Addiction And Model Of Addiction

The three models of addiction examined in this week’s readings include the medical model, the psychosocial model, and the disease of the human spirit model. The medical model “rests on the assumption that disease states are the result of a biological dysfunction, possibly one on the cellular or even molecular level” (Doweiko, 2012, p. 333). Many consider this model and “maintain that much of human behavior is based on the interaction between the individual’s biological predisposition and the environment” (Doweiko, 2012, p. 333). Individuals under this model view free will “as an illusion” (Doweiko, 2012, p. 333). There is controversy regarding this model as “to the degree to which the

Addiction, it is all around us, affecting people from all walks of life, it is not limited to certain social classes or lifestyles. It is found in every ethnic group, regardless of gender or age. It affects our neighbors, our friends, and our family either directly or indirectly. Although substances such as alcohol and illegal drugs are two of the most common addictions we hear about, there is a wide range of substances and even activities such as gambling and shopping. There is some debate whether addiction is a brain disease or a choice.

The physical, emotional, and psychological effects of addiction have the potential to make the addict vulnerable to a great many symptoms and disorders including paranoia, depression, anxiety, PTSD and other co-existing mental disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attack, organ failure, hepatitis B & C, memory lapses, incontinence, poor oral health and gum disease, skin lesions and disease, and many more.

First, before I could answer this question, I had to do a little research. Alcohol addiction is a physical dependence on alcohol which occurs gradually. Over time, drink too much alcohol changed the balance of chemicals in your brain associated with the pleasure aspects of drinking alcohol. Excessive, long-term drinking can affect the balance of these chemicals, causing your body to crave alcohol to restore good feelings or to avoid negative feelings. “Alcoholism was officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association in 1991”. ( http://www.learn-about-alcoholism.com/alcoholism-disease.html ).

• Alcoholism is an addictive disease process characterized by: Craving and compulsions Loss of control Continued use despite adverse consequences

Alcohol use disorder can be caused by a number of factors, such as biological and environmental. People who drink alcohol often are at risk to alcohol dependence as the brain becomes reliant on the chemicals in alcoholic beverages. This makes it difficult for them to stop or quit the habit, a symptom of withdrawal.

It involves various factors, theories, and health risks, all of which are the foundations of personal philosophies of how addiction works. From a psychological perspective, numerous theories and explanations that deal with addiction exist. According to Burns (1997) as cited in Hanson, Venturewlli, and Fleckenstein (2009), “the explanations can include escape from reality, boredom, inability to cope with anxiety, destructive self-indulgence, to the point of constantly desiring intoxicants, blind compliance with drug-abusing peers, self-destructiveness, and conscious and unconscious ignorance regarding the harmful effects” (p. 57). Substance use disorders, such as alcohol, have indeed been linked to genetic and other biological components; however, this link was nourished and shaped by psychological, cultural, and social comments. For a theory to be truly effective, it must provide more, be more, than a mere acknowledgement a genetic predisposition. Rather, it should encompass their culture and lifestyles, immediate environmental influences, community and social

Drug and Alcohol Treatment in America has been based on the Medical Model of Treatment. According to Wikipedia, the medical model of addiction is rooted in the philosophy that addiction is a disease and has biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. Treatment includes potential detox with a 28 day or more stay at a residential treatment facility. The continuum of care can include an additional 28 days at the partial hospitalization level, followed by another 6 weeks of Intensive Outpatient.

Addiction is a neurologically based disease. For many years recovery specialists have compared alcoholism or addictions to a physical disease: like diabetes. In reality addictions are more closely related to a neurological disorder like Tourette's Syndrome* than they are to diabetes.

Many ask “what is alcoholism?” Alcoholism is also known as alcohol “dependence syndrome”.Alcoholics crave alcohol and it's a compulsion to drink. The author of this quote “Alcoholism is a behavior pattern characterized by uncontrolled drinking of alcohol to the extent of impairing health & social function” ( Cosper 1). Now knowing what alcoholism is, let's discuss the side effects.

This introduction later becomes a habit that the addict adopts over time. Then, it turns into obsession, persistence, immunity, and finally, denial of addiction (Floyd P. Garrett, para. 3). Addiction can come about from any external or internal source. The most common internal source is clinical depression, so alcoholics drown their sorrows, which is very ironic since alcohol is considered to be a depressant. External influences include an exposure to binge drinking at parties, peer pressure or anything that causes depression such as death or constant harassment. Much like any addiction, an addict is not focused on becoming addicted to the substance, they just want something to solve their problems or avert their minds from it for a moment. However, their brief getaway later becomes a catastrophic habit that can affect their

I strongly believe that addiction is a biological disorder. Originating from the brain’s reward system through the human body’s protein mechanism known as transcription. A very common gene factor i.e ΔFosB that results in the development of these addictive behaviours.

A crisis that many communities in Georgia are experiencing is addiction. A large substance that is currently being abuse is methamphetamine. Methamphetamine can be smoked, snorted, injected, taken orally and dissolved in liquids. The most common use is smoking and injecting the drug because of the immediate reaction it has on the body. It is highly addictive and has repeated patterns of binges and crashes with the individual constantly trying to reproduce their euphoric high.

There are several theories on addictions. I have been exposed to one from a very early age. Addiction is not something that is intentionally planned. In my mother’s case, it was all a learned behavior from her friends. It all started as a casual beer here and there while hanging out with her associates. She engaged with her friends more often and with that came the frequency in which she drank. I believe it was an act just to feel accepted and part of the group. Years kept going by and alcohol and drugs became a necessity. Her body’s biochemistry had changed without her realizing what she had done to herself. I believe all three are a real problem and the individuals who are affected by the addiction do no really understand what is going

Students stroll in to class, their Venti iced soy vanilla lattes in hand rather than a notebook and pen. Keurig coffeemakers are commonplace in college dorm rooms. Colleges boast the number of Starbucks shops they have on campus. Just a month into the school year, and already many students’ bodies are becoming tolerant to caffeine, needing more and more of it to achieve the desired boost of energy, and if not given their fix, rebelling by causing headaches and irritability. Could it be said that many students are becoming addicted to caffeine? Yes, if the definition of addiction were simply a physiological dependence or tolerance. Could the man who misses work after a rough night of drinking be called an addict? Yes, if the definition of addiction were simply extreme misuse of a substance. While dependence and abuse are often used interchangeably with addiction, addiction is a disease that deserves recognition as a separate entity.