get rid of drug addiction. It would also be dangerous because you could accedentaly erase the wrong thing or what if it has major side effects on humans. There are a lot of what if to this.  I am all for the idea but is it really safe. 

Erasing someones memory it not a good idea. It could lead to some pretty bad damage to the brain that could effect how you act and feel. It could also effect how you do and learn things in the future. I'd say stay away from anything that could alter youself in an unnaturalistic way. 

I agree with Logan. Unless they find a safe way to do this that has precise accuracy it doesn't sound like a good idea. It could hurt this person by erasing thei memory. Now if they go out and never knew they had this addiction, they could do that vertain drug again, not knowing they were addicted and then relapse. Erasing someone's memory also seems immoral to me. I don't think this is a good idea. 

I feel like this is a disaster waiting to happen, but if they can figure out a way to safely do it, it could really change the world. The thing that's scary is that if a drug has this ability to erase parts of your memory, it seems likely that it could "accidentally" erase more than intended. As human beings, memories are pretty much all we have of our past. I personally wouldn't want my memories erased, even the bad ones. We learn from our mistakes. 

I feel that erasing negative memories could definitely be a good tool, but at the same time, our memories are something that make us who we are. I have two younger siblings, and they watch a show called "Gravity Falls." In one of the episodes, the main characters discover a secret society that is dedicated to erasing peoples memories from things that they have seen/ experienced. The moral of the story was that "our experiences make us who we are," and while I agree with the fact that this could be used for very good things, I also fear that because we don't know anything about how it will affect people, that it could accidently erase a lot more than just the bad things. The question is, who do we pick to test this on? What if it severely damages the brain, and the patient is left with short term memory loss, or something similar to alzheimers? I personally feel that the risks outweigh the benefits. 

I agree with Lexi. If this becomes a legitimate form of treatment not only could we help drug addicts but help people with significant trauma in their lives. I think that this would lead a pathway into more interesting and helpful psychiatric treatments.

I believe that it is a great idea to erase just the memory of addictions but I dont know if that is practicle due to the fact that it may not be safe. According to the study done by "Dr. Courtney Miller" they would be able to just target the one memory and erase it. Considering how little we know about the brain it just doesnt seem like a good idea to simply erase a memory when we dont know for a fact what was actually erased.

I believe that it is a great idea to erase just the memory of addictions but I dont know if that is practicle due to the fact that it may not be safe. According to the study done by "Dr. Courtney Miller" they would be able to just target the one memory and erase it. Considering how little we know about the brain it just doesnt seem like a good idea to simply erase a memory when we dont know for a fact what was actually erased.

I think that while this is incredibly cool and interesting research, and it could be very helpful in treating drug addiction, the thought of it is a little scary. I mean, obviously this isn't quite a Men in Black situation, where you can just erase whatever you want, but it is still a bit scary that we have the capability to literally erase memories. That being said, I still have high hopes for this treatment. There are obvious benefits to being able to erase the triggers of drug associated memories, and this is a huge breakthrough. I just can't help but picture an evil scientist in a dark basement/lab somewhere laughing maniacally as he erases the memories of an important foreign leader.

I think that this could be a great possiblitiy for people with drug problems, and it could open up a whole new door for the medilcal and theraputic world. But at the same time it could possibly be dangerous because people may try to get their hands on the new drug for trying to erase other memories that they just don't want to remember. Even as careful as we would try ot be with trying to containing it, there would always be a possibility of it getting out and getting into the wrong hands. There will always be drawbacks to anything new. 

I think erasing memories could be an extremely useful tool not only to people who suffer from drug addiction, but for people who have lived in abusive households, experienced rape, or experienced extreme trauma at one or more points in their lives. This could help people substantially in improving quality of life overall.

I believe that this technology has the power to completley re-shape the way we look at drug rehabilitation. Not only will relapses be reduced, but the amount of effort to become drug-free required by a person could be reduced drastically. Currently, it takes a great deal of strength both of mind and body to quit an addiction to methamfedamine. But in the future it may be possible to become meth free in a matter of weeks. Although the process is untested, unrefined, and still in development, I have high hopes for it still. More importantly, I would love to see a version of this to remove memories of country music to relieve those pour souls who have been tortured so long by awful twangy chords.

What do you think about using a drug to, as Hermione would say in Harry Potter, "obliviate" memories to treat drug addiction?  What are the benefits and possible dangers of employing this method?