Lesher says, “Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior.” As with most chronic diseases, addiction should also be treated with multiple recurring treatments since the brain chemistry of addicts often causes them to relapse into drug use. Lesher makes his case that addiction is a brain disease by stating that addicts cannot quit taking drugs on their own because they require medical treatment like most ill patients. The authors final opinion on addiction is that initial drug use is present due to the voluntary behavior of the addict and while it does not absolve the user of their responsibility as it was their fault, once they have developed an addiction, their brain has chemically changed so much that they can not will themselves to quit and must be treated as though they have a medical disease. NO: Alva Noe states that addiction is not a disease of the brain. First, he points that not all addictions are chemical substances and there are many activities that can be addictive to people.
Treatment is difficult because the behavioral perspective is based on past experiences and learned behaviors. Treatment can be lengthy and difficult. If treatment is going well and you were successfully detoxed, you then have to go back into the environment that enabled you to become addicted to alcohol. This can create the never ending cycle and individuals can fall right back into their old ways very quickly. One is not able to avoid stressors in their lives, hardships, frustration, anxiety, sadness and anger so again, it is very easy for them to quickly engage in old habits.
People find a variety of ways to try to escape reality, or just ignore what is going on around them in the real world. The truth is, through all of these different ways to escape reality, the results can vary from an enlightening experience to a negative, or fatal end. Drugs Drugs are on the negative end of the spectrum. Although the high, for the moment of its stimulation, is amusing, it is only temporary. That just leads people to want to take the drugs again.
Psych 213 Dr. Les White April 9, 2012 Major points the article covers or raises “The Addicted Brain,” by Nestler and Malenka discussed the brain’s memory of addiction which results from repeated use and subsequently abuse of drugs and alcohol. While very technical and scientific in its detailing of the processes, it was also very insightful in spelling out the brains rewarding of the pleasure that results from drugs of abuse (DOA). It seems that we have known for quite a while why someone feels good when they use DOA, but the article points out that new research is just beginning to understand some of the resulting long term changes in the brain. Even though the pleasurable effects of using a particular drug aren’t as strong as they
Like most other illicit drugs, crack cocaine remains extremely insidious, because even with the possibility of death, drug addicts continue to use without caution. “When entered into the body, crack cocaine takes affect almost immediately.” (Emmit). The feeling of euphoria gained by using crack fades much quicker than the painful after-effects. Short-term effects of using crack cocaine include short bursts of increased energy, decreased appetite, increased temperature, mental anxiety, constricted blood vessels, and increased heart rates. As crack cocaine use continues, the effects felt from the drug continue to get more severe.
Second, by using drugs, they can be more confident to approach the opposite sex and the last one is that by using drugs teenagers can escape their problems as it helps them to solve problems. On the other hand,
This group of drugs includes cocaine, methamphetamine, as well s nicotine. Though amphetamine does have some positive effects, including, a stimulation of cognitive activity and control of impulses, the greater effects are much ore detrimental. Due to is relative simplicity of manufacturing and overwhelming abundance; methamphetamine use is a plague on America. I personally have seen people deteriorate before my eyes due to methamphetamine use. Cocaine is another stimulant that often leads to dependence in users.
Addiction Addiction is a persisitent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance, including mood-altering behaviors or activities, despite ongoing negative consequences. Two Types of addictions: Substance addictions (alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking) Process addictions (gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity) There is a growing recognotion that many addicts, such as polydrug abusers, are addicted to more than one substance or process. Addictive behaviors initially provide a sense of pleasure or stability that is beyond the addict's power to achieve in other ways. Eventually, the addicted person needs to do the behavior in order to feel normal. 23% of college students meet the medical criteria for substance
Explain factors related to the development of substance abuse or addictive behaviour & examine prevention strategies and treatments for substance abuse and addictive behaviour (22 marks) A substance is anything that people can ingest to alter mood, cognition or behaviour: specifically to induce feelings of self-confidence, fun or relaxation. However, there is an issue with ‘substances’, in that they can often cause a dependence or addiction. An addiction can be described as the behavioural and other responses that include compulsion to certain substances continuously, in order to avoid psychological and physiological deficits in the absence of the substance: namely discomfort, anxiety etc. An addiction may relate to anything in one’s life which may cause the process of uncontrollable usage. This essay shall seek to outline the key reasons for development of a substance abuse, whilst assessing the prevention strategies and treatment for the subsequent substance abuses and addictive behaviours - with key reference to smoking and addiction to nicotine.
or mind for other than medically warranted purposes. Traditional definitions of addiction, with their criteria of physical dependence and withdrawal (and often an underlying tenor of depravity and sin) have been modified with increased understanding; with the introduction of new drugs, such as cocaine, that are psychologically or neuropsychological addicting; and with the realization that its stereotypical application to opiate-drug users was invalid because many of them remain occasional users with no physical dependence. Addiction is more often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society and includes both licit and illicit drugs, and the term "substance abuse" is now frequently used because of the broad range of substances (including alcohol and inhalants) that can fit the addictive profile. Psychological dependence is the subjective feeling that the user needs the drug to maintain a feeling of well-being; physical dependence is characterized by tolerance (the need for increasingly larger doses in order to achieve the initial effect) and withdrawal symptoms when the user is abstinent. Definitions of drug abuse and addiction are subjective and infused with the political and moral values of the society or culture.