Chapter 8: Recognizing and Avoiding Addiction and Drug Abuse – Study Notes

Recognizing and Avoiding Addiction and Drug Abuse

Learning Outcomes

• Define and outline the physiology, risk factors, and cycle of addiction.

• Describe common process addictions involving technology, gambling, compulsive buying, sex and porn, exercise, and work behaviors.

• Describe how drugs affect the brain and their routes of administration.

• Outline the six categories of drugs and their interactions.

• Evaluate problems associated with the misuse and abuse of over-the-counter, prescription, and illegal drugs on and off campus.

• Review common drugs of abuse, including stimulants, marijuana and other cannabinoids, depressants, opioids (narcotics), hallucinogens, inhalants, and anabolic steroids.

• Discuss the impacts of addiction and drug abuse and approaches for reducing that impact on individuals and society.

• Provide examples of effective treatment and recovery approaches for addictions.

The Physiology of Addiction

Definitions and Key Concepts

• Addiction: A treatable chronic disease characterized by compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance despite ongoing negative consequences. Classified by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as a mental disorder.

• Physiological dependence: The adaptive state of brain and body processes that occurs with regular addictive behavior and results in withdrawal if the addictive behavior stops.

• Psychological dependence: Dependency of the mind on a substance or behavior, which can lead to psychological withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, or cravings.

The Process of Addiction

Stages and Features

• Compulsion: Preoccupation with a behavior and an overwhelming need to perform it.

• Loss of control: Inability to predict reliably whether a particular instance of involvement with an addictive substance or behavior will be healthy or damaging.

• Negative consequences: Physical damage, legal trouble, financial ruin, academic failure, family dissolution, and other severe problems that do not occur with healthy involvement in any behavior.

• Denial: Inability to perceive or accurately interpret the self-destructive effects of an addictive behavior.

• Inability to abstain: Failure to avoid drug use over a sustained period of time.

Cycle of Psychological Addiction

The cycle typically includes internal frustration, fantasizing about using the substance or engaging in the behavior, obsessing about the substance/behavior, using the substance/behavior, loss of control, guilt over use, and promises to stop, which then leads back to internal frustration.

Habit Versus Addiction

Comparison

• Habit: A repeated behavior in which the repetition may be unconscious. Habits can be broken.

• Addiction: Involves repetition of a behavior that occurs with compulsion, and considerable discomfort occurs if the behavior is not performed.

Example: People can become addicted to substances (e.g., nicotine, alcohol) or behaviors (e.g., gambling, shopping, exercise).

Addictive Behaviors

Process Addictions

• Not all addictions involve drugs; some involve behaviors that are mood altering.

• Process addictions include gambling, compulsive buying, compulsive exercise, and compulsive Internet or technology use.

Technology and Internet Addictions

Prevalence and Symptoms

• Cell phones, video games, networking sites, and the Internet can all be addictive.

• Approximately 9% of college students report that Internet use and computer games have interfered with their academic performance.

• Symptoms: disregard for health, sleep deprivation, neglecting family/friends, lack of physical activity, euphoria when online, lower grades, poor job performance.

• More than 85% of Americans have daily Internet access; 36% of 18–29-year-olds are almost constantly online.

• Estimated one in eight Internet users may have Internet addiction.

Gambling Disorder

Key Facts

• More than five million people meet criteria for gambling addiction; many more are affected by others' gambling.

• Recognized as a mental disorder by the APA; strong evidence for a biological component.

• 75% of college students report gambling in the last year.

Compulsive Buying Disorder

Symptoms

• Preoccupation with shopping and spending

• Buying more than one of the same item

• Shopping for longer periods than intended

• Repeatedly buying more than is needed or can be afforded

• Buying to the point that it interferes with social activities or work

Compulsive Sexual Behavior

Definition

• Not technically classified as an addiction but as an impulse control disorder by the World Health Organization.

• May involve obsession with sexual experiences or activities outside cultural, legal, or moral norms.

Exercise Addiction

Warning Signs

• Compulsive use of exercise to regulate emotions, continuing excessive exercise despite negative consequences.

• Warning signs: working out alone, rigid patterns, >2 hours daily, exercising when sick/injured, or to avoid social events, school, or work.

What Is a Drug?

Definition and Categories

• Drugs: Substances other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the mind or body through chemical action.

• Categories: prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), recreational, herbal preparations, illicit, commercial.

How Drugs Affect the Brain

Neurobiology

• The brain is wired to repeat pleasurable experiences via the "pleasure circuit" (mesolimbic dopamine system).

• Life-sustaining activities and addictive drugs activate this circuit, altering brain function.

• Psychoactive drugs: Affect chemical neurotransmission, either enhancing, suppressing, or interfering with it.

Routes of Administration

Methods

• Oral ingestion: Through the mouth

• Inhalation: Through the respiratory tract

• Injection (via hypodermic needle): Intravenous (bloodstream), intramuscular (muscle), subcutaneous (under skin)

• Transdermal: Through the skin

• Suppositories: Through the vagina or anus

Drug Categories and Interactions

Types of Drugs

• Prescription: Only with a physician's prescription

• Over-the-counter (OTC): No prescription needed

• Recreational: Used to relax or socialize (e.g., alcohol, tobacco)

• Herbal preparations: Plant origin (e.g., teas)

• Illicit: Illegal and psychoactive

• Commercial: Found in products like cleaners, pesticides

Drug Interactions

• Polydrug use: Taking several substances simultaneously

• Synergism (Potentiation): Effects of both drugs are multiplied beyond the effects of each on its own

• Antagonism: Drugs work at the same receptor site so one blocks the action of another

• Inhibition: Effects of one drug are reduced or eliminated by the presence of another

• Intolerance: Drugs combine to produce extremely uncomfortable reactions

• Cross-tolerance: Tolerance for one drug creates a similar reaction to another drug

Drug Misuse and Abuse

Definitions

• Drug misuse: Use for a purpose not intended

• Drug abuse: Excessive use of any drug

• Misuse and abuse may cause serious harm

• Approximately 27 million people report being current users of illicit drugs

Abuse of OTC Drugs

Commonly Abused OTC Drugs

• Caffeine pills and energy drinks: High doses can cause tremors, insomnia, dehydration, panic attacks, heart irregularities

• Cold medicines: Dextromethorphan (DXM) can cause hallucinations, loss of motor control

• Pseudoephedrine: Used in illegal manufacture of methamphetamine

• Diet pills: May contain stimulants like caffeine or Hoodia gordoni; marketed as supplements, may use untested ingredients

• Sleep aids: Can disrupt sleep cycle, weaken body, or induce narcolepsy

College Students and Prescription Drug Abuse

Prevalence and Common Drugs

• Approximately 4% of surveyed students reported misusing prescription drugs in the past three months (2021 data).

• Painkillers (Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet) used to relax or get high.

• Adderall and Ritalin abused for academic gain (intended for ADHD).

• Common side effects: sleeping difficulties, irritability, reduced appetite.

Drug Use Prevalence in College Students

Annual Prevalence Table

Type of Drug	Annual Student Use (%)
Any illicit drug	46.5
Any illicit drug other than marijuana	16.8
Marijuana	43.0
Inhalants	5.3
Hallucinogens	5.1
Cocaine	5.6
Heroin	1.5
Amphetamines (not prescribed)	8.1
Sedatives (barbiturates)	1.1
Tranquilizers	2.3
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)	0.7
Ketamine	0.7
Alcohol	77.4
Cigarettes	14.0
Vaping (any)	48.7

Use and Abuse of Illicit Drugs

Key Points

• Illicit drug use spans all demographics.

• Marijuana use has increased; nearly 50% of college-aged students have tried an illicit drug.

• Substance abuse is linked to poor academic performance.

Factors Influencing Drug Use on Campus

Why Some Use Drugs	Why Some Don't Use Drugs
Positive expectations Genetics/family history Curiosity Social norms Sorority/fraternity membership	Parental attitudes/behavior Religion/spirituality Student engagement College athletics Healthy social network

Common Drugs of Abuse

Stimulants

• Cocaine: White crystalline powder, derived from South American coca shrub, rapidly enters bloodstream. Methods: snorted, injected, smoked. Treatment: psychiatric counseling, 12-step programs.

• Amphetamines: Synthetic agents stimulating CNS; used for ADHD (Adderall, Ritalin), high abuse potential.

Table: Drugs of Abuse – Uses and Effects

Category	Drug	Trade/Street Names	Usual Method	Possible Effects	Overdose Effects	Withdrawal Syndrome
Stimulants	Cocaine	Coke, Flake, Snow, Crack, Coca, Blanca, Perico	Snorted, smoked, injected	Increased alertness, excitation, euphoria, increased pulse and blood pressure, loss of appetite	Agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions, possible death	Apathy, long periods of sleep, irritability, depression, disorientation
Stimulants	Amphetamines, methamphetamine	Crank, Ice, Crystal, Crystal Meth, Speed, Adderall, Dexedrine	Oral, injected, smoked	Alertness, excitation, euphoria, increased pulse and blood pressure, loss of appetite	Agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions, possible death	Apathy, long periods of sleep, irritability, depression, disorientation

*Additional info: Table truncated for brevity; other categories include depressants, opioids, hallucinogens, inhalants, and anabolic steroids.