For decades, in fact, users and physicians have reported cases where people take the same dose of the same drug that they have previously used uneventfully, but suddenly, mysteriously overdose on it. Often, it later turns out that these folks took the drug in a new environment or social setting, not as part of their typical habit. Sometimes, a new source of stress is involved—for example, a lost job or breakup. In these cases, the unconscious cues that normally activate tolerance don’t do so—and without tolerance, the normal dose becomes an overdose. It seems that sometimes, context alone can
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