...explanations of addiction differ for different addictions? What you need to know MODELS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR | EXPLANATIONS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR | * Biological, behavioural (learning), and cognitive models of addictive behaviour | * Biological, behavioural (learning), and cognitive explanations for initiation, maintenance, and relapse * Specific explanations of particular addictions including smoking and gambling | MODELS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR The models of addictive behaviour attempt to explain the causes and thereby offer insights into how an addiction develops. The assumptions as to the causes of addiction also affect the approach taken to treatment. Biological model of addictive behaviour According to this model, the main causes of addictive behaviour are biological factors within the individual, for example, a neurochemical imbalance or a genetic predisposition towards addictive behaviour. Thus, the vulnerability to develop an addiction may be inherited and family studies are used to support this explanation. Thus approach assumes that addiction has physical causes and can therefore only be cured through medicine. Behavioural (learning) model of addictive behaviour This model is based on the principles of learning and the assumption that all behaviour is learned through association (classical conditioning), reinforcement (operant conditioning), or social learning (social learning theory) from environmental experience. Thus, addiction is the learning...
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...102 10-31-12 Addicted to Technology What does addiction mean? Well, if you look up on internet you will find many definitions to it as "The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something" or "A compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance". When you say the word addiction the first thing that come in people's mind is drugs, but you can be addict to many things besides drugs you don't even know. Many people could be addict to work, video games, social network, food or even shopping. People who are truly addicted generally have a compulsion to do something and cannot limit the amount. I think some activities are more addictives than others, but it depends on people's interests. Some people feel better playing video game than eating or shopping, some people rather spending time on computer than studying. I am not crazy for computer or video games but I love going to the gym. I go to the gym every day to look better, when I miss a day I feel guilty and bad about myself. Am I addicted to working out? Well I don't think I am addicted to working out because so far it is not interfering with my job, relationship, or other important daily activities. I don't plan my entire day around my visits to the gym. I don't think I could replace my family, friends or work for something that I liked to do. I believe that technology brought to our world two new kind of addictions: video games and computer. Some video games allow...
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...Luke Iovino QU301 9/9/15 What is Addiction? To me, addiction is a drug that a person consistently relies on. Their day is consumed by the overwhelming thought of getting their fixation and in my opinion it is a disease. One of the bigger factors for why people become addicted is definitely stress. People will bury their anxiety and stress after a long day with some abusive drug just so they can feel better. After a certain amount of time it becomes a habit and you depend on it and eventually addiction sets in. Disease is defined as “an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant : a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally”(Merriam-Webster). Based off of this definition and my own knowledge addiction hits that definition spot on. Addiction consumes a person and it “prevents the body and mind from working normally”. The mind becomes consumed by the fixation of the drug they are addicted to and the body deteriorates as they use more and more. Addiction really is like most major diseases if we look at heart disease, this is a disease that is partly due to genes and a bad lifestyle, such as eating unhealthy and little exercise. While type 2 adult-onset diabetes is also considered a disease and is from the same two factors of bad lifetime choices. So now when looking at addiction it’s a matter of bad lifestyle choices of picking up that needle or popping that pill and eventually its something you cant control like other diseases. When looking...
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...lead author of the article, Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at Stanford University's school of medicine, told TechNewsWorld. Need Their Net Through a random-digit-dial telephone survey of 2,513 adults in the United States, the Stanford team found that of the almost 70 percent of respondents who were Internet users, 13.7 percent found it hard to stay away from the Net for more than several days at a time. That number is higher than that seen in prior research on the problem, according to Hilarie Cash, co-founder of Internet/Computer Addiction Services in Redmond, Wash. "Earlier research had shown about six percent of the population struggling with this," she told TechNewsWorld. The researchers also discovered that 8.7 percent of Web users in the survey attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employees. "One sign of addiction is secrecy, hiding, lying about it," Cash observed. Disorder or Symptom? Now that they've unearthed significant signs of problematic use of the Internet by a significant proportion of Netsters, the researchers said more inquiry must be performed to hash out whether Internet addition is an independent disorder or the symptom of other psychopathologies. "If it's a symptom of other disorders, such as depression, then treating those disorders should help treat the Internet behavior,"...
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...Addiction, a severe craving that is pulses through our bones; it pulses and throbs until we find a way to calm it. When people watch others struggle with an addiction they often say why don’t you just stop? Some do not comprehend what it is like to have an addiction. To help prevent people from doing anything that can lead into an addiction, schools teach students about addictions; they advise them what to stay away from, so that the students do not become an addict. When a person tries something and gets a thrill out of it, the brain puts this activity into the reward circuit of your mind. Therefore the next time that you partake in this activity your brain tells you that you want more of it. Some people may become addicted, while others do not. This is all because of the way our mind works. For some it’s easier to become addicted to an activity because someone in their family may have had that same addiction, making it easier for them to become addicted. Although people want to stop their drug activity, they simply cannot because their body wants it more than anything, and if they don’t appease the body, they can get sick. After years of the addiction, it is more of an illness than an addiction. Since the addiction is keeping the person feeling their greatest, they are fine, correct? With an addiction, there are always consequences, if you have an a minor addiction to collecting stones, or a major addiction of hard drug use. Addictions cause your mind to think differently, it...
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...Reference Database: “Addiction” by Nancy A. Piotrowski, Ph.D Addiction is when the human body becomes dependent on a substance. Prolonged use of any psychoactive drug will determine a persons dependency. The addiction can affect a person psychologically and physiologically; this will show in an addicts tolerance and withdrawal symptoms from a drug. Tolerance will involve the biological system such as the human body, changes in the body after a drug is present, and environmental or behavioral conditioning. The way the human body processes a drug is by absorbing a drug through the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream it will be delivered to different organs and they will metabolize the drug and eliminate it from the body. After frequent use of a drug, the way the body processes a drug may change. When this occurs the body is able to rid itself of the drug more efficiently. This leads to reduced effects from the drug than when it was initially consumed. When this happens an increase to the dose will be required to get the desired effect. Many changes will occur in the body once a drug is present. It will change the sensitivity in specific areas of the body where the drug has an impact. For instance, there may be a direct or indirect impact on different areas of the brain. A direct impact may lead to a change in the brains receptors. When there is an indirect impact it will show in tissue tolerance and functional tolerance. Environmental and behavioral conditioning...
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...Being an addict or becoming an addict to something, for instance, drugs can consume someone’s life. This subject is very puzzling in the medical world. Being an addict means that a person is “reliant on a substance or behavior that the individual has little power to resist (NIDA).” If a person has an already predisposed personality to becoming addicted to something, then that addiction can consume the person’s actions and every thought. An addictive personality is referred to as a particular set of personality traits that can make an individual predisposed to addictions. Two types of addictions are substance-abuse addictions and behavioral-based addictions. In substance abuse addictions, dopamine is released in the brain due to the usage of the drug. This causes a range of sensations to happen, producing a euphoric event, making the addict to feel this sensation again, leading to drug abuse. It creates a compulsive need for the drug and craving the drug badly that when the drug isn’t administered could lead to withdrawals. On the other hand, the behavioral addictions are similar to the substance abuse addictions, expect that the individual is more addicted to the behavior associated with drug use rather than being addicted to the substance. A “high” or euphoric event still happens with behavioral abusers, forcing the brain to crave that “high” again, blocking out any negative consequences that happen when using the drug. The need to repeatedly go through the drug experience, to get...
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...Addiction Addiction is a term that is used loosely by society, but in the health care system it is viewed as a serious disease. Addiction is psychological or physiological dependence on a substance or practice that is beyond voluntary control. There are many types of addictions, which can range from food to drugs and even gambling and sports. What does addiction mean to you? Is it a dependence on a substance that is beyond your control or is addiction something that you could give up if you wanted to? Addiction is having that hype to want to go eat your favorite food just because your mind is telling you that you want it. All day you sit around with plenty of food in your house and all you can think about is that large extra cheese and sausage pizza that you really want. After sitting around for a little while looking for something to eat you decide to go get that pizza because that’s all you want and even though you may have had it for lunch or dinner the past 3 days you still want it. As soon as you go pick up that pizza and smell it your senses go crazy and your mouth waters because you’re addicted to it. A food addiction is something that you can overcome, granted it may not be easy but it is easier to get over than a drug addiction. Addiction is having that voluntary feeling of the need to have a cigarette or another beer. Once you get started on cigarettes it is hard to stop. You breathe in that nicotine and your brain tells you that you just have to have another...
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...Introduction What is addiction, you ask, the dictionary describes addictions as a “compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance or the condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved with something”. (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) Do you think you might have any addictions? For the most part addictions are very serious, even if you don’t think you have one you probably do and just don’t realize it yet. Think about something you can not leave the house or work with out or maybe when you wake up in the morning you have to get the cup of coffee or coke. Most would say that this is an addiction. Addictions are hard to break but sometimes that is necessary because they are controlling you life. There is not a soul out there that wants something so small to control them but they just don’t know how to let it go. This paper will cover some causes, symptoms, and treatments for addictions. Causes of Addictions For some time now researchers have tried to determine the cause or causes of addictions and have failed to determine that factor. The simple answer would be if people did not drink alcohol, use drugs, gamble, or do anything else that is addictive. So let’s look at some examples of how one might become an addict. “People take drugs, for instance, because of their physical effects. They have a marked effect on the body and mind.”(Marsden, May 2001) Since most substances make us feel better, relax, or excite us we tend to go...
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...Addiction in Adolescence When it comes to abuse and addiction in adolescents the relationship between the two goes hand in hand. “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.1). Addiction can be several things, two well-known addictions are drinking and doing drug. When addiction starts to change the brain it leads to long terms affects which is usually abuse. Adolescents can and will go a little further with abuse by adding things like pill popping and smoking. “Many adolescents who abuse drugs have a history of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse or other trauma” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.2). Abuse begins when adolescents start to do things like steal and lie to friends and family members to get what it is they want. How does abuse or addiction affect the developing brain of an adolescent? Drug abuse can cause serious progressive problems within the adolescent brain.”Memory loss, ability to concentrate, motor skills and coping skills are all affected by drug and alcohol abuse. Adolescents tend to make decisions that are irrational when under influence of drugs and alcohol, they may think they are making the right decisions but they are actually they are doing more harm to themselves then they realized. For adolescents, this can be even more significant as the brain is still developing and changing and...
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...Addiction is the compulsion to do something. There are two major types of addiction mental/psychological and physical/chemical. I) Physical dependency ~ Is when a person has a chemical addiction to something normally to induce pleasure. Often the substance has withdrawal effects. After some time the substance is used to relieve the anxiety caused by the absence of the chemical. People explain that coming off the “high” makes them feel so low that they want more just to feel normal. A) Alcohol ~Approximately 14 million Americans (7.4%) suffer from alcohol abuse or addiction. Alcoholism can: 1) Reduce life expectancy by 10 to 15 years. 2) Destroy brain cells, possibly leading to brain damage. 3) Hinders the ability to retrieve, consolidate, and process information. 4) Can affect cognitive abilities. 5) Interfere with the oxygen supply of the brain causing a blackout when totally drunk. 6) Inflame or cause cancer in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. 7) Produce irregular heartbeats, high-blood pressure, and heart attacks. 8) Harm vision. 9) Damage sexual function. 10) Can cause skin and pancreatic disorders, weaken the bones and muscles. Most alcoholics struggle with it their entire life. Even one drink can cause an alcoholic to become addicted even if they have been sober for twenty years. B) Nicotine ~ This addictive drug found in tobacco gives a person pleasure and euphoria by increasing the levels of dopamine within the reward circuits...
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...violating the law, you can Certainly be a victim of an alcohol or drug-related crime. In fact, millions of people each year are victims of alcohol or drug related crime, including millions of young people. (NCADD, 2013). Generation after generation have suffer from some form of psychological and physical distress dealing with a love one are a close friend whom may have had an alcohol or drug addiction. Ranging from lied to for no reason, stole from or spending our money to bail them out of jail as well as providing transportation to and from different places. Everyone seem to overlook the matter of the physiology and psychology distress that an addict my cause to different individuals as well as family members. People who use drugs and alcohol are often times attempting to numb disturbing emotional and psychological pain that they don't want to feel (Dayton, 2010). Over the years I have witness several friends allow some type of addiction to take over their daily routine. Fighting a battle within a battle, numbing the pain only to be faced with pain again. Living with addiction often results in cumulative trauma that deeply affects family members. When addicts are using they are, for all intents and purposes, out of their minds. Their behavior mimics that of a variety of psychiatric disorders ranging from manic depression, to full blown psychosis in which the addict is totally out of touch with reality. To see the father you love turn into a raging, abusive monster,...
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...Addiction, what is it? Is it something that we feel or is it really a choice? For years in my personal life I have seen addiction take over my whole family through drugs and alcohol. It has destroyed many of people and it has helped many of people at the same time. When the word “addiction” is said it is manly used in a negative way, but it can also be positive as well. So is it or is it not a choice? In the beginning of any addiction it always starts off as choice or “something you want to do”. You want to drink, you want to do drugs, you want to have sex, etc. As time goes on though those so called “choices” that you once had start to become more addictive and more addictive until you are at a point where you don’t feel like or want to do something for your own pleasure, but you need it, you need to drink, you need to smoke, you need to have sex, etc. That once choice of addiction you had now becomes a disease, a uncontrollable need physically and mentally. So what now? Should you keep on believing that this once called “choice” that you had can be controlled or is it indeed an actual disease that is uncontrollable and that you may need help for (that’s even if you want the help)? The cure for addiction is totally up to the addict, but it is in fact that through time the addictions that a person once wanted are now addictions that a person needs every day, every minute, and every second and that is why addiction is not choice. In Alice M. Young’s research paper Addictive...
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...Abstract Addictions covers a range of maladaptive traits to include substance use, alcohol or behavior leading to significant impairments. There are various causes of addiction, but some theoretical frameworks indicates that addictions may have a genetic component that leads to a predisposition to develop addiction, a disease model of addiction or as the result of self-medicating of a primary disorder. This paper will take a theoretical view of the causes of addiction as well as developing a working definition of addiction. Causes of Addiction There are numerous theories regarding addiction and the causes of addiction; however, for the purpose of this paper we will discuss three areas or models of addiction as it relates to substance and alcohol related abuse. Before delving into the causes of addiction we will develop an understanding of what addiction is and what it is not by viewing a few theories and definitions of addiction. We will also develop an understanding of what constitute a diagnosis of addiction and causes one to develop an addiction in the context of genetic predisposition, disease and the prevalence of addiction among individuals with co-occurring disorders stemming from traumatic experiences such as childhood abuse. Addiction Defining addiction is not a simplistic task as there are many theories and definitions of addiction and how addiction develops. In Drugs and addiction: an Introduction to Epigenetics, Wong...
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...Introduction Addiction is one of the global problems leading to huge loss of life and causing untold suffering in families and society. This paper will focus on various models that are used to explain the etiology of addiction. Models for addictions refer to the tools used to deliver message concerning the biological basis of addiction as well as the broader social and psychological aspect of addiction. Models The following are the known models that explain the concept of all forms of addiction. 1. Personal responsibility model 2. Agent model 3. Dispositional model 4. Sociocultural model 5. Public health perspective Personal Responsibility or Moral model According to this model, society has divergent views concerning the issue of addiction although none of them is positive. One of the many views the society has is that addiction is a criminal behaviour. The other view or perspective is that addiction is a sin. The model attributes character and weakness defects to addiction (Bentley, 2007). The model has neither sympathy nor care for the individuals who have chronic addictions. The model bases its message concerning the addiction as an individual’s choice. As per this model individuals who are strong morally are well positioned to avoid, control and stop any form of addiction. The situation makes the model resemble medical and spiritual model. Moral uprightness is closely associated with religion. Without strong spiritual belief, various researchers...
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