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Samantha Arnold
PSY 101
Dr. Miller
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is a problem that affects millions of people. Substance abuse not only
affects the abuser, but the people around them as well. Often times, getting the abuser to admit
there is a problem is the most difficult obstacle on the road to recovery. Substance abusers are
not bad people. They have just fallen into an addiction usually to escape a dark part of their life.
There are several factors that can increase someone’s chance of developing a substance abuse
problem. These factors often relate to biology, sensation or perception, learning theory
(conditioning), cognition, and psychology.
Biology is a significant factor that can determine how likely someone is to develop a
substance abuse problem. This brings up the idea of the mind-body (or mind-brain) problem.
How can organic, living matter produce feelings, thoughts, and emotions? The brain is just a
collection of neurons that are constantly communicating with each other through electrical
impulse. When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the axon, it releases neurotransmitters
into the small space between two neurons called the synaptic cleft and the neurotransmitters
move to the next neuron. This is called a synapse. Synapses are extremely significant in
understanding how drugs affect users. The synapse is where drugs interact with tissues of the
nervous system. Not all drugs affect every area of the brain which is why different drugs produce
different behaviors. For example, alcohol affects neurons in the cerebellum associated with
motor control. That is why people who have consumed a large amount of alcohol have trouble
walking normally. Changes in behavior can either be caused by direct action of the drug or by
changing the function of the neurons connected to that structure. Because drugs have such a
powerful effect on the activity of synapses, they can effectively change the communication in the
brain. The brain has a powerful way of adapting to the chemicals that drugs introduce which is
what causes withdrawal and tolerance. There are also genetic tendencies that can increase a
person’s likeliness to abuse drugs. If there is a family history of substance abuse then future
generations may be more susceptible to substance abuse. Many people don’t realize that biology
has such a significant impact on substance abuse which is why there is such a stigma against
people with developed substance abuse problems.
In addition to biological factors, sensation and perception are also heavily involved in
substance abuse. The senses are the most tangible evidence of brain function to the average
person. It is easy to get sensation and perception mixed up but they are actually quite different.
Sensation is the stimuli or information that the senses pick up from the outside world. Perception
is how the brain processes and makes sense of the information in a way that the brain can
understand. Sensation is similar for everyone but perception is unique. This is why the same drug
may affect people differently. Transconduction is the process by which environmental energy is
transformed into different sensations by sensory receptors. This process is particularly significant
when talking about abused drugs. The activation of these sensory receptors changes the firing
rate of neurons. Drugs, like sensory cells, also change the firing rate of neurons which ultimately
give rise to drug-induced perceptions. Because these sensory cells are scattered throughout the
brain, drugs are more likely to affect a wide range of receptors as opposed to strongly affecting
just a few number. Therefore, the drug is able to activate receptors across a well-defined period
of time, producing a unique perceptual experience. The intensity of these drug-induced
perceptions depends on the strength of the stimulus received. Drugs activate receptors directly so
the number and strength of the receptors affected by the drug will in turn determine the intensity
of the drug’s effect. Abused drugs act very similar to conventional stimuli. Drugs users quickly
learn the effects their drug will have on them. They like the predictability of the effects and
actively seek them out.
Drugs also alter a user’s level of consciousness. Consciousness is the awareness of
ourselves and our world. Consciousness is malleable in that it can be easily changed. However,
there are both healthy and unhealthy ways to do this. Sleep is the most obvious way to change
consciousness healthily. Other healthy ways to change consciousness include meditation and
day-dreaming. Unhealthy ways to change consciousness include starvation, sensory deprivation,
and drugs. A drug that alters consciousness is called a psychoactive drug. The main categories of
these types of drugs include stimulants (i.e. caffeine), depressants (i.e. alcohol), and
hallucinogens (i.e. LSD).
Substance abuse can also arise due to learnt behaviors. Learning is a relative permanent
change in behavior, or behavior potential that occurs from practice or experience. Substance
abuse problems arise through conditioned learning. Conditioning is learning based on the
formation of an association between a stimuli and a response. This type of learning is significant
in drug use because users quickly learn the certain effects a drug will have after a few uses.
There are two different forms of conditioning: operant and classical conditioning. Classical
conditioning occurs when two stimuli are associated whereby a response that is at first brought
on by the second stimulus is eventually brought on by only the first stimulus. Operant
conditioning is when behavior is modified through its consequences. The combination of these
two types of conditioning can be attributed to substance abuse. The initial stage of conditioning
is called acquisition in which a response is established and gradually strengthened. For example,
when a drug is taken for the first time, the user most likely will experience a “high” or a feeling
of euphoria. Actions that result in a positive result are more likely to be repeated. This is known
as positive reinforcement. That is why when a user finds that they feel good after using drugs;
they want to do it again. Eventually though, after continued use, the brain becomes dependent on
the drug and the user may find it hard to quit. This is because the desire to use can be triggered
by certain stimuli that remind the brain of the high the drug caused (for example, drug dealers,
locations where drug is obtained, etc.). These particular stimuli are known as conditioned
stimuli. Conditioned stimuli multiply as drug use increases in frequency and duration. Every
administration of the drug serves as a conditioning session. This is why getting people to quit
using drugs is so difficult. One way to reverse the learnt behaviors as a result of drug use is by
extinction. Extinction is a naturally occurring process by which a conditioned stimulus loses its
meaning after being repeatedly presented without its reward. In the case of drug use, if a user
constantly sees drug dealers but isn’t getting any drugs, they will eventually learn to not
associate dealers with their drug. This process is used to reduce urges to use as well as to lessen
withdrawal symptoms. As mentioned before, continued drug use can occur as a result of positive
reinforcement. However, negative reinforcement can also play a role in substance abuse.
Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior gets rids of something undesirable. For example,
a person may drink because they are trying to forget about something upsetting going on in their
lives at the moment. When they learn that alcohol makes them forget their problems, they are
more likely to use it again. This is a problem because alcohol never actually resolves the problem
and the user is likely to continue to drink. Learning is one of the most important factors related to
substance abuse. Although difficult, the learnt behaviors from drug use must be reversed in order
to get the brain to stop associating positive rewards with drugs. This is imperative in getting the
substance abuser to quit their behavior.
Aside from biology, sensation, perception, consciousness, and learning, cognition is
another significant factor in substance abuse. Cognition or “mental activity” involves the
acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of knowledge. This is why students with a drug abuse
problem often fall behind on their studies. The drugs negatively impact their ability to retrieve
and store new information. Drugs also warp one’s judgment and thinking. Even though the
abuser may know that taking drugs again and again is a bad idea, they will come up with
justifications for their behavior. As stated earlier, drug abuse arises from conditioned learning.
When a user is confronted with a stimulus that triggers an overwhelming urge to use, they often
will try to come up with excuses for their behavior. This type of behavior can be attributed
towards cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistent thoughts,
beliefs, or attitudes, especially relating to behavior or attitude changes. This can be caused by the
effect drugs can have on the frontal lobe. Most of our decision making is done in the frontal lobe
and when our judgments are clouded by the chemicals from drugs, it can lead to irrational
decision making. This is why the user may start to truly believe their justifications for their
substance abuse.
Substance abuse also affects how a person develops across their lifetime. For example,
substance abuse during pregnancy can severely affect the health of the infant. It can even lead to
a miscarriage or infant death. Prenatal exposure to drugs can also cause physical changes in the
nervous system of a newborn which can result in ADHD, mental retardation, and decreased
cognitive skills. These problems can persist through adolescence and adulthood. Alcohol is
especially dangerous to the developing fetus. It can cause the infant to develop Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome which inhibits proper infant development in the womb and delays development in
thinking, speech, and movement. When the infant moves into childhood, they may have trouble
with memory and develop a short attention span. Drinking alcohol while pregnant can also
increase the chances of the child developing a drug or alcohol addiction later in life.
There is also a social factor involved with drug use. A good example of this is the peer
pressure many adolescents feel to take drugs. Peer pressure is a form of social influence.
Conformity is a type of social influence that can be attributed to the pressure kids feel to
participate in the same activities of the group. For example, someone who hangs around people
who use drugs is more likely to develop a drug habit because there is a tendency for people to
bring their behavior in line with group norms. Human beings also feel a need to be liked and part
of the group. This is known as normative social influence. A teen who hangs out with drug
addicts may start using because they feel like they will be looked down on by their peers if they
don’t. Adolescents who have parents who abuse drugs are also more likely to develop a drug
problem because parents are often who kids tend to look up to. When kids see their parents as
role models, they tend to model their parents behavior, whether it is healthy or not. In order to
prevent a substance abuse problem, it is important that adolescents have healthy role models they
can look up to.
Substance abuse may be a devastating problem but it can be treated. There are many
forms of clinical work that can be done to help someone get clean. It is important to try to match
clients with the most appropriate therapeutic approach based on their situation in order to obtain
the best results. One type of therapy is Aversion Therapy. This is a counterconditioning process
designed to make someone want to give up a behavior by causing them to associate it with an
unpleasant effect. An example of this technique would be getting an alcoholic to take a nausea-
inducing medication every time they drank an alcoholic beverage. Soon enough, they will start to
associate alcohol with the feeling of nausea in the hopes that it will eventually eliminate their
desire to drink. Therapists can help people suffering from a substance abuse problem by
incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy along with counterconditioning. This type of therapy
looks more into the thoughts and feelings that cause certain behaviors. Therapists can work with
clients to figure out why exactly they may be turning towards drugs. Oftentimes, as mentioned
before, drugs are an escape from unpleasant feelings or thoughts. If the client is having irrational
thoughts and can’t dismiss of them properly, they may turn to drugs or alcohol as a means to
escape them. Therapists can teach clients how to deal with irrational thoughts and unpleasant
emotions in a healthy manner. A combination of behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapy can
be an effective way to help a substance abuser get clean.
Substance abuse is an extremely dangerous problem that can destroy lives. It can be a
difficult problem to fix due to the fact that there are so many different factors that come into play
when determining the cause of someone’s addiction. However, learning about the different
factors such as biology, sensation, perception, consciousness, conditioning, development, and
social influence can help doctors and therapists effectively treat those suffering from an
addiction.