The Psychology of Addiction

Understanding Addiction

Addiction is such a serious subject that even after a century of debate and advances in science and medicine, the question of what causes addiction and what defines it remains somewhat unclear. The psychology of addiction encompasses a wide range of topics, including whether addiction is a disease or a human failing, the impact of lifestyle and childhood trauma, family history and socioeconomic demographics, and the dozens of additional variables that cannot be accounted for or quantified.

The Root of Addictive Behaviors

Understanding the foundations of addiction is necessary before delving into the psychology of addiction.

When a person engages in an enjoyable activity and cannot stop doing it, even if it interferes with daily life (e.g., employment, hobbies, family time, finances, etc. ), and their health and welfare suffer as a result, this behaviour is classified as an addiction.

A person who drinks to the point of alienating friends and family and losing a career and then continues to drink despite this is most likely addicted to alcohol.

Similarly, someone who has an uncontrollable urge to gamble, even sinking their life savings to do so, and wants to do nothing but gamble, is likely addicted to the risk (and illusion of control) in gambling.

Some emotional stress is usually the root of addictive behaviour – an issue that is so deeply buried within a person’s subconscious mind that confronting it is too big or unfathomable a task. To alleviate stress, enjoyment is found in excess: the fun of a drunken night out or the excitement of placing a large bet.

Stopping the behaviour risks resuming thoughts about whatever is causing the emotional stress; the presence of addictive behaviour indicates that there are no appropriate coping mechanisms for that problem. Distracting and harmful mechanisms, such as drug abuse or problem behaviour, are the only ones in place. Psychopathologies such as depression and social anxiety, and a lack of social support are all antecedents to addiction.

The addiction’s focus isn’t what matters; what matters is the desire to act when that emotional stress manifests itself. Some people can quit drinking or engaging in compulsive behaviour cold turkey because their emotional stress does not manifest as one of those addictive behaviours; for many others. However, their substance addictions are a symptom of a more significant problem that they may not even be aware of, requiring long-term therapy and counselling to overcome.

The Psychology Behind Addiction

Associative Learning

The urge for drugs begins as a goal-directed behaviour: a person seeks out and consumes drugs (the action) and then experiences a high (the outcome of the action). This is an example of associative learning, which is the basic process of learning a new skill from new stimuli. Ivan Pavlov’s famous experiment, in which he summoned his dog by ringing a bell and then rewarding it with food, is a classic example of associative learning. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that controls associative learning, and it does so by releasing a neurotransmitter called dopamine.

The role of Dopamine in Addiction

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is spontaneously created by the brain when a person accomplishes something joyful and rewarding. This is an evolutionary survival mechanism; eating and drinking not only makes you feel good, but it also ensure the preservation of your life and the species as a whole. Because sex is both joyful and rewarding, as well as required for survival, dopamine production is one of the key forces behind it.

Dopamine production has the impact of creating a memory of the experience, which motivates us to seek out the experience again. When we are faced with our favourite dish, we recall previous exposures to that food (all of which have been positive and reaffirming), and thus the cycle continues. The same is valid for abusing substances such as drugs and alcohol.

The Brain on Drugs

The brain secretes dopamine during healthy activities. Still, drugs like cocaine or heroin (or compulsive behaviours like gambling, shopping, or eating) cause the brain to release massive amounts of dopamine and prevent the brain from reabsorbing it, prolonging the pleasurable experience unnaturally. In many situations of chronic or severe substance misuse, the brain’s chemistry is altered to the point where regular actions (such as eating one’s favourite meal, having sex, etc.) no longer release the same quantities of dopamine.

The brain has been reprogrammed to associate the rush of euphoria from drugs or obsessive behaviour with only sensations of pleasure, reward, and the prospect of further pleasure and reward in the context of associative learning. Because healthy activities are no longer on the radar, they are abandoned and eventually forgotten.

Brain imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography scans have revealed the chemical impacts of drugs in the brain, revealing the extent to which the pleasure/reward regions of an addict’s brain have been altered by long-term or severe drug exposure.

Such findings have substantially debunked antiquated conceptions that addiction is a moral failing or a sign of a weak character, or even that substance misuse and compulsive behaviour have a religiously punitive component. The rise of the 12-Step movement and peer groups like Alcoholics Anonymous helped to shift the conversation away from the “moral model of addiction” and toward thinking of addiction as a disease. High-resolution optical imaging technology that showed the brains of people who had some form of mental health disorder that manifested as substance abuse seemed to seal the deal. Addiction and mental disorders are frequently linked. Some mental illnesses directly cause obsessive behaviour, which is in itself addictive.

Biological Abnormalities

According to other studies, chronic exposure to drugs and other addictive substances (and behaviours) can permanently alter the brain’s molecular and neurochemical structure and function. Because earlier repetitive use has damaged the brain significantly, a person can be vulnerable to relapse even after detoxification.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of addiction is tolerance, which occurs when greater amounts of the substance (or obsessive behaviour) are required to produce the same effect, causing further brain alterations. Because this is true, drug dependence occurs at the molecular level, not simply in the addict’s head, because the central nervous system is constantly adjusting to find the sweet spot for drug exposure. This causes not only physical dependence but also psychological dependence on the drug. The fact that abruptly stopping drug usage causes obvious and repeatable physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms shows that addiction has a medical element.

Emotional Stress and Addiction

Emotional stress pushes addicted individuals beyond the threshold where they can control their compulsions (whether to seek out and use drugs, gamble, overeat, shop, etc.).

People drawn to addictive behaviour have brains that cannot resist the desire to engage in that activity — not because they are corrupt or weak, but because their psyche is constantly under pressure and tension. The moral model’s notions of addicts being greedy and hedonistic no longer stand; instead, it’s recognised that addicts suffer from anxiety, despair, or trauma due to (or induced by) a repressed, hidden incident or set of events in their past.

Compulsive gambling or drinking is an escape strategy, a powerful source of pleasure to counteract a significant source of emotional stress.

For example, can have long-term negative consequences on vulnerable and powerless family members and witnesses, particularly children and women. According to the American Psychiatric Association, partner violence can result in various mental health issues in both the victims and those who witness the abuse. These are some of the conditions:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Suicidal thoughts

Emotional stress falls under the category of trauma, which is an emotional response that takes place when a person is terrified for their life or wellbeing. A woman being assaulted by her boyfriend and a child witnessing the assault may be so afraid that their brains cannot fully comprehend the event, altering the brain’s functioning and chemistry (similar to what happens to a soldier’s brain after a traumatic event). One of the conditions described above could be the result of this shock. If left untreated, emotional stress will worsen, and only unhealthy activities (such as substance addiction or excessive shopping, gambling, sex, and so on) will be able to soothe the pain.

Women, Children, and Trauma

The great majority of addicts have experienced considerable trauma in the past. Many of those people are women, who are disproportionately affected in homes where domestic violence is common. Due to their “heightened fear reaction,” women are twice as likely as men to acquire post-traumatic stress disorder following a stressful event.

In addition to substance abuse, girls who are subjected to or witness domestic violence are more likely to engage in risky and uncontrollable behaviours, such as sexual promiscuity (which can lead to the development of compulsive sexual behaviour) or self-harm, such as skin cutting; this is not meant to be suicidal, but the intense pain provides a distraction from the emotional stress of domestic abuse.

Children who grow up in stable and good households have significantly different brains than children who grow up in a home with domestic abuse, according to the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice. The emotional stress induced by witnessing domestic abuse can be especially damaging for children. When parents yell and fight, children are often unable to comprehend what they are experiencing, which has a long-term effect on their brains, frequently manifesting as anxiety or stress conditions.

Childhood Trauma and Lifelong Addiction

The differential between children that suffered trauma from those who didn’t is “connectivity problems” in the brain areas that link emotions to thought. Another affected area, the frontal lobe, manages planning actions and responses to occurrences. Teenagers who were exposed to domestic abuse as youngsters have brains that are unable to regulate their emotions and actions as a result of those emotions. When the brain cannot handle the sights and sounds of abuse, it turns to obsessive activities or substance misuse for relief. Children tend to internalise their circumstances, with some even blaming themselves and feeling responsible for their parents’ mistreatment.

Abuse harms a child’s mind to the point where they grow up with a high risk of acting out in harmful and unhealthy ways when they have the freedoms that come with adulthood. Childhood trauma has the potential to turn people into lifetime addicts. In a study published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety, researchers surveyed 587 people, and they discovered a substantial statistical link between childhood trauma (sexual, emotional, or physical) and substance addiction as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder:

• 39 per cent of respondents abused alcohol
• 2 per cent abused heroin or other opioids, including prescription painkillers
• 1 per cent abused cocaine
• 8 per cent abused marijuana

Addiction is a serious problem that needs immediate attention. Call us on 0808 258 3601 to discuss treatment options.

One of the many side effects of this type of injury is that the pathways in the brain that convey pleasure and reward signals are disrupted, just as how they are disrupted when a person abuses drugs and alcohol.

According to studies, traumatic brain injuries can increase the likelihood of an athlete developing a substance abuse problem due to the damage to the “incentive motivation neurocircuitry.” On the topic of “Substance Abuse and Traumatic Brain Injury,” Brainline.org reported on research indicating that up to 20% of people who suffer TBIs go on to develop an addiction as a result of the injury.

Athletes endure chronic pain and tiredness in addition to head traumas that disrupt brain function, and they frequently compete when they are not physically or psychologically ready to perform for fear of losing lucrative contracts or failing their teams and fans. The strain is enormous, and many people turn to painkillers and steroids to get through it, frequently becoming addicted to the substances in the process.

Veterans who return home from the war also face increasing risks of a substance use disorder. Soldiers are also at risk of traumatic brain injury as a result of their duty and persistent and long-term pain and tiredness; the sights and experiences of battle further raise their chances of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Each circumstance can contribute to the development of addiction on its own; when they occur together, they nearly always ensure it.

It’s not any easier for law enforcement officers either. Corrections officers have physically demanding, emotionally draining, and often degrading occupations, resulting in PTSD rates that are more than twice as high as military veterans. According to clinical data, the particular indicators of PTSD (hypervigilance, flashbacks, suicidal thoughts, depression) were detected in 34 per cent of prison officers and 14 per cent of military veterans. Retired police officers also admit to using narcotics and alcohol to self-medicate to cope with the emotional stress they face on the job.

The Psychological Model of Addiction

The more research into addiction psychology, the more complicated the question of its’ nature becomes. Even accepting the traditional definition of addiction as a disease, it is feasible to also conceptualise addiction as having an element of choice.

While it may be tempting to view addiction solely as an illness, doing so risks putting addiction into a category it does not belong in. Even though drug addiction is a complex biological process, it is not just a brain disease. Substance addiction is not the same as other diseases like Alzheimer’s, where the battle is fought in the brain; addiction is not the same as cancer, where the patient’s body changes and symptoms are uncontrollable.

Addiction is a disease in the sense that it requires treatment, yet it is unlike any other disease in that category. Addiction is a set of behaviours triggered by emotionally painful events or memories.

While it was essential to move away from the moral model of addiction, going too far with the disease model misrepresents what addiction is, what it does to a person, and how it may be treated.

The inadequacies of the previous models are effectively addressed by a “psychological model” of addiction. Understanding addiction as compulsive behaviour rather than a character flaw or a “disease” raises addiction victims above simplistic dynamics of weakness and sickness. Patients are no longer bound by the cliché “once an addict, always an addict,” nor are they driven into the powerlessness that opponents of the 12-Step approach condemn.

A Problem of the Individual

This viewpoint differs significantly from that of previous decades, and many doctors and researchers are sceptical of how strongly the disease model has been (and continues to be) promoted. Addiction is a human problem, and for therapy to be effective and drug addiction treatment successful, the addicted individual’s decisions must be taken into account. Erasing accountability and responsibility by attributing outcomes to the “illness” promotes an unrealistic approach to managing the addiction problem; instead, treating the condition will genuinely treat the person, even if it means admitting that the patient played an active role in their addiction.

The view of addiction as a brain disorder “over-medicalises” addiction (while still acknowledging that medication treatment has a legitimate place) and ignores the component of choice in addiction. Patients who are able to become sober but still struggle to thrive in their newly abstinent lives demonstrate the limitations of the brain disease model. If addiction were solely a brain disease (as many addiction researchers believed for decades), the choice should not be a problem.

Addiction can be viewed as a consequence of social ills, such as emotional stress, environmental pressure, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Choices are part of this equation, but they are choices made in adversity and poor mental health. That is what needs to be addressed.

Addiction is a serious problem that needs immediate attention. Call us on 0808 258 3601 to discuss treatment options.