Opening Skinner's Box: The Cause Of Addiction

Hi everyone, I have decided to write my paper on an article called "The Likely Causes of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think. " This article was in the Huffington Post and is written by Johann Hari, the author of "Chasing The Scream: The First And Last Days of The War on Drugs." In this article Johann Hari talks about how addiction is caused be a chemical dependency, or so everyone has thought this for all these years. Chemical dependency is caused by a chemically in-balance in the brain, where when one experiences pleasure, serotonin 's are released into the brain which is more like a natural high. Now when a person takes a drug, the drug then replaces those serotonin 's and the brain no longer can produce

In the excerpt “Rat Park” from Opening Skinner’s Box by Laruen Slater, demonstrates how addictions are a choice by conducting an experiment involving rats and drug addictions. Addictions are choices made by an individual. An addiction is a condition that results when an individual ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping, eating) that can be pleasurable, but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Addicts may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others. The outcome of this experiment explains how related rats are to human beings.

Despite the seemingly blatant root of addiction, that the affliction is the fault of drugs on the biochemical level, a more obscure, more habitual factor is at fault; the environment. As much as it may seem that we can place the blame upon the shoulders of those who are willfully partaking in such damaging habits, in reality it is more the fault of the environment the abuser finds themselves thrust in. As one is raised in a tumultuous environment, in which they know not what is happening nor why it is happening, drugs can seem to be a welcome escape. Be it anywhere from rats in an electrified cage overdosing on morphine, to prisoners confined to solitary confinement, drugs are sought after to alleviate the horrid circumstances. A Psychologist by

Addiction is a multifaceted behavior that is as intricate as the human being in which it is exhibited. There is no one definition that encompasses all aspects of addiction. It is clear that addiction is a mesh of many forces in life converging on an individual to drive that person towards a behavior that can be easily identified no matter what the context. Addiction grows more severe over time. Substance use disorders travel along a continuum.

This does relate to how people in our society rely on drugs due to addiction. It creates a feeling of being dependent, and addicts can not see themselves going even hours without it. Huxley’s characters were utterly bewildered when they would hear about someone not needing soma to go on with their life. “People said of him that he could have got through life without ever touching soma.” (Huxley

Addiction is a disorder of the brain where a person feels he has to take the drug despite its destructive effects (Volkow, Koob and McLellan). Dependence is a state normally associated when an

The initial and early decisions to use substances reflect a person’s free or conscious choice. No one forced them to put that crack pipe to their mouth or that needle to their arm. However, once the brain has been changed by addiction, that choice or willpower becomes impaired. Society’s responses to drug abuse is treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punishment rather than prevention and treatment. I believe this is one

On the other hand, these soft addictions are just mere habits that can spiral out of

Is Addiction a Disease? In this paper, disease and addiction will be explained, remarks significant of models will be compared with the disease model, and in the light of the findings, the decision will be given whether addiction is a disease, or not. First things first after evaluating the literature to see the balance between the definitions of addiction, then comparing the advantages and disadvantages of models in terms of their practicality, efficacy and morality having an impact on the function of the model. Addiction is a physical and psychological dependency on a substance, activity, drink, or drug being beyond of conscious control, whereas disease is defined as an illness, a sickness that causes an interruption, cessation, or disorder

Beautiful Boy: A Story of Addiction Through the Family’s Eyes Addiction is defined as, “a chronic but, treatable brain disorder.” The relentless need for drugs is trait an addict cannot control, since the make up of their brain has been altered. This in turn causes psychological and behavioral changes they cannot normalize. Recovery is the hardest part of addiction and many times individuals relapse and go back to using substances.

The therapy is called CRAFT, and stands for community reinforcement and family training. This therapy relies on the addict’s family and loved one to administer rewards for healthy behaviors, and by doing so it would remove the desire of the addict to seek out other types of rewards. Thus, the main point of the article is to express the idea that addicts should only experience punishment by a last resort. Instead they should be demonstrated that their addiction is not their only mean to get reward, and that there are healthier ways to get rewards that perhaps are even more

The film stressed the importance that addiction is more likely to occur when people start using drugs or alcohol in adolescence or early adulthood. Addiction is recognized as a disease, something that is not pleasant to experience for the person addicted and their family. In this paper the themes found in the film, connection between class material and the film, as well as an overall reaction to the film will be discussed. Primary Themes Addressed in Film Three themes that surrounded people whom have an addiction to drugs or alcohol in this film include the importance of treatment, the effects addiction has on themselves and their family and the effects of addiction on the brain.

Addiction to an activity or process includes, gambling, eating, spending, sex, and work. These things can all become a substance abuse. When a person becomes addicted to something they cannot control how they use it, and depend on it to perform everyday life. Doctors say the cause of an addiction is a link between a repeated uses of the substance. The human brain experiences pleasure and sees the addicted substance as a reward.

Addiction is the reliance on a routine. There are many addictive stages. Addiction, as it comes along, becomes a way of life. The persistent use of the substance causes to the user serious physical or psychological problems and dysfunctions in major areas of his or her life. The drug user continues to use substances and the compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences, and tries to systematically avoid responsibility and reality, while he or she tends to isolate himself/herself from others because of guilt and pain (Angres, & Bettinardi-Angres, 2008).

Drug abuse is caused by psychological, genetic as well as environmental factors and can have significant damaging effects on health. Psychological factors are associated with the development of drug abuse. Drug abuse often occurs