Cravings for ice cream may not be all in your head.

A new study finds the sweet stuff can be every bit as addicting as cocaine.

The research, conducted by Dr. Kyle Burger from the Oregon Research Institute, found that those who routinely ate ice cream needed more and more to replicate the "high" they first experienced, which mirrors the effect drugs like cocaine have on people who use them -- and it could also support other studies showing some of us can literally become addicted to junk food.

In the study, researchers found that among 150 teenagers who were given milkshakes, those who drank the most had declining levels of satisfaction -- and they had to have more of the ice cream drink to experience the same level of enjoyment.

"This down-regulation pattern is seen with frequent drug use, where the more an individual uses the drug, the less reward they receive for using it," Dr. Burger said. "This tolerance is thought to increase use, or eating, because the individual [is] trying to achieve the previous level of satisfaction ... You could be continually trying to match the earlier experience."

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