Bad news, Wisconsin: As it turns out, we've been enabling one of the world's greatest drug addictions of all this time. We've basically been Johnny Depp in "Blow" – but with blocks of colby instead of piles of cocaine. Forget Tony Montana in "Scarface," and say hello to Tony Fontina in "Sargentoface."

Indeed, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of Michigan published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, cheese triggers the same part of the brain as several hard drugs do. 

In the study, 500 students were asked to fill out a questionnaire about food cravings, and the results showed the top-ranking foods – with pizza, duh, taking the top spot – all contained cheese.  The researchers' final verdict was that fatty, processed foods are more likely to cause addiction. 

But why was cheese in particular highlighted as our food drug of choice? As it turns out, all dairy products contain a chemical called casein, which triggers a feeling of euphoria in your brain's opioid receptors similar to that of drug addiction. Thanks to the cheese-making process, however, the chemical becomes even more concentrated in solid cheeses, making you deeply crave those curds. 

The goal of the study, however, wasn't simply to give you a decent and scientifically viable excuse for why you ate that entire appetizer of cheesy garlic bread (it was for the entire table, man). 

"This is a first step towards identifying specific foods, and properties of foods, which can trigger this addictive response," said Nicola Avena, a co-author of the study, to The Evening Standard. "This could help change the way we approach obesity treatment. It may not be a simple matter of 'cutting back' on certain foods, but rather, adopting methods used to curtail smoking, drinking and drug use."

As for us proud cheese-slinging folks in Wisconsin? Well, suddenly the phrase "cheesehead" takes on a kind of dark meaning, doesn't it?