Drug Abuse and Addiction Flashcards
Define: substance abuse
-a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress
What are the two leading models of addiction?
- biological model
- learning model
The biological model holds…
-addiction is due primarily to a person’s neurology and genetic predisposition
genes affect alcohol _____.
-sensitivity
People with _____ sensitivity are less likely to drink to excess.
-high sensitivity
What causes people to respond to alcohol with unpleasant symptoms?
-lack of a specific enzyme important in the metabolism of alcohol
There is strong evidence that addictions can result from…….., rather than biological factors being direct cause.
-abuse of drugs
Many people become addicted because _____ has changed their brains.
-drug abuse
The learning model examines…
role of environment, culture, and learning in…
-encouraging or discouraging drug abuse/addiction
What are 4 key points in understanding the importance of the learning model?
- addiction patterns vary according to culture
- total abstinence policies tend to increase addiction rates
- not all addicts have withdrawal symptoms when they cease usage
- addiction does not depend on drug properties alone, but also in the reason for taking it
Alcoholism is more likely in culture that…
-forbid children to drink, but condone drunkenness in adults
What has the ultimate influence on a drug’s physiological and psychological effects?
- environment (setting)
- expectations (mental set)
Abusers most likely to become moderate drinkers have a history of…
-less severe dependence on a drug
What are the risk factors for alcoholism or drug abuse?
- genetic vulnerability
- believing you have no control over drug (drinking)
- living in a culture that promotes drinking/drug use
- relying on drug to suppress emotions, avoid problems, or cope with stress
