Theories Of Addiction Research Articles

An extended amygdala-midbrain circuit controlling cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement.

SUMMARYAlthough midbrain dopamine (DA) circuits are central to motivated behaviors, our knowledge of how experience modifies these circuits to facilitate subsequent behavioral adaptations is limited. Here we demonstrate the selective role of a ventral tegmental area DA projection to the amygdala (VTADA→amygdala) for cocaine-induced anxiety but not cocaine reward or sensitization. Our rabies virus-mediated circuit mapping approach reveals a persistent elevation in spontaneous and task-related activity of inhibitory GABAergic cells from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and downstream VTADA→amygdala cells that can be detected even after a single cocaine exposure. Activity in BNSTGABA→midbrain cells is related to cocaine-induced anxiety but not reward or sensitization, and silencing this projection prevents development of anxiety during protracted withdrawal after cocaine administration. Finally, we observe that VTADA→amygdala cells are strongly activated after a challenge exposure to cocaine and that activity in these cells is necessary and sufficient for reinstatement of cocaine place preference.

Validation of the Facebook Addiction Questionnaire

Existing self-report measures of Facebook addiction are limited by the robust application of addiction theory. This study validated a new theoretically derived measure of Facebook addiction. We hypothesized a single dimension construct of Facebook addiction based on Griffith's model would best fit the data. Competing alternative models included those based on DSM-5 substance-related and addictive disorder criteria. A cross-sectional sample of college students (18–25 years) with an active Facebook account (N = 431) completed the Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire (FIQ) and additional items measuring all of Griffiths' symptom components and the DSM-5 criteria for substance use, gambling, and Internet gaming; and validated measures of Internet addiction, personality, and mental health. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated a single-factor 14-item solution based on Griffith's model did not fit the data. A modified 10-item solution was the preferred measurement model due to brevity and stronger psychometric properties. This model demonstrated superior fit to alternative DSM-5-based models and the FIQ, while retaining theoretical consistency. The new 10-item measure, the Facebook Addiction Questionnaire (FAQ) demonstrated good reliability and construct validity. The 10-item FAQ is a reliable, valid, and brief measure of Facebook addiction that is theoretically and empirically superior to previous measures of Facebook addiction.

What can Jane Goodall teach us about addiction?

In 2017, Jane Goodall, the well-known primatologist, wrote a letter to the United States Food and Drug Administration criticising the use of animals to test brain-based theories of addiction. She reasoned that we already know about addiction by observing humans. Several scientists countered that research with humans cannot answer important questions about understanding, preventing, and treating addiction. This commentary draws on epidemiology, psychology, psychodynamic models, learning theories and existentialism. It highlights effective prevention and treatment approaches that are not based on brain models of addiction. Jane Goodall’s letter, has, perhaps unwittingly, provided a focal point for reconsidering what kind of research is required to further our understanding of addiction.

Faith-based intervention, change of religiosity, and abstinence of substance addicts

Objective:To investigate the effects of developing religiosity on abstinence of substance abuse among recovering addicts in a faith-based and a secular-based treatment program.Methods:Religiosity of recovering addicts was measured using the 38-item Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality at three points in time: at initiation of substance addiction treatment (wave 1), discharge from treatment (wave 2), and 6 months after treatment (wave 3). Latent growth curve modeling was used to assess the dynamic and developing effects of religiosity on after-treatment abstinence. Secular-based treatment emphasized the role of biological, psychological, and environmental determinants of substance abuse and provided detoxification interventions, such as counseling and group therapies, skill training, health care, and social support, however also relying on religious and spiritual growth to help recovery. Faith-based treatment fundamentally emphasized the Christian theory of addiction to consider substance abuse a sin caused by one’s spiritual void and separation from God, although it also acknowledged the importance of biological, psychological, and social needs of rehabilitants.Results:Recovering addicts in faith-based treatment had significantly higher levels of religiosity at each wave (intercept factor) and better religious development across the three waves (slope factor). This contributed to after-treatment abstinence and mediated the effect of treatment mode on after-treatment abstinence.Conclusion:Service practitioners and researchers should note the importance of dynamic and developing nature of religiosity in relation to the maintenance of abstinence after treatment is completed.

Pathologies of precision: A Bayesian account of goals, habits, and episodic foresight in addiction

The brain is thought to implement two decision-making systems: a goal-directed system in which decisions are made through planning on the basis of action–outcome relationships, and a habitual system in which behaviour reflects stimulus–response associations. A prominent theory of addiction sees it as arising due to an extreme dominance of habit over goal-directed action. The balance between these systems is thought to be arbitrated by the relative precision of their separate predictions of reward. In this paper, we argue that various factors in addiction create hyper-precise reward predictions in the habitual system and hypo-precise reward predictions in the goal-directed system, shifting the balance of behavioural control in favour of habit. Based on this, we offer a theoretical account of the utility of episodic future thinking in addiction, interpreting it as increasing the precision of reward estimates in the goal-directed system, thereby enhancing the control of this system over behaviour.

Battling Underaged Online Video Gamers: Probing the Negative Effects of Online Video Gaming Addictions on Young Adolescents

Many countries, including China, have declared online video gaming addictions among children and young adolescents as a public health emergency. With these growing concerns about the number of times children and young adolescents of school-going age spend time playing online video games, this study seeks to examine the adverse effects of online video gaming among young adolescents aged 13-17. This article drew on the theory of online gaming addiction and employed a qualitative research design through in-depth interviews. This study has collected data from 40 respondents in five public junior high schools in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, China. The data analysis was done through consolidated thematic analysis. This study finds that online video gaming platforms have significantly resulted in excessive addictions and negatively affected students' educational achievements, social relations, and physical and mental health. Keywords: online video games; addictions; young adolescents; China’s public junior high schools.

Addiction to Social Networking Sites and User Responses

Prior studies have primarily used "variable-centered" perspectives to identify factors underlying user responses to social networking site (SNS) addiction, their predictors and outcomes. This paper extends this perspective by taking a person-centered approach to examine (1) the prototypical subpopulations (profiles) of users' extent of SNS addiction and responses to it, (2) how affiliations with these profiles can explain user behaviors toward SNS use, and (3) how personality traits can predict affiliations with these profiles. To this end, we propose a typological theory of SNS addiction and user responses to it via two empirical, personcentered studies. Study 1 draws on survey data from 188 SNS users to develop a typology of users based on the extent of their SNS addiction and their responses to it. It further examines the relations between affiliation with these profiles and users' SNS discontinuance intention, as a typical behavioral response to SNS addiction. Study 2 uses survey data from 284 SNS users to validate the user typology developed in Study 1 and investigate its relations to users' Big Five personality traits. Our findings shed light on a typology of five prototypical profiles of SNS users-cautious, regular, consonant, dissonant, and hooked-who differ in their extent of SNS addiction and their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to it. Our findings also demonstrate how Big Five personality traits can predict user affiliations with these prototypical profiles.

Rational addiction and time-consistency: An empirical test

This paper addresses one of the main empirical problems associated with rational addiction theory, namely, that its derived demand equation is not empirically distinguishable from those of models with forward-looking behavior but with time-inconsistent preferences. Using an encompassing general specification of the rational addiction model we derive a microfounded test of time-consistency. The test allows us to distinguish between time-consistent versus time-inconsistent naïve agents. The results obtained from a panel of Russian individuals conform to the theoretical predictions of the rational addiction model and the proposed test for time-consistency does not reject the hypothesis that Russian cigarette consumers are time-consistent.

The Significance of ‘the Person’ in Addiction

Van Gordon et al. outline the classification of their Ontological Addiction Theory (OAT), including its aetiology and treatment. In this review article I will from an appreciative perspective question some of its fundamental assumptions by presenting an alternative view on the ontology of ‘the person’, as distinct from its presently assumed conventional conflation with a contracted separate egoic self. I will propose this view as structurally and ethically significant for the ‘embodied’ experience of a reconstructed “dynamic and non-dual self”, as cultivated in their treatment. Rather than this reconstructed self simply being socially desirable for functional purposes, I will underscore the meaning-generative case for ontological status, in the absence of which, a pervasive ‘sense of lack’ is evident, with all attendant individual, psychological, social, ecological and ethical implications. This article brings a developmental psychology perspective to bear in appreciating ‘personhood’ as an emergent, progressively realised and is thus similarly aligned with the intent of OAT in overcoming egoic addictive suffering. This mapping of the territory however populates a blind spot in OAT’s diagnosis by affirming unique personhood, a quality of ‘integrative presence’, meaningfully understood as a psycho-spiritual ontological reality. It offers, as with OAT’s stated intent, the merit of avoiding attendant mental health and developmental pitfalls, which can beset what we may discern as an implicit transcendental reductionist assumption operative in OAT, where ‘the many’ are reduced to ‘the One’ and there are, it is assumed, no real many. This framing is resonant with the lived experience of healthy ‘individuation’, a process distinct from the problematic phenomenon of ‘individualism’, evidenced by the empirical data on post-conventional human development, which potentially provides diagnostic markers for any optimal treatment discernment. It is also attuned to what many recognise as a contemporary Fourth Turning in Buddhism, in its conscious evolutionary recognition of the emergence in non-dual states of a ‘unique personal perspective’, and/or a relative individuation within the whole. This differentiation has formerly been interpreted through an ‘impersonal’ lens as an egoic holdover, and potentially inhibits ethical action in the world, as distinct from the ethical import and potential fruits stemming from the ontological affirmation of the person.

Social work in addiction: opportunities and alliances

ABSTRACT Addiction is a severe social and mental health problem that requires concerted interdisciplinary efforts to address. Social workers routinely encounter addiction in their practice and can play an important role in its prevention, intervention and policies. However, social workers’ competence in working with addiction is currently compromised by inadequate academic training and reliance on a dominant medical and individualistic paradigm that is at odds with the person-environment philosophy of social work. Based on a critical review of the literature, three addiction theories that feature ecological, relational and humanistic-systemic concepts and practice compatible with social work orientation are presented. Existing knowledge gaps in addiction, formation of interdisciplinary allies and action steps are identified for social work to contribute to addiction theory, research and practice more centrally.

A Person-Centered Analysis of Craving in Smoking-Cue-Exposure Research

Smoking-cue-exposure research offers a powerful method to examine craving, test new interventions, and identify at-risk smokers. Meta-analyses consistently show smoking-cue exposure increases craving levels. By focusing on mean levels, however, investigators fail to consider person-centered analyses addressing the percentage of smokers responding to cue exposure with increased urge. We conducted preregistered analyses of the percentages of 672 nicotine-deprived daily smokers (pooled from seven studies) who reported target levels of urge before and during smoking-cue exposure. Sixty-nine percent of smokers increased their ratings during cue exposure. Note that 31% of nonresponders reported a maximal urge before cue exposure, which precluded their classification as a responder using traditional cue-reactivity analyses and suggests that traditional analyses underreport cue-reactivity effects. An alternative, peak-provoked-craving analysis revealed the effectiveness of cue exposure to generate potent urges (more than three quarters of the sample reported at least 70% of scale maximum). Further research integrating person-centered analyses into the craving literature promises to advance addiction theory and research.

Ontological Addiction Theory and Mindfulness-Based Approaches in the Context of Addiction Theory and Treatment

Buddhist-derived interventions have increasingly been employed in the treatment of a range of physical and psychological disorders, and in recent years, there has been significant growth in the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for this purpose. Ontological Addiction Theory (OAT) is a novel metaphysical approach to understanding psychopathology within the framework of Buddhist teachings and asserts that many mental illnesses have their root in the widespread mistaken belief in an inherently existent self that operates independently of external phenomena. OAT describes how different types of MBI can help undermine these beliefs and allow a person to reconstruct their view of self and reality to address the root causes of suffering. As well as proving effective in treating many other psychological disorders, MBIs based on OAT have demonstrated efficacy in treating conventional behavioural addictions, such as problem gambling, workaholism, and sex addiction. The goal of this paper is to (i) discuss and appraise the evidence base underlying the use of MBIs for treating addiction; (ii) explicate how OAT advances understanding of the mechanisms of addiction; (iii) delineate how different types of MBI can be employed to address addictive behaviours; and (iv) propose future research avenues for assessing and comparing MBIs in the treatment of addiction.

Impact on addiction of online platforms on quality of life

The excessive usage of online platforms is inviting several unwanted problems in the society. The excessive use of online platforms is adversely interfering in many social activities. This uncontrolled and excessive use of online platforms is causing addiction to the users. This is unexpectedly impeding the normal social flow of life culminating an adverse effect on the individuals’ quality of life. Studies reveal that age and gender have influence towards addiction. In this background, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors impacting addiction of online platforms. From studies of several addiction theories, some hypotheses have been formulated and a conceptual model has been developed. These have been validated by Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis with the help of survey involving 320 usable respondents. The study highlights that loneliness, perceived enjoyment, depression, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness act as vital predictors of addiction of online platforms that impacts quality of life. The moderating factors age and gender are found to have effective impacts on the influence of predictors on the addiction of online platforms. The article is ended mentioning the limitations of this study incorporating the scopes for the future researchers to nurture the untouched points.

Former substance abusing women, interpersonal relationships and social cognition: Social comparison & sober housemate harmony predict women’s abstinence-specific efficacy

The Relational Theory of Addiction hypothesizes that women’s substance abuse SUD development and (SA) recovery experiences differ from men’s because of women’s tendency to form nested self-concepts and increased relative desire for close interpersonal connections. We suggest that these two differences may have a dynamic and complex influence on recovery success, particularly for women living in group sober homes. This project uses Relational and Social Cognitive Theories as theoretical springboards to investigate the link between Tendency to Engage in Automatic Negatively Affected Social Comparisons (TEANSAC) and Sober Housemate Harmony (SHH) on women’s individual perceptions of Abstinence Specific Self-Efficacy (ASSE). We administered short surveys to women (N = 25) that had recently left inpatient SA treatment and were currently living in a group sober home to assess TEANSAC, SHH and ASSE. Results illustrated that higher TEANSAC scores predicted lower ASSE scores. However, SHH did not predict ASSE scores. Finally, an interaction effect was found in which SHH moderated the relationship between TEANSAC and ASSE. Specifically, we found that highly harmonious sober homes may buffer against the negative effects of increased TEANSAC scores. This project suggests that social cognitive and interpersonal variables may be important factors to consider for women’s long-term recovery success.

Thick Concepts in Economics: The Case of Becker and Murphy’s Theory of Rational Addiction

In this paper, we examine the viability of avoiding value judgments encoded in thick concepts when these concepts are used in economic theories. We focus on what implications the use of such thick concepts might have for the tenability of the fact/value dichotomy in economics. Thick concepts have an evaluative and a descriptive component. Our suggestion is that despite attempts to rid thick concepts of their evaluative component, economists are often not successful. We focus on the strategy of explication to remove the evaluative component of thick concepts and argue that often economists either have to make value judgments or are unable to individuate out the phenomenon under analysis. We support our claim with a case study, namely the concept of addiction in Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy’s Theory of Rational Addiction (1988). One consequence of our analysis is that theories containing thick concepts could commit economists to making value judgments and as such undermine the fact/value dichotomy.

An Empirically Derived Three-Domain Model of Substance Use Disorder

Current neurobiological theories of addiction are often dual models that propose that impairments in reward/approach related behavior and cognitive control underlie chronic drug use. Some models also suggest involvement of negative emotionality. However, few have evaluated these models empirically across different substance use disorders (SUD). Here, we used a data-driven dimension reduction approach to describe the complete phenotypic space assessed in a large community sample containing 30% individuals with SUD.

Resolving the milk addiction paradox

The milk addiction paradox refers to an empirical finding in which consumption of non-addictive commodities such as milk appears to be consistent with the theory of rational addiction. This paradoxical result seems more likely when consumption is persistent and with aggregate data. Using both simulated and real data, we show that the milk addiction paradox disappears when estimating the data using an AR(1) linear specification that describes the saddle-path solution of the rational addiction model, instead of the canonical AR(2) model. The AR(1) specification is able to correctly discriminate between rational addiction and simple persistence in the data, to test for the main features of rational addiction, and to produce unbiased estimates of the short and long-run elasticity of demand. These results hold both with individual and aggregated data, and they imply that the AR(1) model is a better empirical alternative for testing rational addiction than the canonical AR(2) model.

The most 100 cited papers in addiction research on cannabis, heroin, cocaine and psychostimulants. A bibliometric cross-sectional analysis

The number of citations a peer-reviewed article receives is often used as a measure of its importance and scientific impact. This paper identifies, describes and categorizes the highly cited papers in addiction research on cannabis, heroin, cocaine and psychostimulants. Highly cited papers were identified in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Several bibliometric indicators were calculated. Social network analysis was applied to draw groups of authors and institutions with the greatest number of collaborations and co-words. The number of citations for the top 100 cited articles ranged from 649 to 4,672. The articles were published in 40 journals. The subject category Substance Abuse included 10 papers. The United States was the most productive country (79 papers), followed by the United Kingdom (9). The main funding institutions were the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The network of collaboration between authors distributes the 352 researchers into 53 groups. The three most cited works address the neural basis of drug craving as an incentive-sensitization theory of addiction, the clinical and research uses of the Addiction Severity Index, and the neurocircuitry of addiction. Scientific literature on addictions is widely dispersed both in multidisciplinary and specific journals of neurology, psychiatry and addictions, with relatively few publications providing most of the citations. An ongoing challenge for this field is the concentration of highly cited papers coming from a select number of countries, with the United States being the research hub of the world, with the highest volume of publications and total citations.

From pain patient to junkie: An economic theory of painkiller consumption and its impact on wellbeing and longevity

In this paper, I propose a life cycle model of painkiller consumption that combines the theory of health deficit accumulation with the theory of addiction. Chronic pain is conceptualized as a persistent negative shock to lifetime utility that can be treated by pain relief medication. Individuals treated with opioid pain relievers (OPR) develop addiction, which increases their demand for opioids and reduces their welfare and life expectancy through side effects and potential overdose. I calibrate the model for a benchmark American and investigate the comparative dynamics of alternative drug characteristics, pain intensities, and ages of onsets of pain as well as their implications for welfare and life expectancy. Computational experiments are used to identify fully rational and imperfectly rational addiction behavior. Fully rational addicts reduce OPR use when new information about the addictive potential of these drugs arrives. Imperfectly rational addicts further develop their addiction and switch to illicit opioid use. Likewise, a discontinued prescription helps fully rational addicts to quit quickly, while it induces imperfectly rational individuals to take up heroin. I also discuss treatment of OPR addiction and the use of opioids in palliative care.

Book Review of “Addiction Counseling Today: Substance and Addictive Behaviors”

The issue of addictions and treatment has been increasingly prioritized by policy-makers in recent years, yet the meaning of the concept remains ambiguous. Throughout the 22 chapters of his book Addiction Counseling Today, Kevin G. Alderson weaves together the most salient theories, research, and therapies from the field of addiction and from contemporary developments in policy and practice. The book examines what the tenets of recovery and treatment mean in terms of not only the professional involved in providing treatment but also what recovery looks like for each client. Chapters cover the influence of ethics in treatment, theories of addiction, the neurosciences, and the recognition of behavioural addictions, including the controversies attached to the use of particular labels. A notable strength involves the author’s inclusion of the lived experiences of those who have dealt with various addictions. This book will be essential reading for practitioners, researchers, policy-makers, and students in the fields of addiction, social care, psychology, and criminal justice.