poems-and-words
Book of the day: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
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Source: poemsandwords.com
teensquotess
poems-and-words
Book of the day: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Get the FREE Kindle Reading App
Addictive drugs
So I want you guys to understand what addiction is… Because it’s harder to define than you’d think. So MY definition was
“A habitual behavior often brought about be precursors either external or internal, frequently affecting physiological systems either through necessity or desirability, that is continued despite a negative effect on daily function”
The one given in my book is
“A behavior pattern of drug use, characterized by overwhelming involvement with the use of a drug, the securing of its supply, and a high tendency to relapse after withdrawal”
So I’m gonna explain the mechanisms behind addiction. It’s basically a simple breakdown of positive and negative reinforcement (lol wait did I just use the word simple to describe addiction? never let me do that again. Thanks) So! Terms!
Positive Reinforcement: Behavior occurs, and a positive stimulus (reward) is given to encourage the behavior to be repeated
Negative Reinforcement: Behavior occurs and a negative stimulus is taken away to encourage the behavior to be repeated
The way this works in drugs is initially a drug is taken for its positive effects. Maybe, like cocaine or meth, it releases inhibitions, increases motivation, elevates mood and reduces anxiety at first, and you like that. So you continue the behavior: Positive reinforcement
But maybe after a period of time, you’ve developed a tolerance to the drug. Sure, it still does all these things, but to a lesser extent, and taking the drug isn’t really worth it anymore, so you stop. Withdrawal symptoms rear their ugly heads, increased anxiety, reduced mood and energy: Negative stimulus occurs
The only solution to this problem you’ve found is to take the drug again. the negative stimuli go away, encouraging the drug taking behavior: Negative reinforcement.
So here you are, hooked on the drug for its positive effects and stuck to the drug to avoid the negative consequences of withdrawal, and you are effectively addicted.
