describing addiction

Question 1

addiction

Answer 1

disorder in which the individual takes a substance or engages in a behaviour that is pleasurable (in the short-term) but eventually becomes compulsive with harmful consequences (in the long-term)

addiction is marked by physiological and/or psychological dependence, tolerance and withdrawl

Question 2

characteristics of addiction

Answer 2

physical dependency

psychological dependency

tolerance

withdrawal symptoms

Question 3

physical dependency

Answer 3

can occur with the long-term use of many drugs

people with a physical dependency on a particular substance need to take the drug in order to feel normal

can be demonstrated by the presence of unpleasant physical symptoms referred to as withdrawal syndrome if the person suddenly abstains from the drug

e.g. an individual not feeling normal until they have had their first cigarette of the day

Question 4

psychological dependency

Answer 4

occurs when a drug becomes a central part of an individuals thoughts and emotions resulting in a strong urge to use the drug

it is the belief or mental drive that the drug or activity is needed

a craving is an intense desire to repeat the experience associated with a particular drug or activity

the individual may feel unable to cope without a particular substance or activity and the desire to use it again becomes so intense that it takes over their thinking completely

leads to the drug/behaviour becoming a habit despite the harmful consequences

e.g. an individual thinking about smoking all morning until they get to have one during their lunch break

Question 5

tolerance

Answer 5

occurs when an individual’s response to a drug is reduced from repetitive exposure

this means they need even greater doses to produce the same effect on behaviour

tolerance may occur because enzymes responsible for metabolising the drug do this more efficiently over time resulting in reduced concentrations in the blood, making the effect weaker

a second way is that prolonged drug use leads to changes in receptor density reducing the response to the normal dose of the drug

the final way is learned tolerance, which means the use will experience reduced drug effects because they have learned to function normally when under the influence

e.g. smoking the occasional cigarette in early stages of addiction to smoking 10+ cigs a day in later stages to feel the same effect

Question 6

withdrawal syndrome

Answer 6

refers to an addict experiencing unpleasant physical (e.g. flu-like symptoms, headaches) and psychological symptoms (e.g. cravings and anxiety) when they no longer have a substance in their system (or have not engaged in the behaviour)

only occur after a tolerance has been built (e.g. the body is used to the substance being present) so when the brain realises the substance is no longer in the body, the brain causes the body to seek out the substance to bring the levels back up

e.g. an individual getting the shakes if they go several hours without a cig