Addiction - Reducing Addiction: Drug Therapy

Question 1

What are the three types of drugs used to reduce addiction?

Answer 1

Aversive
Agonists
Antagonists

Question 2

What is an aversive drug?

Answer 2

A drug that produces an unpleasant consequence e.g. vomiting when the drug is taken. The individual eventually ends up associating the negative consequence with the addiction (classical conditioning)

Question 3

What is an example of an aversive drug?

Answer 3

Disulfram -> used for alcohol addiction (taking it and then drinking causes severe hangover symptoms and vomiting

Question 4

What is an agonist drug?

Answer 4

A drug substitute

Activates neuron receptors providing similar effect to addictive substance e.g. euphoria (can stabilise the withdrawal syndrome)

Question 5

What is an example of an agonist drug?

Answer 5

Methadone (heroin) -> satisfies person’s cravings for euphoria

Is cleaner -> administered in hospital not on streets

Question 6

What is an antagonist drug?

Answer 6

A drug that blocks receptor sites so the substance of dependence doesnt have its usual effects e.g. euphoria

Question 7

What is an example of an antagonist drug?

Answer 7

Naltrexone -> (opioid antagonist -> used to treat heroin addiction)
- treats physiological dependence

Question 8

What is the drug therapy for nicotine addiction?

Answer 8

NRT (nicotine replacement therapy)
Gum, patches etc.
delivers Nic same way as smoking -> healthier
Means amount of Nic can be reduced over time by using smaller and smaller patches so withdrawal syndrome can be managed.

Question 9

What is the drug therapy for gambling addiction?

Answer 9

No drugs officially used
Most primary candidate (naltrexone) -> due to similarities between gambling and substance addiction
Opioid antagonists release GABA in mesolimbic pathway -> increase of GABA leads to decrease of dopamine (Kim et al -> liked to research that saw a reduction in gambling behaviour

Question 10

What research from Hartmann-Boyce suggests that drug therapy is helpful?

Answer 10

Conducted meta-analysis of 136 studies into effectiveness of NRT & found all forms of NRT significantly more effective in helping smokers quit Also indicated that MRT doesn’t appear to foster dependence (effective therapy that may save lives)

Question 11

EVALUATION: What can be a counterpoint to Hartmann-Boyce et al’s research?

Answer 11

Researches only included studies that were published -> risk of publification bias (published study more likel to show positive results

Question 12

How is side effects a limitation of drug therapy?

Answer 12

Risk of side effects means people might not continue to tre