Shakespeare, one of the first to discuss the idea of addiction defined it as 'a calling' or 'a passion.' Later it was understood to be analogous to a debtor who couldn't repay a lender and therefore became their slave. (Mate, 2008)
Mark Willenberg, M.D. and Director of Treatment, Recovery Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, defines drug abuse as, “wanting the wrong thing very, very badly,” Relapse is part and parcel of the disorder. (The Science of Relapse, HBO). Recovery from addiction is not a linear path to success.
There are essentially three basic models that theorize the why of addiction. The first, mostly outdated model is the moral one where drug abuse is seen as a weakness in character or will power. My guess is that many users themselves adhere most strongly to this particular model. Second, the disease model holds that hereditary and genetic factors are at play and therefore the user is powerless in the face of addiction: This premise is a jumping off point for A.A and their 12-step protocol. Third, the addictive behaviour model views addiction as a bad habit that can ultimately be unlearned. (“Addiction as a…” 2005). A complex interaction of social, biological and psychological aspects all play a role in this disorder and generally treatment has moved away from using single source models to more multi-faceted approaches.
I have been struck by the number of clients with addictions that refer to the passive emotional state of “boredom” as a contributing factor to their initial dependence on and subsequent relapse with drugs. Could it be that daily life doesn’t produce enough adrenalin or incentive for the brain to be fully stimulated or engaged? Fear, sadness, anxiety, guilt and anger also play a role in recurrent addiction as does life stress, temptation through social pressure, lack of problem solving skills, ADHD and a lack of cognitive flexibility (Ramo, Anderson, Tate & Brown, 2005). Conversely, strong coping strategies play an integral part in delaying relapse and preventing substance abuse at its onset. That’s where the role of counselling east vancouver comes in.
Dr. Mate (2008) believes that the neuro-circuitry for any addiction be it to shopping or crack-cocaine is the same. He further explains that all drugs are pain killers for emotional and physical pain and that physiologically the brain interprets both types in the same way.
He states that drugs don't cause drug addiction just as cards don't cause gambling.
He defined addiction as a compulsive engagement with the behavior and a preoccupation with it, despite negative consequences and evidence of harm on family, job, physical health, and mental well-being.
He further suggests much addiction is based on attachment voids in children due to our movement from a village context to nuclear family unit where attunement (sharing a child's emotional space) may be lacking. Dr. Mate marries the physiological side of addiction with the social and relational side of it. His line of reasoning is that relational exchanges in childhood - as well as adulthood that are characterized by attunement will result in the release of dopamine in the brain. Thus, childhood experiences that lack attunement may result in low dopamine levels.
He makes a point of acknowledging that lack of attunement does not only mean abusive or neglecting parenting - he extends this to caregiving that is characterised by high levels of stress in our society where parents are often multi-tasking and distracted by too many demands to really just be with their child and mirror their emotions, engage with their child in playful and light-hearted ways or to understand how their child is feeling and engage those feelings.
Addiction, in many cases, can be a temporary state. Although people may become addicted after a single trial of a chemical substance, those that do, generally have lives marked with hardship long before hand. Situational and social factors contributing to chemical addiction can be addressed and transformed.
References
Addiction as a chronic biopsychological phenomenon. (2005). Retrieved from: http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/biopsychosocial.html
Anderson, G., Ramo, D., Brown, S. (2006). Life Stress, Coping and Comorbid Youth: An Examination of the Stress-Vulnerability Model for Substance Relapse. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 38(3), 255-262.
Jarecki, E., Froemke, S.(Directors). (n.d.). The science of relapse. [Documentary]. Place, HBO.comRetrieved from: http://www.hbo.com/addiction/thefilm/centerpiece/614_segment_3.html
Mate, G. (2008). In the realm of the hungry ghosts: close encounters with addiction. Toronto: Random House.
Ramo, D., Anderson, K., Tate, S., Brown, S., (2005). Characteristics of relapse to substance use in comorbid adolescents. Trends in the Treatment of Adolescent Substance Abuse. 30 (9) 1811-1823.
