Addiction Flashcards
4 key Terms for addiction
- Physical dependency
- Psychological dependency
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal syndrome
Physical dependency
The result of long term use of a drug. Withdrawal symptoms without substance. Everyday life becomes reliant on substance
Psychological dependency
Condition existing when a person must continue to take a drug to satisfy mental and emotional craving for drug. Individual thinks they cant cope without the drug.
Absence of rug causes anxiety or depression
Tolerance
Diminishing effect with regular use of same dose, requiring user to take larger and larger doses to get the same effect
3 ways of tolerance
1 Metabolic tolerance
2. Neuroadaptation
3. Learned tolerance
Metabolic tolerance
Where enzymes responsible for breaking down the drug become more effective reducing its effect
Neuroadaptation
Where changes at the synapse occur. eg down regulation making receptors less sensitive
Learned tolerance
Result of practice as the person has learned to function normally whilst under the influence of drugs
Withdrawal syndrome
Unpleasant physical or pscyhological effects following discontinuing a drug.
EG - Shakes, tremors, vomitting
Often leads to relapse
2 types of withdrawals
- Acute withdrawal - within hours stops within weeks
- Post acute withdrawal - brain slowly reorganises and balances takes months/ years
5 Risk factors for addiction
- Stress
- Personality
- Family influences
- Peer influences
- Genetics
Genetics
Specific addiction cannot be inherited, but vulnerability to the drug dependence is inherited.
Cumings et al 1996 A1DR02
A1DR02 gene reduces number of dopamine receptors in the brain meaning they need to achieve extra stimulation via drugs or alcohol
Shields et al (1962)
Examined concordance between 42 twin pairs.
Found that 9 pairs were discordant showing how genetic similarity is major factor in starting to smoke
Black et al (2006)
Found that 1st degree relatives of gambling addicts were much more likely to suffer the same fate as more distant relatives
Stress
Stressful events can be triggers for addiction
Driessen et al
Found traumatic events exposed individuals to addictions.
- 30% of drug addicts and 15% of alcoholics had early trauma in their lives
Stress - tension - reduction hypothesis
Suggests that ppl engage in addictive behaviours to relieve stress/ anxiety . EG drinking after long day at work
Tavolacci’ (2003)
Found that that perceived stress was associated with known risks such as alcohol misuse and also new risks such as eating disorders
Hardiness
The ability to endure difficult conditions helps battle stress
Kobasa (1979) 3C’s
- Commitment - strong sense of purpose
- Control (internal LOC)
- Challenge - Individuals see addictions as challenges to beat
Personality
Anti social personality disorder strongly linked to addiction due to impulsivity issue.
Eyesenck three key supertraits
- Extraversion - extraverts need to stimulate themselves
- Neuroticism - low emotional stability
- Psychoticism - Antisocial and impulsive people
Family influences
If your parents have an addiction it is likely you will be influenced to have that addiction
Livingston (2010)
Found high school students that were allowed to drink at home by parents become addicted in first year at college
Exposure
If addiction is an everyday feature of the family it will likely be continued by the offspring
Social learning theory for family influence
- Imitation - copying role models behaviour
- modelling - models teach us vicariously how to engage addictave behaviour
- Vicarious reinforcement - we see them happy drunk positive state but we dont see downsides
Peer influences
Very powerful at age of 18 these are when we are influenced to do things to fit in with our peers
O’ connel 2009 three major features of drinking and peer pressurre
- At risk adolescents attitudes about drinking are influenced by associating with peers
- Experienced peers provide more opportunity for at risk person to drink
- The at risk individual overestimates how much their experienced peers are drinking and overdrinks to catch up
Social learning theory applied to peer influences
Our peers are our role models around the age of 18, therefore we are likely to imitate them or suffer from vicarious reinforcement
Normative social influence applied to peer influence
We will do things to try and fit in with our peers and gain approval from group eg drinking
Dopamine explanation for addiction
Smoking of nicotine can produce dopamine activity to increase through the reward system pathway of the brain
The ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Area of the brain filled with dopamine-specialist neurons.
This area is associated with feelings of euphoria and can be triggered through smoking cigarettes
Nucleus accumbens
A primary reward centre in the brain and with increased activity dopamine rises causing users to evaluate smoking as pleasurable
Acetycholine
Nicotine stimulates acetylcholine receptors increasing alertness memory function and learning
Stimulating endorphins that reduce GABA
Nucleus accumbens is encouraged to release more dopamine as nicotine also stimulates endorphins reducing gaba activity.
This decrease correlates with further rises in dopamine.
Dopamine amplification
Cigarette smoke contains substances blocking monoamine oxidase, which is responsible for breaking down dopamine.
If it is blocked dopamine will stay higher for longer
Dsouza and Markou research support on rats
Blocking transmission of glutamate resulted in a decrease in nicotine intake and nicotine seeking.
Both of these also decreased when GABA was enhanced suggesting increasing GABA does reduce nicotine
Social learning theory for nicotine addiciton
Attention - to role model with cigarette
Retention - remember how to smoke it
Replication - can you physically copy behaviour
Motivation - do you want to copy the role model
Ennett et al 2010
Found that the family and peer contexts were primarily implicated in the onset of smoking
Suggesting a strong link between social learning and nicotine consumption
Behaviourism and nicotine addiction
Negative reinforcement - not being able to smoke
Positiive reinforcement - Pleasurable for them to smoke
Social learning theory - Cue reactivity
Making association through classical conditioning such as holding a pint in one hand and cigarette in the other.
Will lead to you wanting a cigarette every time you hold a pint
Cue reactivity causing relapse
The person associates specific moods, situations or environemntal factors with the rewarding effects of nicotine triggering a relapse
Calvert 2009
Showed cigarette packets to smokers who showed strong reactions in their ventral striatum, but it also suggests cue reactivity as people reacting to environmental stimuli
Gambling disorder
Disorder where someone feels they have lost control and continue to gamble despite negative consequences. Gambling becomes most important to them