Classical Conditioning, Withdrawal, And Relapse

Relapses and drug taking are both heavily influenced by similar factors such as the drugs neurochemistry, the user’s history, environment, and dose of the pharmacokinetics. After a period of abstinence or non-use the drugs reinstating is more often an initiation of more than one factor, namely; re-exposure to drug, stress, cues in the environment, priming of the drug to user. In the user’s mind, neurochemical responses are commonly induced through these factors, in that they create a craving by mimicking the drug and this in turn prevents reinstatement and desire to use the drug (McGovern, Xie, Segal, Siembab, & Drake, 2006).

Addiction is thought of a biological nature that is past through genetics according to the biological theory as explained in P2. A contrasting theory of the biological theory would be the classical and operant conditioning theory, this was made by Pavlov. The basis of conditioning theories is that addiction is the end result of the reinforcement of drug use. The drug acts as a reinforcer and gains control over the user’s behavior. In contrast to the biological models of the exposure theories, these conditioning models suggest that anyone can show addictive behavior if they are given reinforcements, regardless of their genetics. The advantage of this

One way that someone could prevent a relapse is by having support from the patient’s family. In a study done by Mei Yang “Most participants (13 of 18) spoke of lacking family or social support during abstinence periods.” With this research it’s obvious that the lack of support from peers and family members has an impact on relapse. Without support from others, the patient feels as if there is no reason to stay abstinent. Even after going to a rehabilitation program Yang’s research stated “In China, relapse rates for drug use after discharge from treatment were generally above 90% after one year.” The period after being released from rehab are especially critical because this is the first time the user is out on their own making decisions. The decisions that the person makes right after leaving rehab are the most valuable and can decide how their abstinent period will go. Granted that sometimes when the user leaves rehab not being around the parents can be beneficial in ways. In a study done by Peter

Technology has allowed us to gain greater insight into the effects that these substances have on the body, and the research largely affected the ways in which I thought about addiction. The largest influencer on my opinions on addiction were the arguments originating in the research on neurobiology, with my interest focusing largely on neurotransmitters and processes such as the down-regulation of receptor sites in response to the overproduction or inhibited reuptake of certain neurotransmitters (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). To me it would make sense that these actions would encourage the user to continue using whatever substance caused the changes to happen in the first place. In their article arguing for medication-assisted therapy for inmates in the criminal justice system, Bruce and Schleifer (2008) summarized my ideas surrounding addiction: “In essence, the overwhelming physical and psychological reward that comes from heroin derails a neurobiological system designed to preserve the individual” (p. 18). Rather than being limited just to heroin, this was my opinion on all addicting psychoactive

The researchers founded the reason why drug abuse takes place and how can a psychological treatment will help people give up the drug addiction.

A major issue when treating alcoholism is the likelihood of relapse. A lack of social support may contribute to an increased likelihood of relapse, while maintaining positive social support can decrease this risk. One study discussed the possibility of social interaction influencing relapse behavior in the prairie vole. This study focused on the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE), where animals that had been previously exposed to ethanol show increased consumption after a period of abstinence, modeling relapse behavior commonly seen in addiction. The aim of the study was first to observe whether prairie voles, like mice and rats in previous experiments, could display an ADE and second, to determine whether this effect could be influenced by social

In general, a phobia refers to “extreme [and] irrational fear reactions” (Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013, p. 190). Phobias are developed through a process called classical conditioning. Classical conditioning involves “a process in which one stimulus that does not elicit a certain response is associated with a second stimulus that does; as a result, the first stimulus also comes to elicit a response” (Powell et al., 2013, pp. 109-110).

My research paper on cognitive behavior therapy took me into many different directions, all of them were very interesting and fascinating to say the least. Cognitive Behavior therapy was initiated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Aaron T. Beck, MD (Beck, 2011). The origin of cognitive behavior therapy stems from classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning (operant conditioning) (Craske, 2010). The topics will be on the treatment of anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.

It’s interesting that you brought up the Behaviorist theories as the one that supports the idea of using drug to provide personal, interpersonal, and social rewards. Recently, there was a research about the role of reinforcement in excessive drug use and how a drug could become a potent reinforcer in the user’s life. When this happens, the individual would become so obsessed with this known reinforcer to the point that it could affect the person’s personal life and work. For the first example that you provided, the individual would find happiness whenever he goes to the bar with his buddies. Overtime, drinking might become the person’s habit as he realized that drinking is a way for him to obtain the happiness he is seeking for. However, when

The other opinion on addiction is people having the choice to consume drugs. An article explains that people learn to engage in addictive behaviors, such as consuming drugs. The classical conditioning, deals with having the choice to consume drugs according to AMHC article. The learning theory states that addiction is simply a learned behavior, which basically people learn to engage in an addictive behavior. The AMHC talks about all the conditioning stages that result from addiction being a choice. The third type of learning the AMHC article talks about is social learning. Social learning is learning behaviors observed by other. For example, teens are using drugs and other teens see that behavior and want to engage in it too.

There are many different treatments people may use to try and get away from addiction. There are medical treatments, programs, and other therapies. Some medications to treat dependence include, Methadone, buprenorphine, buprenorphine combined with naloxone, and naltrexone. They will bind to certain receptors and will block and reverse the action of the opiate. Drug addiction plays the biggest mind game. Even if your body wants to stop, it’s almost like addiction has its own voice inside your head that won’t leave you alone. Addicts are the “puppets” to addiction. There are many social and psychological factors that might stimulate your brain that will result in a relapse. Some factors may include, stress in your life and certain stressors,

There are several reasons why drugs are hard to quit. For example, with increasing drug use a person’s tolerance then increases thus making the individual increase dosage to sustain the same high or receive the same rewards as before. A person’s mental set are factors that have been seen to influence response to drug use, and can be described as “the unique qualities of an individual’s personality like history of drug use, social experiences, attitudes towards the drug of choice, expectations of the drug effect, and the reason for motivation for continually drug use”(Hanson et al., 2015, p. 167). Another factor that contributes to a person’s ability to quit drugs is hereditary

They assume addicts lack moral principles or self-discipline and that they can quit by simply deciding to. The reality is, people who have struggled with substance abuse have often found it extremely difficult to quit due to the physical and/or mental addiction. Drug have the ability to change the brain patterns and cause health complications, making things harder in the long-term and may determine life or death. Fortunately, because of more research, there are more ways to back out of an addiction and seek help through an enduring and extensive treatment. Factors that affect the likelihood and speed of developing an addiction are environmental and individual factors, including genetics and

Classical conditioning effects everyday life especially in relation to phobias and addiction which will be discussed in this essay. Classical conditioning was founded by Ivan Pavlov. He believed that if a behaviour can be learned, it can also be unlearned too. This essay will highlight the importance of conditioning principles in explaining and treating problem behaviours. Classical conditioning has revolutionised behavioural therapies, such as flooding and systematic desensitisation to treat phobias, and aversion therapies to treat addictive behaviour.

Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by frequent drug abuse can impair a person's self-discipline and ability to make sound judgements, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. It is because of these alterations in the brain that it is so puzzling for a person to stop abusing drugs. Luckily, there are treatments that help people to neutralize addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control of their lives. Study shows that combining addiction treatment medications, when suitable, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are custom-made to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any concurrent medical, psychiatric, and social problems can help achieve sustained recovery and a life without drugs.