Addiction There Are Numerous Definitions Term Paper

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One researcher suggested that instead of seeking a strict operational definition, one should think of alcoholism as they do mountains and seasons: "you know these things when you see them" (Shaffer pp).

The most common conceptual error made by clinicians, researchers, and social-policy makers is to think that addiction resides as a latent property of an object, such as a drug or game of chance (Shaffer pp). For example, conventional wisdom refers to "addictive drugs" or "addictive gambling," however, addiction is not the product of a substance, game, or technology, though each of these things has the capacity to influence human experience (Shaffer pp). Experience is the currency of addiction, thus when a particular pattern of behavior can reliably and robustly change emotional experience, the potential for addiction emerges (Shaffer pp). Addiction is the description of a relationship between organisms and objects within their environment, it is not simply the result of an object's attribute, thus the causes of addiction are multifactorial (Shaffer pp).

There is a myriad of "addiction" definitions on the Web, such as, "An illness in which a person seeks and consumes a substance, such as alcohol, tobacco or a drug, despite the fact that it causes harm' (Definitions pp). It is also referred to as a chronic, relapsing disease that is characterized by compulsive drug use and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain (Definitions pp).

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It is also defined as an uncontrollable craving, seeking and use of a substance such as a drug and/or alcohol (Definitions pp).

Basically, "addiction is a neurobehavioral syndrome with generic and environmental influences that results in psychological dependence on the use of substances for their psychic effects and is characterized by compulsive use despite harm" (Definitions pp).

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