Biological explanation for substance misuse evaluation

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  • Biological explanation for substance misuse evaluation
    • Strengths
      • Withdrawal symptoms support the biological viewpoint that the brain is relying on the drug to function normally, as symptoms are of a sever deficit of the relevant neurotransmitter
      • There is a strong positive correlation between diagnosis of psychosis and heavy use of cocaine and/or amphetamines, suggesting that the drugs are including psychosis
      • Self- report evidence from drug users show the development of psychological need correlates positively with physiological measurements of dependency
    • Weaknesses
      • There are large individual differences in whether a person becomes an addict. According to the biological explanation everyone is at risk of misuse developing yet, in the case of a common drug such as alcohol, for example . the majority of adults i Britain use the drug but only a minority misuse it.
      • Cultural norms and peer group influences play a major role in the likelihood of misuse occurring, as well as decisions about the drug of choice
      • If biological factors were what determined the amount required for a fix, overdosing because of context dependency would not occur.
        • Over dosing on a normal sized fix of heroin while in the police custody is believed to be cause by the mismatch between the fix and context cues
          • Operant conditioning is also important in both starting and maintaining drug taking. Initially people usually start taking drugs because they enjoy the effect

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