The Etiology of Addiction Disease Model Essay examples

Merely compulsively engaging in an activity does not necessitate the title of addiction, even if the subject cannot quit of her own volition: there must be an element of negative influence that the habit has on her life in one way or another to be termed as such. The potential adverse effects of addiction are numerous and for any one addiction the detriment can be multifaceted. As addiction is generally discussed, one of the primary negative impacts mentioned is related to a person’s physical or mental well-being which can be harmed by the abuse of certain substances, such as

When talking about the nature of drug abuse you have to talk about the chemicals. Dopamine is one of these chemicals. Dopamine is the chemical that make things feel good. When using certain drugs the drug will trigger dopamine, which then gives the addict or user an outstanding good feeling that can lasts a short amount of time and then eventually goes away. With this overflow of dopamine in the body and the feeling of feeling good is the driving factor of why a user/addict keeps using(Koehl, lecture, 2017). When you have an addiction triggers of craving the drug are high when you are not high on the drug. Even though the

In 1952, E.M. Jellinek’s research describes the four stages of alcoholism as, “The Pre – alcoholic phase in which the drinker can no longer drink socially but uses alcohol to relieve social tension. The Prodromal phase, the drinker begins to experience negative consequences. In the Crucial phase, individuals develop physical dependence when serious withdrawal symptoms occur when drinking stops. And the last one is, Chronic phase, in which an individual becomes lost in alcoholic lifestyle and experience different symptoms. The disease model holds that addiction is a biological, psychological, and spiritual disease that is incurable and the only way to arrest the disease process is to abstain from alcohol and other drugs.”

Many people around the world are addicted to something whether they are aware of it or not. The dictionary definition of addiction is the following - “the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.” There are two types of addiction that Psychologist Fisher talks about in his research article. One is behavioral addiction such as sex, internet, and overeating which are just a few examples. On the other side of the spectrum, you have substance abuse which includes but is not limited to cocaine, heroin, meth, alcohol abuse and so on. Throughout this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting studies conducted about behavioral addiction and substance abuse.

The problem of alcohol abuse has been recognized for thousands of years, but only more recently have we begun to see alcohol addiction as a treatable disorder. According to the Classical Disease Model of `Alcoholism,' habitual use of alcohol can be identified as a disease. Webster's Dictionary defines the concept of `disease' as follows: "Any departure from health presenting marked symptoms; malady; illness; disorder." Therefore, as many occurrences of alcohol excess provoke such symptoms, it is somewhat understandable that `alcoholism' is classified as a disease. The Classical Disease Model appears to offer a hopeful option. Treatment and sobriety can allow people to lead fulfilling lives. Adjacent to the notion of alcoholism as personal

There are many causes of addiction and addictive behaviors. The causes can stem from, but are not limited to, physiological, historical, social, and environmental factors that come together to cause addiction and addictive behaviors (The Highjacked Brain, 1998). It is important to point out that addictions and addictive behaviors are not caused by only one factor, but rather a combination of them. Physiological factors occur and affect the brain, thus, addictions and addictive behaviors can be considered a disease because of the changes that occur to the brain (The Highjacked Brain, 1998). Considering this more, substance abuse and addictive behaviors, such as

The definition of what constitutes a real "disease" is not as clear cut as one might think. One major area of concern has been the debate between those that believe that the conceptualization of a disease should be free from social influences/values versus those that state that the criteria use to define a disease, especially psychiatric disease like addiction, are a result of social definitions/values (e.g., Szasz, 2008). In general, most health professionals agree that the determination of what is or is not labeled as a disease should be free of value judgments and social influences and should rest on notions of intact biological functions in organisms and statistical departures of these functions from normalcy. Unfortunately, even these statistical foundations of normalcy are often based on social values (as is certainly the case in addictions) and departures from normalcy can either be dysfunctional (e.g., someone who is born with mental retardation) or relatively benign (e.g., someone who has extremely high intelligence). Many ask where should the line to demarcate disease from normalcy be drawn, at one or both ends of the spectrum of what is normal?

Society has long held a simplified view of addiction: the more someone performs an action, the more they become addicted. In the 1960s, researchers conducted the “Skinner Box Experiment” to test the effects of addiction and certain drugs. The researches placed a single rat in a small cage and gave it two bottles of water, one plain water and the other laced with heroin (Alexander 3). They wanted to see what effect heroin had on the rat and whether the rat would become addicted. In each experiment the rat became addicted to the heroin water, overdosed, and died (3). The researchers concluded that addiction comes from repeated use of an addictive substance.

For long addiction has been referred to as: the case where one is so much dependent on substances.. The idea of trying to determine whether addictiveness or addiction is losing ground (Conrad & Schneider, 2007). There has been increased consensus explaining that addiction can be illustrated where no substance is present. Theoretical models can therefore be classified as either moral model or the medical model.

For many years, addicts have been described as lazy and not disciplined enough to quit their bad habit(s) but more and more significant research is showing that addiction is a disease with complex physical aggravations and implications. Researchers have formulated a reward circuit in the brain which shows addiction is not just a discipline issue but more importantly an actual physical ailment. The biological basis of addiction helps to explain why people need much more than good intentions or willpower to break their addictions (National Institutes of Health, 2015).

Addiction, defined as a chronic medical disease, has led to great furor in the scientific community.[1] Some argue that because epidemiologic data shows that most addicts quit, possibly when faced with social and financial consequences, addiction is based on decisions and thus, should be treated as a choice. Those in favor of the disease model remark that because experiments have correlatively shown that drugs can change the brain structurally and functionally, one should treat addiction as a medical disease. One can expect from both perspectives, that the more important question is whether or not addiction has a biological aspect to it that can be causally linked to substance abuse behaviors. In this essay, we will review some of the compelling evidence on both sides of the argument and weigh their significance in order to come to a logical judgment.

Addiction, is a disease and involves behavioral components such as bio-psycho-social and manifests itself in a unique way in each patient. It is a pathological relationship established between the person, the psychoactive substance or additive behavior in a particular psycho-social context. The individuals have difficulties of controlling consumption, even

Biological psychology examines our behaviours and internal processes from a biological perspective and examines how psychological phenomena could have physiological bases. As the brain is composed of trillions of synaptic connections governed by the release of either excitatory (e.g. glutamate) or inhibitory (e.g. GABA) chemical neurotransmitters (NTs) by neurons, biological psychology proposes that the brain is where the explanation for behaviours can be found. Drug addiction is defined as both chronic and distinguished by compulsive use of drugs and seeking out that drug, even with harmful and negative consequences. A person’s addiction and susceptibility to addiction can be be explained by the levels and actions of NTs and chemical signals throughout the brain, specifically located in the limbic system or the brains “reward system”. This reward system (around the septal and lateral hypothalamus area) was accidently discovered when Olds & Milner (1954) found that rats remained in the corner of a box where they received stimulation, indicating that the rats found the stimulation pleasurable.

An addiction is defined as a “chronic, relapsing disease affecting the brain’s reward, motivation, and related systems” (2). The word addiction is based from a latin term meaning “enslaved or bound to”. Addictions have a very strong influence on the brain, which manifests in three ways; craving for the source of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement (no matter the consequences). No one ever plans on becoming an addict; yet, many still find themselves bound by addiction. This is because of the way the body handles pleasure. No

Drug addiction, a new major phenomenon in our society today. In this paper, we will look at different drugs, the compulsive cravings, the people that have become addicted to them and affects it’s had on their lives. Many people abuse drugs but don’t consider themselves addicts. Addiction is like all behaviors “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenance’s like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2007). The narcotics disable the neurons that would usually keep the dopamine neurons in check; becoming over stimulated. Endorphins are produced and released within the brain, creating a high and reinforcing the individual’s positive associations with the activity. Hence “the rush” (Molintas, 2007)