Biological Approach to Explaining Maintenance of Smoking Flashcards
What do the biological models of addiction emphasise?
The biological models of addiction emphasise the influence of genetic and neurochemical factors in onset, maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviour
When does addiction to smoking occur?
Addiction to smoking occurs when an individual has developed an uncontrollable dependence on cigarettes such that they find it almost impossible to stop smoking
Biological Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
How does the Biological Approach explain the maintenance stage of addiction to smoking?
The Biological Approach explains the maintenance stage of addiction to smoking in terms of the effect of nicotine
Biological Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
When a cigarette is smoked…
When a cigarette is smoked, nicotine activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain which leads to the release of dopamine. The release of dopamine causes short lived pleasure, and as nicotine levels drop, mood and concentration become impaired, which leads to the person having another cigarette
Biological Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
Key Studies
Vink et al 2005
Buka et al 2003
Biological Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
Vink et al 2005 supports this view..
Vink et al 2005 supports this view, finding that nicotine dependence was influenced 75% by genetic factors
Biological Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
Buka et al 2003 also found that..
Buka et al 2003 also found that that while mothers smoking during pregnancy did not increase the likelihood that the child will try smoking or become a regular smoker, expectant mothers who smoked heavily (more than 20 daily) doubled the risk of their child becoming addicted to nicotine than if they smoked less than 20 daily during pregnancy, which supports the Biological Approach in terms of the view that nicotine dependence and therefore the maintenance of smoking behaviour is largely influenced by genetic factors
Biological Approach to Smoking
Evaluation
Supporting evidence for genetic influence on smoking behaviour
Key Studies
Thorgeirsson et al 2008
Biological Approach to Smoking
Evaluation
Supporting evidence for genetic influence on smoking behaviour
Supporting evidence for genetic influence on smoking behaviour comes from Thorgeirsson et al 2008 who identified a gene variant on chromosome 15 that influenced the number of cigarettes smoked per day, nicotine dependence and the risk of developing smoking related diseases. Smokers who smoked less than 10 cigarettes a day were less likely to have this variant of the gene than those who smoke more than 10 a day.
This supports the idea that while genetics are only partially influential in terms of smoking initiation, they are very influential in terms of the maintenance and relapse of smoking behaviour
Biological Approach to Smoking
Evaluation
Reductionist
A problem with the biological approach is that is is reductionist, it reduces a complex phenomenon, such as smoking, down to simple components i.e. the effects of nicotine or the influence of specific genes. While this has its advantages such as offering possibilities for treatment , it also has its limitations, the main one being that reducing human actions e.g. smoking to just the action of genes or chemicals, ignores all other potential influences e.g. irrational thought processes and social context
Biological Approach to Smoking
Evaluation
Treatment possibilities
Key Studies
Gartner et al 2009
Lerman et al 2004
Biological Approach to Smoking
Evaluation
Treatment possibilities
As stated earlier, the Biological Approach creates possibilities for treatment through pharmacologic methods and through a genome screening programme to prevent the behaviour altogether.
Evidence also suggests that the effectiveness of medication for smoking cessation may be moderated by a person’s genetic make-up. For example, smokers with the Asp40 variant of the mu-opioid gene were twice as likely to quit smoking with higher-dose nicotine replacement therapy that they were with lower-dose nicotine replacement therapy. Smokers with the more common Asn40 variant were equally likely to stop smoking regardless of the nicotine replacement therapy level. Consequently, genetic testing might allow therapists to choose the most appropriate smoking cessation therapy to maximise smoker’s likelihood of quitting successfully (Lerman et al 2004)
However, Gartner et al 2009 believed that screening for specific genes is unlikely due to there only being a small association between genes and smoking addiction
