Comparison of Theories about Addiction - Research Paper Example

? Topic: THEORIES OF ADDICTION There are many theories both traditional and modern that have been developed with an aim of trying to understand what addiction really is and how one becomes addicted. Before I discuss the different theories, I would want us first to understand the term addiction first. In the seventeenth century, people considered taking alcohol as part of their healthy drinks until later when it was discovered that indeed so many people had been addicted to taking this noble drink. Alcoholism for a long time was known as the worst addiction until more and more drugs entered the market. The term addiction means a compulsive desire or craving and use of drugs excessively after which one has a difficult in stopping the use. Withdrawal from the use after one is addicted has severe consequences. The speed of addiction depends on various factors such as the mode of ingestion, the frequency of ingestion, the substance itself, the effect of the substance and the individual’s genetic and psychological susceptibility (Miller 2007). To understand the theories of substance addiction, we first need to understand why people abuse drugs. The fist reason why people take drugs is to feel good. When one takes drugs, there is an intense sensation of pleasure which is followed by other feeling depending on the drug taken. Cocaine for example makes someone feel high after which one experiences a feeling of power, increased energy and self confidence. The initial feeling one has after taking a drug is called euphoria. The second reason is that people take drugs to feel better. This is associated with people who suffer from stress, social anxiety, and depression. They take drugs in order to lessen their problems. Stress is one of the major reasons why people start and continue abusing drugs. The third reason is in order to do or perform better. This is an initial starting point for drug abuse. People take drugs in order to improve their athletic and cognitive performance. The final reason as to why people take drugs is because of curiosity and because others, especially peers and role models, take drugs. This is most common in adolescence stage of human growth. Based on these reasons, various theories of addiction have been formulated. I will fist start with traditional theories and later the most modern ones. Traditional theories Psychological theory Though many theories fail to satisfactorily explain substance and drug addiction, psychological theory makes most sense. This theory is based on the fact that drugs use starts with motivations within us that we are unconscious of. Even when these motivations are noticeable we are still not aware of them. Most of the times, we are not aware that there are inner drives within us that motivate us towards taking drugs. In this theory, drug users are those people who are trying to find some sort of a balance in their lives. When a person is weak compared to these motives, and also they are of low esteem, they most of the time end up using drugs. They find a way of establishing this balance in their lives but it is not always possible. The only way they can now escape this painful experience is through the use of drugs. In most cases this is meant to solve the immediate problem. The effect of the drugs will be short term therefore they will need to continue if they do not want to feel bad in their lives. This marks the beginning of drug addiction (Zimmer 2012). Everyone has issues in their lives that we feel are not healed. This theory explains on this basis why people indulge in drugs and latter become addicted. Depending on different people, we have different ways of dealing with the bad feelings we feel about ourselves. One escape route is drugs which people become addicted to at some time in their lives. Cultural identity theory In this theory of addiction, the main point of concern is how other people influence others into drug taking. It also suggests that people are affected by the environment I which they grow up. This theory shows how people start taking drugs, and later become addicts. They do so in an effort to fit into a certain group. In order for a person to identify themselves with a certain group, one has to abide to the rules of the group. Study has shown that this is the main cause of increased drug abuse and addiction among the youth. Smoking, for example has been one of the most addiction among the youths. At this stage of growth, young people feel that they need to be associated with a group of a role model. The informal groupings in the society play a very important in growth and development of young people. However, these peer groups can be a source of bad behaviors. If a group is formed entirely by people who are smokers, another who wants to be identified with them will be forced to follow their ways. That will mean that he/she will be forced by circumstances to start smoking and eventually become an addict. Another factor in this theory that leads to addiction is the need to be identified with people we adore in the society. This again affects young people more than the elderly. Influential people in the society that are adored in the society can have both negative and positive effects in the society. These role models such as musicians have great effects on youths. They tend to imitate them so that they can be identified with them. If they abuse drugs, young people associate their success with it and end up using drugs too. Eventually they become addicted (Moore 2012). Modern theories of addiction Disease theory The theory is commonly as the disease theory of alcoholism. In this theory, it is suggested that alcoholism is in some cases caused by a disease in the brain specifically n alteration of the structure of the brain and its functioning. The suggestion of this theory that alcoholism is a medical problem has been embraced by various fields including scientific and medical communities. This theory is a development of the traditional disease theory (Hathaway,2007). Alcoholism, just like any other addiction, starts with normal consumption of alcohol. Alcoholism is considered a chronic disease just like diabetes; however, its development depends on many reasons such as the environment in which one grows in and lives. People who grow in families with a history of alcoholism have a higher possibility of becoming alcoholic than those whose families do not have a history of alcoholism n their families. Study has shown that about than half the cases of alcoholism are genetically determined, and therefore the rest is determined or influenced by the environment. Alcoholism has been proven to be chronic illnesses through numerous studies in many cases (Hathaway 2007). This theory has faced many critics. The first attack on the theory is that alcoholism being a chronic disease one cannot be cured completely. This however is not the case since there are people who have completely recovered from the condition. According to this theory, the only way a person can stop being alcoholic is by complete abstinence and one can never return to controlled drinking. Critics also argue that alcoholism is not a disease rather it is a choice. This means that application of medical treatment to the condition, to them, is a threat to the health of alcoholics and should not be applied to stop alcoholism. According to research, many physicians do not agree with the theory- in fact only twenty percent of them concur with the theory. Genetics theory This theory is strongly based on scientific and medical studies. Studies have shown that a large percent of alcoholics come from families which have a history of alcoholism. However, there is no specific gene for alcoholism but the predisposing conditions are believed to be genetic. The theory suggests that addiction is inherited. Genetics also show that certain people are more susceptible to addiction than others. A research conducted with 300 monozygotic and other 300 di-zygotic twins showed that there is a strong connection between genetics and certain intrapersonal behaviors such as morality, aggressiveness and other behaviors. These intrapersonal behaviors are strongly related to alcoholism. Monozygotic twins showed that there is actually genetic relationship between alcoholism and predisposing conditions. Depending on the biological makeup of different people they have different periods of taking drugs before they become addicted. Studies with narcotics have shown that different people have different capabilities of responding to the effects of narcotics. A human body has the capability to respond to drugs introduced to them; these differences are found with different families (Moore 2012). Behavior theory In this theory, addiction is suggested to be influenced by behavior. Drugs are taken to influence the behavior off a person. This is seen mostly in performance of cognitive ability of a person. Drugs are also taken to influence the athletic ability of people. Most people all over the world take caffeine and nicotine in order to boost their mental performance (Tarter et al 2007). One starts smoking and slowly becomes addicted. Nicotine is one of the most abused drugs in the world today and has the most number of addicts in the world. The behavior theory of addiction is one of the modern theories that have been derived from traditional theories and improved with the new discoveries. This theory explains why there are increased cases of drug and substance in colleges and secondary schools. Students take drugs such as marijuana especially during exam periods. Continued use of these drugs eventually lead to serious addiction (Tarter et al 2007) From the above theories it is clear that the problem of drugs and substance abuse cannot be explained by just one theory or from less than one perspective. It should be noted that different drugs have different addiction periods. Of important to note also is that addicts are not ready to stop abusing drugs unless they are made to realize what actually they are doing. Intervention should be done early enough in order to prevent the advanced stages of addiction. References Hathaway, W. (2007). Headache pill eases alcohol cravings. Hartford Courant , 14. Miller, G. (2010). Learning the Language of Addiction Counseling. New York : John Wiley & Sons. Moore, A. S. (2012). A Bridge to Recovery. New York times , 14. Tarter, R. E., & Vanyukov, M. (2007). Predictors of Marijuana Use in Adolescents Before and After Licit Drug Use. American Journal of Psychiatry , 2134-2140. Zimmer, C. (2012). Can a Brain Scan Tell You What Drugs to Take and Choices to Make. Discover Magazine , 1-2. Read More