Detox alone is rarely enough, as the underlying causes must be addressed through therapy, counseling, and lifestyle changes. The powerful grip of addiction stems from its effects on the brain’s reward and motivation systems. Addictive substances hijack these systems, causing a compulsive drive to seek and use the substance, even in the face of devastating consequences. The importance of multiple theoretical perspectives in understanding addiction cannot be overstated. It’s this diversity of viewpoints that allows us to approach the problem from different angles, much like a team of specialists collaborating on a complex medical case. It’s not that they’re destined for addiction, but rather that their genetic makeup might make them more susceptible.
Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS)
Contemplation is the stage in which individuals become aware of the problems caused by their addiction and are considering change. Although they may not fully commit, they weigh the costs and benefits of making a shift. For severe addictions or challenging home environments, inpatient rehab provides 24/7 care and monitoring. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) blend inpatient and outpatient benefits, offering structured treatment without residential stay.
This information processing framework not only has tremendous implications for how individuals function when taking psychotropic substances, but also how they often have to re-learn many things once they enter into recovery or quit using after a period of regular use. As we step back and survey the landscape of psychological models of addiction, it becomes clear that no single theory can fully capture the complexity of this pervasive issue. Each model offers a unique perspective, like different instruments in an orchestra, each contributing its own melody to the overall symphony of understanding.
Social Theories
Secondly, care should be taken to control for differences in demographic variables, such as age, when adding the general population for comparison. Firstly, it could explore specific strategies for enhancing self-appraisal and self-acceptance among drug addicts through intervention-based studies. Secondly, it could involve cross-cultural comparisons to gain a deeper understanding of the issue.
With time, addiction can start to consume more and more of one’s life, leading the person to neglect their responsibilities or any other activities they used to engage in. The moral model suggests using a substance is a moral failing which will lead to a path of destruction. It views people who use substances as having a choice to use substances and judges them for using the substances. There are many theories that hope to explain why individuals use and abuse substances. Theories can also help with interventions, treatment, prevention, relapse and recovery. Just as recovery from addiction requires focusing on rewarding activities other than drug use, so does prevention.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests drug addicts may lack belonging, love, respect, and self-actualization during rehabilitation. This experience of social rejection and lack of belonging and respect can lower their level of self-acceptance. Social norms, availability, accessibility, legality, modeling, expectancies, societal approval, visibility, targeting practices, and cultural beliefs all influence the experience of addiction. An individual exposed to drug use at an early age can be influenced by social modeling (or learning via observation).
Emerging and Alternative Models: New Frontiers in Addiction Theory
They support a continuum of care approach, where individuals receive varying levels of support and intervention as their needs change over time. The family systems model takes a closer look at how family dynamics can contribute to and maintain addictive behaviors. This perspective views addiction as a symptom of dysfunction within the family unit, rather than solely an individual problem. For instance, substance use might serve as a coping mechanism for family conflict or a way to maintain a dysfunctional equilibrium within the family. Research suggests that when a person learns something while under the influence of a drug, it is possible that they will not be able to retrieve what they learned later, when the person is in a sober state—there simply will not be enough retrieval cues available to trigger the recall.
Narrative Approach and Addiction
The cognitive-behavioral model of addiction is perhaps one of the most widely recognized and applied psychological frameworks. This approach posits that addiction is a learned behavior, maintained by cognitive processes and environmental cues. According to this model, individuals develop maladaptive thoughts and beliefs about substance use, which in turn drive their behavior.
- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as trauma, especially combined with an unpredictable and chaotic childhood, pose a risk factor for many kinds of maladaptive behaviors and poor health outcomes.
- New technologies, like advanced brain imaging techniques, may offer unprecedented insights into the neurological underpinnings of addiction.
- This multi-model approach allows for a more holistic understanding of each individual’s unique circumstances and needs.
- Contemplation is the stage in which individuals become aware of the problems caused by their addiction and are considering change.
- There are psychodynamic, attachment theory, and self-medication perspectives about addiction to consider, as well.
- Addictions involve a loss of control when engaging in addictive behaviour and a feeling of being unable to stop.
This tendency reinforces their self-esteem but can impede their ability to confront problems and gain social acceptance. Consequently, it may trigger psychological issues like subthreshold depression and hinder drug rehabilitation progress. Drug addicts with low self-appraisal and high self-acceptance may show a tendency toward excessive self-blame, self-abandonment, and negative emotions. According to Freud’s psychodynamic theory, self-blame may be related to superego oppression. The superego represents internalized social norms and moral standards, and a strict superego may cause individuals to feel guilt and self-blame when they violate self-perceived moral standards.
If someone believes that drugs will make them more confident or help them cope with stress, they’re more likely to use them. These expectations are often shaped by media portrayals, peer influences, and cultural norms surrounding substance use. Psychodynamic theorists argue that addicts often use substances as a way to cope with uncomfortable emotions or to fulfill unmet needs.
- These expectations are often shaped by media portrayals, peer influences, and cultural norms surrounding substance use.
- Additionally, some worry that framing addiction solely as a brain disease could lead to an over-reliance on pharmacological interventions at the expense of other important treatment modalities.
- A tangled web of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors lies at the heart of addiction, challenging our understanding and treatment of this pervasive issue.
- Notably, Speranza and colleagues (2017) redefined this apparent breakdown of reasoning and discourse observed in the AAI into a more flexible and clinically meaningful “low-coherence CC” category, which is characterized by emptiness, inconsistency, and fragmentation.
- Some people used increased their substance use to cope with the isolation.(31) Some people used technology to connect with family, friends, and even with their workplace.
- It’s important to recognise that one’s socio-economic situation can lead to significant distress and lower one’s ability to cope with everyday difficulties.
Often https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ inhaled, it directly affects the dopamine and other neurotransmitter systems system to produce an extremely fast and intense—but short-lived—high, with an altered sense of energy and power. Further, by changing the responsiveness of dopamine receptors, methamphetamine blunts the experience of reward from normal sources of pleasure. The transtheoretical model of change recognizes that recovery isn’t a single event, but a process that unfolds over time. It’s like watching a flower bloom – it doesn’t happen all at once, but in stages, each one building on the last.
These interventions, which draw on ancient meditation practices, aim to help individuals develop greater awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. It’s like training the mind to observe cravings and triggers without automatically acting on them, creating a space for choice and conscious decision-making. Dual process models of addiction are like trying to drive a car with two steering wheels – one controlled by our rational, deliberative system, and the other Sober House Rules: What You Should Know Before Moving In by our impulsive, automatic system. These models suggest that addiction involves an imbalance between these two systems, with the impulsive system often taking the wheel when it comes to drug-seeking behaviors.
If we see a photo of our favourite actress with a glass of alcohol in her hand, we may be more motivated to start drinking, so we can become more like the person we admire. Even alcohol withdrawal can be extremely unpleasant and life-threatening, freepik.com. Addiction can be defined as a compulsion to engage in a rewarding behaviour (e.g., substance use, gaming), despite the long-term harm it can cause.
And as our society changes, new forms of addiction may emerge, challenging us to expand our understanding even further. They’ve transformed addiction care from a one-size-fits-all model to a nuanced, individualized approach. It’s like moving from a world of black and white to one rich with color, where each person’s journey through addiction and recovery is recognized as unique. There are multiple theories of the neurobiology of addiction, and two prominent theories include the Opponent Process theory and the Incentive-Sensitization theory. To focus this review, we will direct attention to the Opponent Process theory and the Incentive-Sensitization theories. Moreover, integrative models align well with the growing recognition of addiction as a chronic, relapsing condition that requires long-term management.