Blum and colleagues created the Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS) as a marker for predisposition to RDS (106). It is rare that a single gene predicts behavior (44) and to date there is no convincing data that any one gene can transmit addiction to future generations (107). While there are several possible genetic markers, DAD2 receptor dysfunction has shown the strongest association with addiction vulnerability but it remains unclear if low DAD2 is genetically determined, or merely a consequence or prolonged drug abuse. Meanwhile, multiple lines of study have linked distinct subtypes of impulsivity and risk-related decision making to low DAD2 receptor function (94). DA has been referred to as the “anti-stress molecule” and receptor dysfunction may drive substance-seeking behavior under distress and is an important component of the BPS Perspective (path E, and path C–G). In addition, investigators are concerned about the effects of exposure during adolescence and early adulthood.
- The Syndrome Model of Addiction attempts to capture this complex interplay, viewing addiction as a syndrome with multiple interconnected symptoms and causes.
- As Gillett (2009) remarks, “a decision is…not a circumscribed event in neuro-time that could be thought of as an output, and an intention is not a causal event preceding that output, but both are much more holistically interwoven with the lived and experienced fabric of one’s life” (p. 333).
- Social learning theory suggests behaviour is influenced by the interaction of personal, social, and environmental factors including intrapersonal factors, interpersonal factors, institutional or organizational factors, community factors, and public policy.(33) This is intersectionality.
- This balanced self-concept helps them maintain a relatively stable psychological state when facing setbacks and difficulties, and they are less likely to fall into excessive self-denial and negative emotions.
These factors are not inherent in the composition of the social structure, are neither stable nor persistent, but are governed by the social values and norms of that social system or group (Bunge 2003). Think back to the beginning days of the COVID-19 pandemic and how many people were negatively impacted by the social gathering restrictions. Some people used increased their substance use to cope with the isolation.(31) Some people used technology to connect with family, friends, and even with their workplace. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are two types of learning models. When we use classical conditioning in the field of substance use disorders, we examine the relationship between the substance use and its connection with the environment.
Affect Dysregulation Model
At a minimum, nutrition interventions may improve the body’s resilience in response to stress and negative affect throughout the recovery process, sober house but this is unproven. The environment in which one resides is a known predictor of consumption behavior (39), thus behavioral economics is a conceptual system to understand how one’s access and exposure will predict demand and subsequent intake (40–43). Eventually it became clear that the quest to “maximize utility” could not capture human preference (44) nor would it apply to disorders such as addiction. Behavioral economics is a scientific discipline at the intersection of economics and psychology as it pertains to health-related behavior (45).
The effect of self-acceptance type on subthreshold depression in compulsory isolation of drug addicts
The HPA axis is important for the production of glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol) in response to physical and mental stress. Research elucidating mechanisms which link social and environmental factors to individual physiology is still in its nascent stages. Legislative efforts at the State level to close “pill mills” have had little discernable impact in reducing opioid use (35). Other recommendations to tighten control include protocols to ensure authenticity of the prescription source, adding additional abuse detection steps, and practices for returning unused drugs (36), as well as more physician education during residency training (37). While it is hopeful that policy interventions can reduce overdose and death, solutions to control illegal heroin coming into the country are less obvious and fall under the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
The multifaceted disorder needs a multifaceted conceptualization, and we find that in the biopsychosocial model of addiction (Marlatt & Baer, 1988). Rather than pinpoint the one thing that causes addiction, we now understand that a constellation of factors contributes to a person being more or less at risk for addiction. Data were first entered, organized and analyzed using SPSS28.0, with missing values replaced by means. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the count data such as gender, HIV infection status and education level of drug addicts, and quartiles were used to present the total score of self-acceptance. Factors, and finally, Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests were used to compare each potential category of self-acceptance on the total subthreshold depression score and the total score of each dimension.
- In the end, the biopsychosocial model reminds us that addiction is not just about the substance.
- This view is problematic as individuals living with an addiction are highly stigmatized.
- This concept has been described as a “biological embedding” of the environment and of one’s lived experiences (214, 215).
- It has been argued that failure to address nutritional conditions can severely undermine treatment (197).
- In a large national sample, the presence of PTSD increased the risk of developing OUD after exposure to opioid painkillers (65).
Methadone Treatment for Opioid Addiction: Effectiveness, Risks, and Recovery
Third, when categorizing HIV-positive and negative groups in the study, the sample size of female HIV-positive participants was too small, which may have had some impact on the results. Fourth, the cross-sectional design of this study was unable to capture individual psychological and emotional changes such as in self-acceptance and subthreshold depression. First, the percentage of participants in each category should be kept approximately the same to reduce the error caused by demographic variables and enhance the comparability between groups. Secondly, care should be taken to control for differences in demographic variables, such as age, when adding the general population for comparison. Firstly, it could explore specific strategies for enhancing self-appraisal and self-acceptance among drug addicts through intervention-based studies.
What causes addiction in the brain?
In the verification stage, first consult https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ experts in the field of psychology to obtain professional opinions and suggestions to ensure the scientificity and validity of the questionnaire content. A rigorous pilot test was then conducted, feedback from the test samples was collected, and the questionnaire was revised and refined according to the test results. The specific contents of the general information questionnaire include drug types (including traditional drugs such as opium, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and new drugs such as nitrous oxide and etomidate), age, years of drug addiction, gender, HIV infection and education level. Hunt (2004) takes the rights-based notion further and identifies and characterizes two ethics of harm reduction. First, he describes a “weak” rights ethic, wherein individuals have the right to access good healthcare. Second, Hunt identifies a “strong” rights account that acknowledges a basic right to use drugs.
Meanwhile, authors have speculated on the possibility that alterations in the gut ecosystem may be part of the etiology and progression of eating disorders (138). It is important to note substance use disorders/addiction do not often have a one-specific cause. You may use a combination of theories to help your clients explore why they use substances, why they continue to use substances, the increasing substance use, or choosing to change their substance use, always remembering you are not diagnosing and they are the expert in their journey.
Social and Environmental Factors
It views people who use substances as having a choice to use substances and judges them for using the substances. Dysfunctional family environments characterized by conflict, neglect, or abuse can increase the risk of addiction (Onyenwe & Odilbe, 2024). On the other hand, supportive relationships and strong social networks can act as protective factors. This might involve medication to address biological aspects, therapy for psychological issues, and social support interventions.
What happens in early life has profound consequences in adulthood, and what happens in one generation may hold significance for future generations. To combat the opioid epidemic, we cannot ignore either the social or the biological determinants of health. This paper adds to the voice of other authors that have called for a “biopsychosocial revolution” linking science and humanism (228).
By targeting the cognitive and neuropsychological aspects of addiction, treatment can be more comprehensive and lead to better long-term outcomes for individuals struggling with substance use disorders. Within the drug addicts group, HIV-negative drug addicts are more likely to show higher self-acceptance than positive patients. Because individuals gain self-concept by categorizing themselves into a social group 48, HIV-negative drug addicts may be more likely to see themselves as part of the ‘healthy’ or ‘uninfected’ group. Furthermore, because both HIV and drug use stigma can negatively affect an individual’s health 49, 50, HIV-positive drug users face dual impacts from HIV and drug use, creating a cross-stigma greater than a single stigma 50, 51, further exacerbating drug addicts’ self-denial. Sichuan Province is a province with high incidence of AIDS 52, and the knowledge about AIDS prevention and control is popular in society, so it also brings more social discrimination and social stigma to drug addicts.
The more we know about the biopsychosocial model, the more we can foster accurate empathy for those with addiction and work toward effective treatment and prevention efforts. Maintaining sustained and long-term efforts in counter-narcotics and drug rehabilitation in countries worldwide. Attention to and research on the special group of drug addicts cannot be overlooked. China plays a pivotal role in global anti-drug action and is an indispensable participant, contributor and leader. Southwest China is a key anti-drug region in China, and Sichuan Province is an important battleground for China’s anti-drug rehabilitation work due to its special geographic location and history.
Community and Socioeconomic Factors
Instead of focusing entirely on causal, reductive neurobiology and difficulties in decision-making, the biopsychosocial systems model places the individual in his or her social environment and integrates his or her life narrative. The model contextualizes the responsibility placed on the individual and further allows for individual members of society to reflect on their own contributions in facilitating substance misuse (Levy 2007b). The model, therefore, allows for diverse and multidimensional aspects of knowledge to be drawn upon depending on the concern to be addressed, and the tools available to address them (Cochrane 2007). There are several processes that actively contribute to substance use with inputs and outputs on biological and psycho-social levels.
The biopsychosocial model of addiction (Figure 1) posits that intersecting biological, psycho-social and systemic properties are fundamental features of health and illness. The model includes the way in which macro factors inform and shape micro systems and brings biological, psychological and social levels into active interaction with one another. The contemporary model, adapted for addiction, reflects an interactive dynamic for understanding substance use problems specifically and addressing the complexity of addiction-related issues. The empirical foundation of this model is thus interdisciplinary, and both descriptive and applied. Along with genetics, another contributing factor to the risk of addiction is one’s psychological composition.
Given the links between impaired gastrointestinal health and neuroinflammation (145), targeted nutrition interventions may ameliorate neuroinflammation, which has been identified as a potential treatment for OUD (78). It has been argued that the microbiome is the link between person, public, and planetary health (184) and therefore we must consider environmental, psychosocial, and personal/nutritional factors implicated in gut dysbiosis. Much more research is needed on biological aspects of OUD that include nutrition-related factors which should consider the link between SES and access to food. Advances in neuroscience are changing how mental health issues such as addiction are understood and addressed as a brain disease. Although a brain disease model legitimizes addiction as a medical condition, it promotes neuro-essentialist thinking, categorical ideas of responsibility and free choice, and undermines the complexity involved in its emergence.