module 7 - final Flashcards
(102 cards)
substance use
the ingestion with no negative effects
substance intoxication
- experiencing the intended psychological effects of substances
- different depending on the substance, person, situation, amount of substance and method of engaging with the substance
substance abuse
- when use causes distress and/or impairment
- distress to you
- impairing work, school, daily functioning or involve putting yourself in dangerous situations
substance dependence
dependence is physiological and psychological
substance dependence - physiology
- the physiological experience discusses tolerance and/or withdrawal associated with substance use
- increased tolerance: increasing amounts of the substance to experience an effect
- may not necessarily negatively affect you according to users
substance dependence - psychology
- the beliefs and behaviours surrounding the substance
- the sense you are craving the substance
- beliefs you have about needing the substance
- behaviours you engage in; such as, are you engaging in negative behaviours to continue engaging in use?
common misconceptions
- “Illegal drugs have no positive effects”
- “If you use an illegal drug once, you will become addicted”
- cannabis is a “gateway” drug
- prohibition increases drug availability
- only former drug abusers (those with addiction experience) make good drug therapists
rat experiment
- rats in an empty cage were given regular water and water laced with drugs and majority/all of the rats drank themselves to death with laced water
- when rats were in a cage with stimulation (other rats, toys, things to do) none/minimal rats overdosed on the laced water
- proposed to idea that connections and bonding are adaptive and can contribute to a need for drugs
substance abuse disorder criteria
- must meet 2/11 criteria over a 12 months period and experience significant impairment or distress
- the criteria are grouped based on:
- physical dependence
- risky use
- social problems
- impaired control
etiology of general biological factors
- genetics: genetic contribution specific to alcohol, tobacco and opiates
- reward areas in the brain: dopamine reinforces use and is the most related system in the brain to substance use. our opiate systems consist of pain relief and pleasure
treatment of general biological factors
- antagonists (block effects) exist to counteract overdose for some substances
- antagonist examples: naloxone → stop opioid (fentanyl) overdose and valium→ prevent amphetamine (cocaine) overdose
- stomach pumping → prevent alcohol overdose
- medically supervised withdrawal
- replacement medications such as methadone which can be legally prescribed as a replacement for the illicit drug
general psychological etiological factors
- disease model
- parental influence
- expectancy effects
- positive reinforcement
- negative reinforcement
- opponent-process theory
- conditioned place preference/tolerance
general psychological etiology - disease model
- addiction is the same as any other disease
- meaning if someone has access to the substance they cannot control their actions and will engage in said substance
- often taken by 12-step recovery approaches like AA
general psychological etiology - parental influence
- if children grow up witnessing drug use in parents it will normalize it and may teach children that drugs are an appropriate coping mechanism
- on the other hand parents that exert firm behavioural control may stop the effects of negative peer influences
general psychological etiology - expectancy effects
- how beneficial we believe the drug will be, increases our likelihood of using it
- expectancy effects are generally not linked to dependence but can be linked to abuse
general psychological etiology - positive reinforcement
- e.g. the high from substances is positively reinforcing and can encourage more use
- poly-substance use is often an attempt to enhance the effects/the high
- e.g. partying with friends and getting high to have more fun
general psychological etiology - negative reinforcement
- we remove the unpleasant to reinforce the behaviour
- removing either physiological or psychological distress reinforces use
- e.g. having a bad day and knowing smoking weed and feeling that high will make the bad feelings go away; escape bad things
- self medication motivation is less linked to abuse but more linked to dependence
general psychological etiology - opponent-process theory
- we have emotions that are paired as opposites (happiness and sadness; fear and relief; pleasure and pain)
- this means that when you are experiencing one emotion the other is temporarily inhibited, and with repeated stimulus the initial emotion becomes weaker and the opposing emotion intensifies
- drug addiction is the result of an emotional pairing of pleasure and pain (withdrawal symptoms)
- drug users feel intense levels of pleasure but overtime pleasure decreases and withdrawal symptoms increase; meaning now they need more of the substance, more frequently to avoid withdrawal
- accounts for tolerance and reuse to escape withdrawal effects
general psychological etiology - conditioned place preference/tolerance
- individuals develop context associations in reward related behaviours
- reward related behaviours can include both natural rewards and drugs of abuse
- when individuals engage in substances they may created associations with where they are and their use of substances
- e.g. if every time when they walk into their home, it is dark and they feel angry, go to their fridge and crack open a beer, it creates context cues
- your body will begin to ready itself physiologically or develop cravings when exposed to context cues
- can lead to overdose in certain circumstances if someone is consistently engaging in a substance in particular circumstances, their body will not be ready physiologically of you begin using a substance in a new area
general psychological treatments
- 12 step programs
- support groups/community resources
- inpatient programs
- CBT
- motivational interviewing
- harm-reduction
general psychological treatments - 12 step programs
- support disease model
- often a religious component tied to them
- often male dominated
- good for social support
- often not fans of independent research into their efficacy
- efficacy can range from 30-60%
- high drop-out rates
general psychological treatments - support groups/community resources
- can help with things like housing and issues contributing to poor outcomes of addiction
- not effective in treating addiction
general psychological treatments - inpatient programs
not super effective and are good for detox but that’s about it
general psychological treatments - CBT
- more cognitive focussed
- exposure component of CBT is not as useful here
- can treat comorbid symptoms
- CBT typically more focused on controlled use rather then abstinence