In conclusion, the Psychological Model of addiction offers valuable insight into the role of mental health and cognitive processes in the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors. By addressing the emotional and cognitive factors underlying addiction, treatment approaches informed by this model can support individuals in developing healthier coping strategies and more adaptive beliefs, ultimately promoting lasting recovery. However, it is important to consider the Psychological Model in conjunction with other models of addiction, as a comprehensive understanding of addiction requires the integration of biological, psychological, and social factors. In conclusion, the Biopsychosocial Model of addiction offers a comprehensive and integrative perspective on the complex interplay of factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors.
Patient centered medication treatment for opioid use disorder in rural Vermont: a qualitative study
Media headlines such as “Brain’s Addiction Centre Found” (BBC 2007) speak to the power of neuroscience and its ability to construct images of the brain, such that it has become easy to defer to its account of the complex phenomena that constitute addiction. Neuroethics challenges arise when knowledge exclusively from neuroscience is deemed adequate to obtain a full understanding of a mental health disorder as complex as addiction. While the practicality of biopsychosocial systems model may allow for a more integrative explanation for addiction, it does not explain addiction entirely. Indeed, there is no single theory or approach that can offer a complete explanation for the existence of any social problem (Merton 1961). Moreover, the model does not solve the problem of free choice, as the model still, even at the systems (macro) level, has causally sufficient preceding conditions. The biopsychosocial model didn’t spring forth fully formed like Athena from Zeus’s head.
Understanding Addiction Process
In the past, the Moral Model was widely accepted and shaped societal attitudes and responses to addiction. People with addiction were often stigmatized and judged as being morally deficient, leading to punitive measures and marginalization. This model has been influential in shaping the “war on drugs” policies and the criminalization of substance use, which prioritize punishment over treatment and support for individuals with addiction. Wolfram Schultz et al., in their 2000 study titled ‘Dopamine reward prediction error signal in primate dopamine neurons, ’ show that our brains release dopamine when humans engage in sober house pleasurable activities.
Addiction can occur regardless of a person’s character, virtue, or moral fiber.
Emergent themes were deductively mapped to PCC domains of Therapeutic Alliance, Individualized Care, Shared Decision-Making, and Holistic Care. Addictions subvert this normally helpful process and grow stronger over time, as the reward circuits in the brain are high-jacked. The Compass Of Pleasure explains this new complex understanding clearly, but without dumbing it down. A healthy brain rewards healthy behaviors—like exercising, eating, or bonding with loved ones. It does this by switching on brain circuits that make you feel wonderful, which then motivates you to repeat those behaviors. In contrast, when you’re in danger, a healthy brain pushes your body to react quickly with fear or alarm, so you’ll get out of harm’s way.
Psychological Factors: The Mind’s Influence on Addiction
- Second, Hunt identifies a “strong” rights account that acknowledges a basic right to use drugs.
- Somatic markers are acquired by experience and are under control of a neural “internal preference system which is inherently biased to avoid pain, seek potential pleasure, and is probably pretuned for achieving these goals in social situations” (Damasio 1994, 179).
- Opioid related overdoses in the US are a national epidemic 1 and are increasing in rural areas in Vermont, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, North Carolina, and Virginia 2.
- In the past, the Moral Model was widely accepted and shaped societal attitudes and responses to addiction.
- It may further challenge understandings of “accepted” identities, such as health seeking and rational, as opposed to “contested” identities, such as addict, intoxicated, and at-risk (Fry 2008).
At this stage, people often use drugs or alcohol to keep from feeling bad rather than for their pleasurable effects. It’s important to note that these psychological factors don’t cause addiction on their own. However, they can create a vulnerability that, combined with biological and social aspects, can increase the risk of addiction. Many individuals struggling with addiction have a history of trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or the loss of a loved one (Hays-Grudo et al., 2021). These experiences can create deep psychological wounds that make it difficult for individuals to manage stress and regulate their emotions. “HAT is not simply a pharmacotherapy; it is a treatment approach that is situated within a context involving neighborhood factors, the local drug scene, housing, policing, medical care, and other treatment services.
In one study comparing cannabis use in San Francisco (where cannabis is criminalized) and Amsterdam (de facto decriminalization), there was no evidence to support claims that criminalization laws reduce use or that decriminalization increases use. In fact, San Francisco reported a higher cannabis use rate than Amsterdam (Reinarman, Cohen and Kaal 2004). Advances in neuroscience are shedding new light on the biological aspects of addiction. And social scientists are exploring innovative ways to leverage social support and address societal factors contributing to addiction.
“I had kind of graduated out of the hub, however I did not have good enough insurance to cover my Suboxone at that time. So I had asked the doctor who was running the clinic at the time, to allow me to stay at the clinic. And what he had told me was no, because there were other people who needed that level of care…. I’m not stable enough to just go cold turkey, off everything.” But he did not feel the same way I did at that time I had left the clinic. “There’s just something about being in-person where you’re kind of more, through body language and facial expressions and everything.
Addiction Theories: A Comprehensive Exploration of Substance Use Disorders
The empirical foundation of this model is thus interdisciplinary, and both descriptive and applied. As the addiction treatment field has evolved, it continues to move away from punitive dogmatic approaches to more client centered holistic approaches. Strengths based models of addiction treatment integrate a variety of influential components that enhance our understanding and ability to effectively treat the entire individual within his or her social, cultural, psychological, and biological contexts. Addiction is a complex and multifaceted condition that impacts individuals and their families on multiple levels.
Along with genetics, another contributing factor to the risk of addiction is one’s psychological composition. Some individuals may be more affected by the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse because they are trying their best to regulate painful emotions. This chapter aims to explain that people who use drugs participate in a drug culture, and further, that they value this participation.
Research staff, neither of whom were directly involved with implementation at the clinics, were trained in qualitative interviewing methods prior to independently conducting minute semi-structured interviews by telephone. We intended to recruit approximately 12 Vermonters located throughout the state, aiming for geographical spread over the Hub and Spoke coverage area, consistent with suggested interview saturation in homogeneous study populations 24. Interviews were conducted without field notes and were recorded and transcribed verbatim using Rev.com transcription services. Fifteen semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted from August through November of 2021 regarding patient experiences receiving MOUD in 13 Vermont Hub and Spoke clinics.
These factors may indicate a certain level of group risk for problematic substance use, but cannot verify either the likelihood of substance use occurring within the group or which individuals within the group are more likely to be affected. These factors are not inherent in the composition of the social structure, are neither stable nor persistent, but are governed by the social values and norms of that social system or group (Bunge 2003). The Behavioral Model of Addiction and the Social Model of Addiction both offer valuable insights that complement the biopsychosocial approach. By integrating these various perspectives, we can develop an even more comprehensive understanding of addiction. Today, clinicians use a variety of tools to evaluate biological, psychological, and social factors. It’s like being a detective, gathering clues from multiple sources to piece together the full picture of a person’s addiction.
