Reducing Addiction - Drug Therapy

Question 1

Outline the drug therapy for a nicotine addiction (4 marks)

Answer 1

One drug therapy for a nicotine addiction is Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NRT aims to provide nicotine from a less harmful source such as patches rather than a cigarette. NRT stimulates the nicotine receptors and activates the brain’s reward pathway, just like a cigarette would. This releases dopamine into the limbic system, activates the nucleus accumbens and the individual feels the same pleasure they would feel as if they smoked a cigarette which removes the individual’s withdrawal syndrome. Over time NRT makes the nicotine receptors in the brain become desensitised so people feel less of a reward from smoking so the dosage can be reduced as tolerance to nicotine is reduced so reduces their nicotine addiction.

Question 2

Outline the drug therapy for a gambling addiction (

Answer 2

There is no drug to stop gambling addiction but as gambling is due to people having high anxiety, drugs have been developed to reduce anxiety and therefore reduce the pleasurable feelings associated with gambling. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist which reduces an individual’s anxiety and prevents the individual from experiencing the reward response they associate with gambling. This enhances the release of the neurotransmitter GABA. Increased GABA activity reduces dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and has a calming effect which has been linked to reductions in gambling behaviour.

Question 3

Discuss drug therapy as a way to reduce an addiction (3 X AO3)

Answer 3

Research to support the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was conducted by Stead et al. They reviewed 150 high-quality research studies that compared the use of NRT with a placebo. They found that all forms of NRT such as patches were significantly more effective in helping smokers quit than placebos and no treatment at all. Therefore, supporting drug therapy as a way of reducing addiction, as it has been found to be very effective.

However, a limitation of using drug therapy such as NRT and opioid antagonists such as Naltrexone are the negative side effects. Common side effects of these drugs include sleep disturbance, stomach problems, dizziness and headaches unlike CBT which is non-invasive as the individual is identifying and challenging irrational thoughts that have lead to their addiction. These side effects of drug therapy may cause an individual to stop treatment resulting in a relapse of symptoms, therefore, drug therapy would be ineffective at reducing an individual’s addiction.

However, a strength of drug therapy in reducing addiction is that it requires little motivation from the patient. This is because the patient just has to wear a patch or chew gum in order to reduce their addiction, unlike CBT which requires more effort and motivation from the patient as they will have to commit to CBT sessions over months and have to complete homework outside of these, so they must be very motivated to quit. Therefore, drug therapy may be seen as a more appropriate treatment for reducing addiction than others such as CBT.