Biological Addiction Summary

V. SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE. Dr. Francesca Filbey’s article highlights the brain and how it is biologically wired in adults and juveniles with addictions, whether it is alcohol or drugs. Filbey (2013) discusses how a person is vulnerable (family history) or biologically (brain impulses) prone to addiction, as well as what kind of treatments can be done to help those that suffer from addiction. She analyzes different studies relating to each area and how effective they were. For those who are vulnerable to addiction, interviews were done with people who had a family history and those who didn’t have a family history. Interviews were also done with patients who were regular drinkers (those who drank every once in a while) as opposed to patients

In order to study biological addictions, juveniles were tested using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, better known as AUDIT. The results found that those with low scores were at risk for heavy alcohol use. The treatment for addiction varies but Filbey took a look at drug-addicted individuals and their brain activity during times of rest and when an addict might relapse (based on test scores). For those addicts who suffer from alcoholism, they may develop symptoms from alcohol dependency. Anxiety is a huge factor and has been studied in those who do have alcohol dependency and those who do not have alcohol dependency. Connecting the brain and addiction has helped find effective treatments for these patients. However, studies are still being done on addicts and the brain’s response to addiction. According to Filbey, “Future work can expand on this knowledge by determining individual differences, such as genetic and environmental factors, that influence the addiction connectome” (Filbey, 2013, p.

COMMENTARY. This article was very interesting to me because I am majoring in Psychology. The brain is fascinating and especially when it comes to addiction and how people become addicted, whether they have a family history or have biological impulses. Filbey wrote about different studies that were conducted on addiction and the brain. It’s fascinating to look online at these images and know that doctors are able to figure out how a person can become addicted. I think that many addictions are a little bit of family history and biological. My boyfriend has battled alcohol addiction since he was 15 and he’s now 33 and getting over his addiction. He tried counseling and AA but told me that neither of them were working, which I found hard to believe but when a person is battling addiction they will find any excuse to not go. I credit myself for helping him realize what he was doing to himself, and once he was diagnosed with CHF (heart failure) that really opened his eyes to the effects of alcohol on his body. He does come from a family line of alcoholism but he also was biologically addicted to it as well. I also come from a family of alcoholics but I’m not biologically addicted to drinking. I believe that an addict should have someone in their life that is willing to work with them, all though it can be frustrating and aggravating at the same time. Filbey spoke to addicts about their vulnerability to alcohol and/or drugs, but I’m not sure how accurate those interviews