Addiction

• What is an addiction?

  A disorder in which the individual takes a substance or engages in behaviour that is pleasurable in the short term but eventually becomes compulsive with harmful effects in the long term
• What is physical dependency?

  The need for substance or drug to feel normal which is demonstrated with the presence of withdrawal syndrome
• What is psychological dependency?

  The substance or drug is a central part of thoughts and emotions with an intense desire to use it to repeat pleasurable feelings known as a craving which causes the behaviour to become a habit
• What is tolerance?

  Receptor density reduces response to substance from repeated exposure so there is a need for greater doses for the same effect as addicts learn to function normally under influence
• What is withdrawal syndrome?

  Occur after tolerance has been built and the brain realises the substance is not in the body so seeks to bring levels back up causing physical symptoms such as headache and sickness as well as psychological symptoms like cravings and anxiety
• What are the 5 risk factors of addiction?

  Family influences, peers, genetics, stress, personality
• How do family influences change risk of addiction?

  Perceived Parental Approval: Exposure from parents abusing substance so belief they’re less likely to monitor behaviour

  Social Learning Theory: Attention, retention, motivation, reproduction as identify with parents and expect to gain some short term benefits through vicarious reinforcement
• How do peers change risk of addiction?

  Peer Pressure: feel they need to behave the same as those the same age, status and shared common values due to low self esteem

  Social Identity Theory: normative social influence causes them to act the same to be part of the in group and be socially accepted

  Social Learning Theory: attention, retention, motivation, reproduction as identify with peers and expect to gain some short term benefits through vicarious reinforcement
• How can genetics change risk of addiction?

  D2 Receptor: Blum and Payne suggested a lower level means taking substance to raise dopamine for happiness

  CYP2A6 Enzyme: Dianezza suggested when this is fully functioning nicotine is metabolised better so smoke more

  Slutske found MZ twins have higher gambling addiction concordance

  Vink studied Dutch twins and found the likelihood of addiction was influenced 75% by genetics
• How does stress change risk of addiction?

  Self Medication: Gelkopf suggested intentionally using pathological behaviour to treat everyday psychological symptoms. Dawes said stress is one of the strongest predictors of relapse. Sings found stress increases cravings.

  Traumatic Events: Robins found 20% of Us soldiers developed psychological or physical dependence on heroin during the Vietnamese war.
• How does personality change addiction?

  Addictive Prone Personality: Barnes created an APP scale which discriminates addicts from non addicts and predicts severity and likelihood of relapse

  Anti-Social Personality: Impulsive, hostile and reckless as act without thinking and fail to acknowledge risks

  Insufficient Serotonin Systems: Prone to making reckless decision as need immediate gratification