Allostency Theory Of Drug Abuse

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The effects of drug usage in this society as a whole cannot be overestimated. It has become a canker worm eating deep into the foundation of society. Many theories and solutions have been propounded to tackle drug usage. Drugs come in various forms. You have your gateway substances such as marijuana and alcohol, which are common among the majority, are considered “harmless” then you have your “harmful” frowned upon substances like cocaine and “meth” that are notoriously known for damages on the brain functionality. Two of those such theories that attempt to describe drug dependency and usage are the allostasis and incentive sensitization theory. Common substance abuse is the amphetamines. They come in prescription medications like Adderall …show more content…

It explores the possibilities of how the nerve cell or neuron can be mimicked by a chemical drug once it has been bind with the receptors, also known as the neurotransmission process. Furthermore, it entails of how individuals who choose to use drugs can cause a chemical dysregulation. Considering the normal and abnormal cell activity, it can be concluded that the allostasis theory not only concentrates on how impulse control and compulsive disorders but addresses how it links to drug dependency and usage. Within allostasis it highlights how arousal is followed by an impulsive act and that anxiety and stress trigger the initial use. Some significant weaknesses in the allostasis theory on drug usage are that; it does not distinctively explain why it does not apply for people who are not alcohol dependent and, “it fails to allow for situations where some addicts report instant …show more content…

One way this apparent into this world is the high number of relapse among people that currently use drugs or the very fact that these drugs do not affect all users the same way. The model focuses on how drug cues trigger excessive incentive motivation for drugs, leading to compulsive drug-seeking (Vanderschuren and Everitt, 2004), drug-taking, and relapse (Robinson and Berridge, 1993). Simply put that repeated use and the exposure to drugs sensitizes the pathways and neurons concerned into tolerance, which implies there is a decrease in drugs effect with repeated administration. In addition, the incentive sensitization theory provides us with evidence that a major reorganization of brain reward systems is possible, in that people can develop chemical dependence with exposure to the drug. First time users are more likely to have a higher chance of becoming addicted depending on their initial encounter the drug. For instance, once an individual consumes their first dosage of heroin, every “high” will not be as the initial “high” causing a increase in dosage following

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