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Psyc 1022 Essay

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Psyc 1022 Essay
What causes addiction, and what is the best approach to counteract it?

The question is deliberately broad so that you can tackle the question in various ways. So, there are no hard and fast rules. You can look at addiction in general or a specific addiction, Likewise, whichever you choose you can look at one cause or multiple causes. Just make sure you justify your answer, clearly state what direction you will take and make a strong argument and you should do well.

It will focus upon factors that provide causation for the habits that establish physical dependence and the tendency of individuals to relapse post ‘detoxifiction’ that characterise addiction.

Intro
-general comment about drug addiction (show nature of debate and why it is important in these two general comments)
General comment about nicotine addiction.

Cigarette smoking remains one of the foremost causes of preventable disease and death across the world.
Smoking claims the lives of approximately ______ a year as stated by… (WHO)
There is much debate over how to define addiction and the importance of psychological and physiological factors in determining individual drug addiction.///

This essay will outline major psychological factors contributing to the development of nicotine addiction whilst discussing the most effective treatments in eliminating compulsive tobacco use and preventing relapse. This essay ascribes to Wise’s theory of positive reinforcement as the causal mechanism underlying drug addiction and will operate under the assumption of addiction as the turning point at which the individual loses volitional control over drug consumption resulting in compulsive usage (Wise and Koob)

Significantly influencing individual’s transition towards compulsive drug use within nicotine users are cravings that undermine individual’s volitional control over self-administration. (Rusell, 1998 as cited in …….). The findings of Dar.. determined that non-pharmacological factors could influence



References: Dallery, J., & Raiff, B.R. (2007). Delay discounting predicts cigarette smoking in a laboratory model of abstinence reinforcement. Psychopharmacology, 190, 485–496 Doran, N., McChargue, D., & Cohen, L Doran, N., Spring, B., & McChargue, D. (2007b). Effect of impulsivity on craving and behavioral reactivity to smoking cues. Psychopharmacology, 194, 279–288.

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