Substance Abuse - psych lecture notes

Substance Abuse Major problem. All sorts of drugs people use commonly: coffee (me) colas etc have substances of addictive properties. Prevalence rates of drug usage - Some have widespread use eg. alcohol. 52% of people have used it in the last month, cocaine under 1%; heroin 1 in 1000. There are many philosophical debates. Two basic positions: 1. Drugs are natural part of life. If good and doesn’t harm them what is wrong with that? 2. Opiates - no studies show the problem when used for long time (at time of note taking) - when used lived long term - ages. Legal drugs in this country are legal and have harmful effects - cigarettes; alcohol. What is and what is not an abuse substance is a social construct. More reinforcing a drug is, an acute effect, the greater the potential of addiction. If heroin is legal Prof would not take it. Yes, get a high, but if for any reason there is no access to the drug, day or day three would go through withdrawal ( terrible). Even if there is no physical dependence, there is still developed psychological dependence. Animal world - electronics self stimulation - septum in rat and similar structures in other animals. Press bar and gets joint of electricity- natural opiods release produces same effects as many of the opiots. Strange thing is common sense goes out the window - food and all become unimportant- die happy? Reasons beyond strictly legal to avoid substances. 1. Tolerance - re-enforcing effect pretty immediate. After a while smoke more for the same effect to get the relax feeling. Dose required more frequently. pre-synaptic (4 received) post synaptic _______( ) o o after a while will not have same receptor. _______( ) o o have some receptors. So to get more (ox8) o receptors (5) increase dosage and then o don’t need all dosage and increase dosage again for same pleasurable effect. Agonist will intensify effects; will get more finding ( 5 maybe instead of 4) 2. Withdrawal Reverse process - that occurs when without drugs (few of these will bind without drug - don’t get the high but get the low - high rate of anxiety, unpleasureable, want drug to alleviate negative symptoms. Physical withdrawal. Psychological withdrawal is participation of withdrawal even before physical withdrawal. If no money, B & E, etc… 80% of all crimes are drug related. 3. Dependancy - exists when tolerance and withdrawal is established. Can get it without tolerance but normally the physiological dependency but also psychological is re-enforcing focus of people’s lives. There appears to be a biological because rate much higher in M than D twins; higher than just adoptive. However, if entirely genetic, than why only 52%?