Week 1: The Nature of Addictions

Drug =

substance whenever its use is intended to bring about a change in some existing process or state

• Psychological, physiological, biochemical, or spiritual

Psychoactive Drug =

drugs that modify psychological states and processes primarily by affecting the central nervous system

• Cognition, emotion, mood/affect, perception, behaviour/action

• How we think, feel, perceive, and act

4 principles of psychoactive drugs

1. Drugs, per se, are not good or bad

2. Every drug has multiple effects

3. Both the magnitude (“size”) and the quality of a drug’s effect depend on the amount the individual has taken

4. The effects of any drug depend on the individual’s history and expectations

Illicit drugs = 

drugs whose manufacture, sale, and possession is illegal

• Influenced more by politics, culture, and social attitudes than by the drug itself

Licit Drugs =

drugs whose manufacture, sale, or possession is legal

Instrumental drug use

use of a drug for a specific - usually medical - purpose

• Instrumental drug use is usually the use of a legal, prescribed drug – used as prescribed.

• The reinforcing effects are usually the REMOVAL of pain or discomfort

Recreational drug use =

use of a drug for pleasure and/or social reasons

• Recreational drug use is usually the use of an illegal drug, or the use of a prescribed drug in an amount or method not prescribed

• The reinforcing effects are usually the ADDITION of pleasure, a desired mood or mindset or comfort

differentiate between the various levels of substance use on the '“continuum of substance use'“ 

• Non-use

• Experimentation (curisoity- 1-3x)

• Recreational (social use)

• Regular (Coping mechanism)

• Dependent (Psychological/Physical)

Physical Dependence =

Defined by the presence of a withdrawal syndrome, implying that the body has become adapted to the drug’s presence [i.e. tolerance]

• Based on the idea that the drug abuser continues the drug-taking behaviour to avoid the consequences of physical withdrawal symptoms

• When the body adapts to the presence of the drug to the point that drug presence becomes more adaptive than its absence

Withdrawal Syndrome =

a consistent set of symptoms that appears after discontinuing a drug

• Body adaptation to the absence of drug

Tolerance = 

the reduced effect of a drug after repeated use

• Body's adaptation to the presence of drug

• Need more drug to produce a psychoactive effect

• Psychoactive effect is reduced at a certain dose

Psychological Dependence =

Mental preoccupation with obtaining and using substance, typically involving rituals around use

• Formation of habit and behavioral pattern

• Felt “need” for substance

• Experience of “cravings”

• Substance plays role/function in individual’s life (especially as a means to cope with adversity)

• Strong associations between use of substance and particular activities (e.g. sex, TV, relaxing)

• Difficulty imagining life without substance

• Tendency to relapse after stopping use

4 C’s =

• Craving

• Loss of Control or frequency of use

• Compulsion of use

• Use despite Consequences

Two laws of dependence 

1st Law: Psychological dependence is more likely with drugs that have a rapid onset of effects (kick in quickly)

2nd Law: Physical dependence more likely with drugs that have a short duration of action (don't last long) 

• Drugs that ‘get in’ and ‘get out’ quickly carry the greatest absolute risk of psychological and physical dependence (e.g. crack taken via inhalation)

• Drugs least likely to produce dependence of either type have slow/gradual/delayed onset and long/extended/evenly distributed duration of action (e.g. methadone taken orally)

Intoxication =

impaired functioning resulting from the immediate psychoactive and physical effects of a drug

Overdose =

severe levels of intoxication, threatening vital functions of the nervous system

1st law of dependence =

Psychological dependence is more likely with drugs that have a rapid onset of effects (kick in quickly)

2nd Law of dependence =

Physical dependence more likely with drugs that have a short duration of action (don't last long)