Article: Addiction is a learning disorder

[endlessness]

http://www.substance.com/most-of-us-still-dont-get-it-addiction-is-a-learning-disorder/9176/

Wanted to share this. It questions the traditional idea of addiction as being primarily pharmacological/neurological, and the way society tends to deal with that. Very interesting, well written article.

 

[darklordsson]

What a good article to read. A lot to show and think about.
thanks endlessness!:thumb_up:

--dls--

 

[○]

This articles pretty interesting, especially the end and quoting this section of the article:

"Addiction is a learning disorder, a condition where a system designed to motivate us to engage in activities helpful to survival and reproduction develops abnormally and goes awry.

But the system that goes wrong in addiction is designed to make us persist despite negative consequences: If we didn’t have such a mechanism, we’d never push through the difficulties that characterize both love and parenting. Unfortunately when this motivational network gets channeled toward an activity that is destructive to our life’s prospects, it becomes dangerous."

Also, the fact of how they say addiction to be a 'learned pattern'. I couldn't agree more with that statement tbh, because everything in our life including all our various activities, to a more or less degree, are pattern/s.

 

[Entheogenerator]

This is a very interesting take on addiction. I'd like to read more about this theory. Thanks for sharing, endless!

 

[Cognitive Heart]

Thanks endlessless! I liked how it touched upon the environment in relation to stress.. such an important figure in determining patterns of behavior. I can very much agree to the conditioning factor that takes place within culture.. ruling out what we need to know to stay in balance with ourselves and instead, layering it over with sprinkles of distraction.. leading us to perpetual delusion and dependence on material goods to satisfy our inner holes.. from an early age, this can lead to problems.. such as the common norm of fetishism.. sometimes we are not shown how or why.. giving way to addiction.

 

[greenmoss]

http://www.substance.com/most-of-us-still-dont-get-it-addiction-is-a-learning-disorder/9176/

Wanted to share this. It questions the traditional idea of addiction as being primarily pharmacological/neurological, and the way society tends to deal with that. Very interesting, well written article.

Well, maybe addiction is a learning disorder. It comes down to the person them selves deep from within them to stop using.

But what you must understand that lets say the people who are addicted to meth,morphine,etc when they stop taking those drugs, they go through pain. withdrawal and addiction combined into one.

So for a person addicted to injecting opiates, when they stop using, they might be at night thinking 'just one more time to feel that rush', just one more time.. along with being sick from withdrawal,unable to sleep,etc.


It is much better to treat addicts than to shame them.

 

[Godsmacker]

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S030645309800064X/1-s2.0-S030645309800064X-main.pdf?_tid=dc483474-e0ed-11e4-a88d-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1428827473_7a5674935b3149e5362ad58a38678cbe

The above mentioned article discusses the role of oxytocin in addictive disorders. Oxytocin, the love drug/hormone, plays a pivotal role in bonding behavior and in the reinforcement of patterns of behavior (i.e. loving your child/significant other/Drug of Choice) and may have a role in the development of addictive disorders. If oxytocin is powerful enough to make you love and lust for another person, perhaps it is powerful enough to make you love and lust for a drug...

 

[Mustelid]

I think it would be better to say that addiction has elements of a learning disorder, as addiction is way too complex to make most blanket statements.

 

[hug46]

I guess it depends on how you describe a learning disorder. People take drugs because they like them (for any number of reasons). When you score some drugs your reward impulses are satiated. You don"t even have to take the drug to feel better. I have seen a room full of turkeying addicts suddenly become bright eyed and bushy tailed once the drugs turn up. Can this be called a learning disorder, or is it perfectly normal behaviour? The addict just seeks reward from less "healthy" pursuits.

 

[Jameson2]

That is quite the article to read Endlessness. The article in some ways resonates with my personal idea of addiction.

Mustelid summed it up well.

I think it would be better to say that addiction has elements of a learning disorder, as addiction is way to complex to make most blanket statements.

 

[skoobysnax]

THX for sharing this. I am going to read it well and weigh in. Being an addict with multiple years of recovery this is of interest in my personal work.