Addiction
Characteristics
- Addiction
o A repetitive habit pattern that increases the risk of disease
and person and social problems
o It is often experienced subjectively as ‘loss of control’ – the
behaviour continues to occur despite attempts to abstain or
moderate use
o The habit is typically characterised by short-term reward but
long-term costs
- Griffiths (2005) 6 criteria of addiction
1. Salience – when the addiction is the main thought of the
individual
2. Mood modification – when an individual participates in their
addictive behaviour to feel a sense of euphoria
3. Tolerance – when overtime an addict needs to indulge in
their addictive behaviour more to feel the same feeling
they did at the start
4. Conflict – 2 types of conflict – one when the addiction
causes conflict with an addict’s family and friends and
personal life – one when the addict experiences conflict
within themselves e.g. they may know that they’re
addiction is bad, but they can’t stop
5. Withdrawal symptoms – unpleasant symptoms an addict
experiences when they stop partaking in their addictive
behaviour
6. Relapse – even after years of quitting an addict may go
back into addictive behaviours due to things like triggers –
e.g. an ex-alcoholic may start drinking again when they
went out to a pub with friends
- Walters (1999) criteria for addiction (4 Ps)
1. Progression to higher tolerance and risk of withdrawal
symptoms
2. Preoccupation with the behaviour
3. Perceived loss of control
4. Persistence despite long-term negative consequences
Biological explanations
- Dopamine
o Dopamine is involved in all 4 stages of addiction
1. Initiation – activation of the reward pathway makes them
want to do it again
, 2. Tolerance – Repeated exposure to the addictive
substance/behaviour causes a reduced sensitivity to the
dopamine release process.
3. Maintenance – dopamine system makes an individual
depend on the behaviour rather than just liking it
4. Relapse – when the individual has given up the substance,
they are often exposed to environmental reminder e.g.
being in a pub – leads to a release of small amounts of
dopamine
o Initiation
Addictive behaviour activates the mesolimbic pathway
in the brain (reward pathway)
The addictive behaviour triggers the release of
dopamine in the ventral tegmental area of the brain –
this leads to a sense of pleasure in the nucleus
accumbnens
In addiction, non-adaptive behaviour releases huge
amounts of dopamine, making an individual want to
engage in the behaviour again
o Tolerance
Repeated exposure – reduced sensitivity to the
dopamine release process - Dopamine receptors
become less sensitive to the effects of the behaviour
Volkow (1997) found a decrease in D2 receptors and a
decrease in dopamine release in those with a cocaine
addiction
This means more of the behaviour is needed to cause
the same pleasurable effect in the mesolimbic system
o Maintenance
The dopamine reward pathway is the starting point for
an addiction, but it is the changes this causes in the
frontal cortex that turn engaging in a behaviour into an
addiction
Research has shown that addicts have an increase in
activity in the frontal cortex when exposed again to the
behaviour or the cues associated with the behaviour
Addictive behaviours can change the brain circuits that
decide what to pay attention to – this means the brain
attaches too much importance to the addictive
behaviour and the cues associated with it
The addictive behaviour becomes the focus of the
individual’s life due to the changes in the brain caused
by the dopamine reward pathway
, o Relapse
The brain changes lead to lasting memories of the
substance or behaviour
When the individual has given up the substance, they
are often exposed to environmental triggers, such as
being in a pub, which leads to the release of small
amounts of dopamine
This causes the individual to desire a greater dopamine
reward, so they return to the addiction
o Supporting evidence
Boileau et al (2003)
6 participants underwent a PET scan when given a small
oral dose of alcohol
Found that alcohol led to dopamine increases in the
brain
o Complex role of dopamine
Dopamine has been found to play a role in many other
behaviours that are of interest to psychologist – for
example, increased dopamine being a biological
explanation for schizophrenia
Dopamine levels also increase in the presence of
aversive stimuli, suggesting that the brain systems not
only motivate us to seek out something pleasant but
also help us avoid something unpleasant
Dopamine has been referred to as the ‘Kim K of
neurotransmitters’ as it has been blamed for a range of
different problems
However, brain systems are much more complicated –
although it appears dopamine plays some role in
addiction, it’s not the only explanation
o Application to methods of modification
Using varenicline
If addiction is believed to be linked to the pleasure
an individual feels when dopamine is released,
then we should then reduce this release, and it
could help diminish cravings for addiction
Varenicline is a drug prescribed to those trying to
quit smoking and it works by affecting dopamine
release in the brain
o It binds to nicotine receptors, tricking the
brain into thinking that it has had nicotine
leading to a small release of dopamine-
alleviating craving and withdrawal
Characteristics
- Addiction
o A repetitive habit pattern that increases the risk of disease
and person and social problems
o It is often experienced subjectively as ‘loss of control’ – the
behaviour continues to occur despite attempts to abstain or
moderate use
o The habit is typically characterised by short-term reward but
long-term costs
- Griffiths (2005) 6 criteria of addiction
1. Salience – when the addiction is the main thought of the
individual
2. Mood modification – when an individual participates in their
addictive behaviour to feel a sense of euphoria
3. Tolerance – when overtime an addict needs to indulge in
their addictive behaviour more to feel the same feeling
they did at the start
4. Conflict – 2 types of conflict – one when the addiction
causes conflict with an addict’s family and friends and
personal life – one when the addict experiences conflict
within themselves e.g. they may know that they’re
addiction is bad, but they can’t stop
5. Withdrawal symptoms – unpleasant symptoms an addict
experiences when they stop partaking in their addictive
behaviour
6. Relapse – even after years of quitting an addict may go
back into addictive behaviours due to things like triggers –
e.g. an ex-alcoholic may start drinking again when they
went out to a pub with friends
- Walters (1999) criteria for addiction (4 Ps)
1. Progression to higher tolerance and risk of withdrawal
symptoms
2. Preoccupation with the behaviour
3. Perceived loss of control
4. Persistence despite long-term negative consequences
Biological explanations
- Dopamine
o Dopamine is involved in all 4 stages of addiction
1. Initiation – activation of the reward pathway makes them
want to do it again
, 2. Tolerance – Repeated exposure to the addictive
substance/behaviour causes a reduced sensitivity to the
dopamine release process.
3. Maintenance – dopamine system makes an individual
depend on the behaviour rather than just liking it
4. Relapse – when the individual has given up the substance,
they are often exposed to environmental reminder e.g.
being in a pub – leads to a release of small amounts of
dopamine
o Initiation
Addictive behaviour activates the mesolimbic pathway
in the brain (reward pathway)
The addictive behaviour triggers the release of
dopamine in the ventral tegmental area of the brain –
this leads to a sense of pleasure in the nucleus
accumbnens
In addiction, non-adaptive behaviour releases huge
amounts of dopamine, making an individual want to
engage in the behaviour again
o Tolerance
Repeated exposure – reduced sensitivity to the
dopamine release process - Dopamine receptors
become less sensitive to the effects of the behaviour
Volkow (1997) found a decrease in D2 receptors and a
decrease in dopamine release in those with a cocaine
addiction
This means more of the behaviour is needed to cause
the same pleasurable effect in the mesolimbic system
o Maintenance
The dopamine reward pathway is the starting point for
an addiction, but it is the changes this causes in the
frontal cortex that turn engaging in a behaviour into an
addiction
Research has shown that addicts have an increase in
activity in the frontal cortex when exposed again to the
behaviour or the cues associated with the behaviour
Addictive behaviours can change the brain circuits that
decide what to pay attention to – this means the brain
attaches too much importance to the addictive
behaviour and the cues associated with it
The addictive behaviour becomes the focus of the
individual’s life due to the changes in the brain caused
by the dopamine reward pathway
, o Relapse
The brain changes lead to lasting memories of the
substance or behaviour
When the individual has given up the substance, they
are often exposed to environmental triggers, such as
being in a pub, which leads to the release of small
amounts of dopamine
This causes the individual to desire a greater dopamine
reward, so they return to the addiction
o Supporting evidence
Boileau et al (2003)
6 participants underwent a PET scan when given a small
oral dose of alcohol
Found that alcohol led to dopamine increases in the
brain
o Complex role of dopamine
Dopamine has been found to play a role in many other
behaviours that are of interest to psychologist – for
example, increased dopamine being a biological
explanation for schizophrenia
Dopamine levels also increase in the presence of
aversive stimuli, suggesting that the brain systems not
only motivate us to seek out something pleasant but
also help us avoid something unpleasant
Dopamine has been referred to as the ‘Kim K of
neurotransmitters’ as it has been blamed for a range of
different problems
However, brain systems are much more complicated –
although it appears dopamine plays some role in
addiction, it’s not the only explanation
o Application to methods of modification
Using varenicline
If addiction is believed to be linked to the pleasure
an individual feels when dopamine is released,
then we should then reduce this release, and it
could help diminish cravings for addiction
Varenicline is a drug prescribed to those trying to
quit smoking and it works by affecting dopamine
release in the brain
o It binds to nicotine receptors, tricking the
brain into thinking that it has had nicotine
leading to a small release of dopamine-
alleviating craving and withdrawal
