Chapter 14: Drug use and addiction Flashcards
- What is addiction and is it a chronic illness?
2. what are the behavioural characteristics
- habits that have gotten out of control with a resulting negative impact on a person’s health. It is a chronic condition
- positive/ negative reinforcement, compulsion or craving, loss of control, escalation (more of the substance is needed to produce the desired effect), negative consequences
How is an addiction developed?
people engage in behaviours that bring them pleasure or help them avoid pain–> if it works and is continuously repeated it can cause dependency and tolerance –> where the behaviour becomes the central focus of a person’s life (ADDICTION)
Why is there no single cause of addiction? What are the causes?
there are a combo of risk factors that can influence development:
- physical factors
- psychological factors
- social factors
What are some examples of addictive behaviours
- gambling
- compulsive exercise
- work addiction
- sex addiction
- shopping addition
- social media
what are the characteristics of an addictive behaviour (ex: internet)
- excessive use
- withdrawal
- tolerance
- adverse consequences
what is the diff between mild, moderate and severe substance use disorder
mild = 2-3 symptoms moderate = 4-5 severe = 6-11
what are drugs?
chemicals other than food that affect the structure and function of the body
what are psychoactive drugs?
- alter consciousness
- cause intoxication where a person’s physical and emotional state changes
- more associated with addiction
who would be at a higher risk for drug addiction?
- male
- troubled childhood
- frequent exposure to drugs from family or peers
- being disinterested in school
- dating young
- having a risk taking or thrill seeking personality
- low income
who would be at a lower risk for developing addiction to drugs?
- positive self esteem
- strong personal identities
- good grades
- religious
- independent thinkers
How do psychoactive drugs affect the brain?
they affect brain chemistry by targeting the brain’s neurotransmitters
what are the 5 factors that influence the effect of the drug on a person:
- pharmacological properties = overall effect of the drug
- dose-response function = relationship between how much our body is exposed to and how it responds
- time-action function = the time since the drug has been taken and the effect on the body
- person’s drug use history
- method of use= injected, inhaled, ingested or absorbed to determine how quickly the drug will reach the brain
if a person continuously took drugs, how does this affect neurotransmitters
increasing amount of drugs increase the release of neurotransmitters (ex: dopamine)
- tolerance develops and reduces the ability of the body to release the neurotransmitters naturally = anhedonia
what is anhedonia
the diminished ability to feel pleasure because the brain decides to stop releasing the neurotransmitter on its own without the presence of the drug –> so the person may want to continue taking the drug to reduce the possibility of experiencing anhedonia
T/F: all drugs activate the dopamine pathway
true
what is dopamine?
a neurotransmitter released with pleasurable events
the drugs of abuse are __x at least more reinforcing than anything that normally gives us pleasure. This is why these drugs are so much more ______ to our brains
5x, rewarding