Addiction

INITIATION = the process where individuals begin their addiction,                                                             affected by beliefs and social factors

MAINTENANCE = people continue to behave addictively even if the consequences                                          are adverse

RELAPSE = when symptoms of disorder begin to reoccur after seemly                                                   being cured

INITIATION - GAMBLING

GENETIC PREDISPOSITION TO ENGAGING IN ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR

SHAH ET AL - EVIDENCE OF GENETIC TRANSMISSION OF GAMBLING ADDICTION IN MALES

BLACK ET AL - 1ST DEGREE RELATIVES OF PATH. GAMBLERS > LIKELY TO EXHIBIT SAME GAMBLING BEHAVIOUR COMPARED TO DISTANT RELATIVES

INITATION - SMOKING

GENES CAN INFLUENCE SMOKING

CHILDREN OF SMOKERS LIKELY TO SMOKE

SHIELDS - STUDIED TWIN PAIRS REARED APART, FOUND ONLY 9 WERE DISCONDANT FOR SMOKING BEHAVIOUR

SPECIFIC GENES

• DRD2 - VARIANT FOUND IN 50% OF SMOKERS AND 50% OF PATH. GAMBLERS
• LINKED TO LOWER LEVELS OF DOPAMINE RECEPTOS
• NEED TO SEEK REWARD 

THARGERSON ET AL - IDENTIFIED SPECIFIC GENE VARIANT ON CHROMOSOME 15. INFLUENCED NUMBER OF CIGARETTES SMOKED PER DAY AND LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING SMOKING RELATED DISEASE. SUGGESTS GENES MAY INFLUENCE DEPENDENCY ON NICOTINE 

EVALUATION OF GENES

• VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED - DOES NOT MEAN BEHAVIOUR WILL DEVELOP
• REDUCTIONIST
• UNLIKELY TO BE ONE GENE - IF SO, ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION
• CAN EXPLAIN WHY SOME BECOME ADDICTED + OTHERS DO NOT WHEN FACED WITH SAME STRESSORS
• SHOULD NOT IGNORE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS E.G. SLT

MAINTENANCE - GAMBLING

• RESEARCH INTO GAMBLING FOUND ^ LEVELS OF DOPAMINE + NORADRENALINE WHEN GAMBLING + AT ANTICIPATORY STAGE
• PARIS ET AL - PATH. GAMBLING MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERACTIVE STRESS RESPONCE

MAINTENANCE - SMOKING

• NICOTINE AFF. BRAIN CHEM, ACTIVATES NICOTINE ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS WHICH RELEASE DOPAMINE 
• = SHORT TERM PLEASURE... WHEN NICOTINE LEAVES SYS. INFLUENCES MOOD + CONCENTRATION - HAVE TO SMOKE AGAIN TO FEEL PLEASURE
• BUKA ET AL - SMOKING IN PREG. DID NOT ^ RISK OF INITIATION IN OFFSPRING BUT IF THEY DID START > LIKELY TO BECOME ADDICTED

EVALUATION OF MAINTENANCE

• NEGLECTS OTHER DETER. FACTORS E.G. SLT 
• EXPLAINS INDIVIDUAL DIFF. 
• RELATE TO SENSATION SEEKING - > LIKELY TO GAMBLE