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Unit 8

Addictive Behavior: Substance & Process Addictions

Addictive Behavior

Definitions

 

What is Addiction?

Pattern of reliance on a substance or behavior to produce a mood change despite harmful consequences

Habit vs. Addiction

Typically examine wants vs. needs to determine when someone has crossed the line between habit and addiction.

Models of Addication

• Disease Model
  • View addiction as a chronic illness, as opposed to viewing it as just a failure on the addicts part to be “strong.”
• Biological Model
  • Addiction is caused by some genetic or hormonal deficiency (family trend). Here it is viewed as a biochemical, metabolic or genetic disorder.
• Psychosocial
  • Factors in the environment such as stress, relationships, social mores, and media all contribute to addictive behavior.

The Addictive Process (evolves over time)

• No Involvement
• Experimental
• Regular (habit)
• Harmful Consequences
• Compulsive Involvement

Addictive Characteristics

Tolerance

Decrease effect of drug with repeated use so ever larger doses are needed to elicit the same results

Withdrawal

Physical disturbance that occurs when the addict cuts down or stops using.

Craving

Strong desire to continue taking drug which indicates a psychological dependence.

Characteristics of Addictive Behavior

Pathological Behavior

Compulsion, loss of control and continued involvement.

Denial

Ain’t just a river in Egypt. A hallmark of addiction, can’t or won’t admit problem exists.

Relapse

Falling back in to a pattern of addictive behavior.

Types of Addiction

• Substance Abuse
• Process Addictions

Substance Abuse

Most Commonly Used Drugs

Alcohol

U.S. Statistics

[Source of stats]

• accounts for 44% of all MVA deaths
• alcohol is linked with
  • 50% of all homicides,
  • 33% of all suicides, and
  • 66% of all assault

Factors That Influence Alcohol Absorption

• Binge Drinking
  • women > 4 drinks in a row
  • men > 5 drinks in a row
• Concentration of drink
  • 12 oz. “normal strength” beer
  • 1.5 oz. Liquor
  • 3-5 oz. wine
• Amount of food in stomach
• Carbonation
  • Highly carbonated beverages (champagne) will reach the blood stream faster than non-carbonated.
• Weight/Body Fat
  • Heavier people have larger body surfaces through which to diffuse alcohol
• Sex
  • A woman is more likely to have more body fat and less water in her body tissues than a man of the same weight.
  • Women have 1/2 as much “Alcohol Dehydrogenase” as men.
  • Alcohol is absorbed more quickly during the premenstrual phase of a women’s cycle.
• Alcohol Consumption
  • Frequency: How often a person drinks
    • Number of days or occasions
  • Quantity: How much the person drinks
    • The amount ingested on a given occasion
  • Identifying “light” or “moderate” consumption is not really the issue, “heavy” consumption is.
• College Age Drinking Stats
  National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH)
  • Consequences of excessive drinking affect virtually all college campuses and students, whether they choose to drink or not.
    • Second-hand effects
    • Humiliation, unwanted sexual advances, property damage, study/sleep time disrupted, caring for an intoxicated friend are all secondhand effects.
• College Statistics (NIH)
  Vital Stats (Hingson et. al. 2002)
  • 1,400 college students (18-24) die each year from alcohol-related accidents.
  • 500,000 are unintentionally injured.
  • 600,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
  • 70,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
  • 400,000 had unprotected sex and 100,000 report having been so intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex.
  • 2.1 million students drove under the influence of alcohol last year.
  • 2 out of 5 students have engaged in binge drinking at least once during the past 2 weeks.
  • Colleges vary widely in binge drinking rates, a study done on one campus may not apply to others.

Number of Drinks Related to Body Weight

Tobacco & Nicotine

• Chief preventable cause of death in our society (U.S. Surgeon General)
  • > 400,000 deaths per year attributed to tobacco use
  • > 60 million addicted to nicotine (American Cancer Society)

Health Hazards

• Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
• Lung cancer
• Cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, and larynx.

Why People Smoke?

• Relaxation?
• Alertness?
• Social?
• Weight loss?
• Rituals involved?
  • In the morning, after meals, in the car, with alcohol, etc.
• Withdrawal symptoms
  • Nervousness, irritability, depression, headache, lack of concentration.

Alternatives to Smoking

• Smokeless tobacco?
  • Many use this as an alternative; however, it poses many cancer risks as well.
• Cold turkey?
• Nicotine replacement products
• Behavior modification
• Clinical programs

Addictive Properties of Various Drugs

Caffeine

Found in colas, coffee, tea, etc. A CNS stimulant which increases alertness, increases heart rate, and stimulates urinary output. Hazards of over consumption include: sleep disruption, nervousness, headaches, heart palpitations, habit-forming & addictive.

Marijuana

Most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. Common among college students. Effects of chronic use include: lowers brain and motor function, interferes with immunity, increases HR and BP, lung damage. It is a complex drug: tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) is the main ingredient that determines how "high" the user gets. Amount present in 1960’s: 1-5%; 2002: 8% or higher. Marijuana hasn’t been well established whether there is withdrawal associated with discontinued use. It can become a priority, interfering with other activities, relationships.

Cocaine

Stimulant, 2nd most common illicit drug, profound addictiveness, rush followed by crash

Heroin

Opiate, CNS Depressant, Resurgence, highly addictive, long withdrawals

LSD

Hallucinogen,“Acid”; Psychedelic drug, not too addictive, but potential for psychological problems

Anabolic Steroids

Estimated that 17-20% of college athletes use, heart damage, not addictive but possible compulsive reliance

Ecstasy

Entactogen, Mood enhancement drug, release serotonin and dopamine,increase body temp., hypertension, kidney failure, long term damage to serotonin neurons, addictive???

Process Addictions

Types

Exercise

Achieving a desired emotional state through extreme behavior

Workaholism

Work fills emotional voids

Gambling

“Disorder of impulse control”

Shopping

Spend now and worry later

Sex

Lack of control over sexual feelings and actions

Models of Addiction

Disease Model

View addiction as a chronic illness

Biological Model

Biochemical, metabolic or genetic disorder

Psychosocial

Factors in the environment such as stress, relationships, social mores and media contribute to addictive tendencies

Overcoming Addiction

Intervention

• Planned process of confrontation with the intent to break down the denial of the addict.
• Provide relevant information
• Provide support and encouragement
• Be empathetic
• Provide positive reinforcement

Treatment

• Self-help
  • Oregon Help Line 1-877-270-STOP
• Support groups
  • 200 different types of 12-step programs
• Individual counseling
• Clinical programs

Basic goals

• Promote healthy physical and emotional functioning.
• Stress management, problem solving, coping skills.
• Build self-esteem
• Develop support to reinforce behavior
• Prevent relapse

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