Nature Vs. Nurture : Addiction

The effect of addiction have consumed billions of individuals all over the world, not only consume but also killed. Individuals have relied on drugs to fill the void in their life that is missing. The addict is not only hurting themselves from the drug use but their families, friends, and their community. In this paper, it will give a description of a 21-year-old male named Anthony. Anthony started using marijuana at the age of 20, trying to hide the pain from the death of his sister. Eventually, marijuana was not enough to get Anthony the extra high he wanted which Anthony made the choice to try another drug and eventually it

There are also biological and genetic propensities for addiction such as genes that have been identified as taking part in the addiction process like some genes have been found to make a person more susceptible to a disease. Treatment is needed for this disease like any other disease. Sometimes medication to reduce the harm, like the AIDs cocktail or methadone treatment, is meted out to offset the disease. Healing other mental issues and behavioral changes can be beneficial also.

Dopamine is defined as a neurochemical that supports fine motor activity, blood pressure, focus inspiration, intuition, and joy, among other functions (“Dopamine”). The brain interprets all items of pleasure in the same manner. Whether someone has sexual intercourse, eats a delicious meal, or smokes marijuana, the brain releases dopamine in the same fashion. Drugs ranging from nicotine to heroin all produce the same signals in the nucleus accumbens, which is a group of nerve cells that sits below the cerebral cortex (“Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain”). In “Violence in Movies, Music, and Media,” by Jeanne Nagle, dopamine is compared to a shot of a heavy-duty amphetamine (38). The entertainment an individual finds in shooting another person on a TV screen is the same as one who watches a violent movie that interests them as well. As dopamine is released, the brain naturally wants more as it is very addictive by nature (“Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain”). Rosner for example, the man addicted to videogames, could sit down and be vegetative for 18 hours at a time playing his favorite game. The dopamine released while playing was enough to almost shut down his prefrontal regions in his brain that affect judgement and concern – leading him to play more and more violent games (Linden). People who begin as mildly curious or interested in the world of violence, zombies, and vampires can quickly become an addicted expert on the subject

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

The biological aspect of addiction takes into account the genetic and inherited components of addiction, as well as the effects of addiction on the body itself. It also includes the neurobiological and neurobehavioral theories and studies, which are becoming the most popular ways in studying addiction. The physical component of addiction primarily relies on the dependence of the substance, the tolerance that the body creates as a result, and the experience of withdrawal symptoms. The psychological

Addiction: is it a disease or a choice? A disease can be described as “a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of a physical injury.” Knowing this, one can believe addiction is a disease. It is something that is done frequently, that usually does not end, just as a disease; it cannot cease on its own, because it requires some form of treatment. The big question regarding addiction is why people believe it to be a choice opposed to a disease.

The cycle of addiction is like running on a treadmill suspended in air where there's seemingly no way to get off. Fortunately, there is always a way off if you are willing to admit you are suffering from the disease of addiction. There's the rub. The healing process from addiction has to start with you. When you are ready and able to receive help, you will find that a quality addition treatment center like (name) in (location) will be awaiting your call.

Addictions are a diverse set of common and complex diseases that are to some extent tied together by shared genetic and environmental factors. Addiction includes alcohol use disorders, cannabis and cocaine use disorders, nicotine dependence, as well as non-substance–related behaviors. Both genetic and environmental variables contribute to the use and abuse of addictive substances, which may eventually lead to addiction.

The question of nature vs. nurture has been the focus of many debates, especially within the discipline of psychological sciences. This paper will examine the views that exist regarding the importance of contributions to the risk of addiction, specifically, genetic (nature) vs. environmental (nurture) contributions through a review of the existing literature.

Genes and environment both prove to be important when determining who will be susceptible to becoming addicted to substances and who will not (Durand, Barlow, 2016, 388-389). Using drugs is based on environmental factors but becoming dependent on drugs will occur if a person is genetically vulnerable. There is no specific gene that can be held responsible for this phenomenon, but rather a group of genes that put one at risk for substance use disorder broadly. Susceptibility to addiction to one substance in particular does not occur. Psychological factors must also be considered when discussing what causes substance abuse disorder. Positive reinforcement (making one feel good) and negative reinforcement (making one feel less bad) are two primary reasons for continuing drug use.

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

79). Overall, this is a problem, because there continues to be a lack of the public endorsement and support of those seeking treatment regardless of the addiction. Individuals suffer with addictive behaviors for many reasons that include genetic factors. These things are uncontrollable and are harder to be prevented. Inaba and Cohen (2014) stated, “One of the genes that signals a susceptibility to compulsive overreaction” (p. 7.47). The new definition of addiction non/substance and behavior is now based on the psychoactive drugs and certain behaviors that produce the surge of dopamine in the midbrain are biological substrate for addictive behavior (Smith, 2012). Overall, it is important to include all addictive behaviors and substance abuse when diagnosing individuals. It is more important to treat all conditions or addictions than it is to assume that it is not as an important or one is more problematic than one or the

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.

I am greatly interested in the study of psychology due to the fact I want to be a clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, or a substance abuse and addiction counselor. According to US News Article “A Blind Eye to Addiction” it states that “Over 38,000 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S in 2010.” Discovering the genetic and environmental causes for addition can potentially prevent drug overdoses. I am going to be persuading the audience to agree with my viewpoint on the topics of Nature vs. Nurture specifically in cases with drug addiction and alcohol addiction because most people take the genetic side (nature) or the environment side (nurture) where as I believe that both sides are correct.

Control over addiction is good for one, but when you can’t control your addiction it starts