Summary A Level Psychology: 'Reducing addiction via drug therapy' (AQA)
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Course
Addiction
Institution
AQA
Psychology notes that gained me an A* at A Level. I created this using textbooks, mark schemes, class notes and my own further research to provide a comprehensive set of notes. This is formatted according to the AQA psychology specification, where each point is covered, but regardless of the exam b...
Reducing addiction: drug therapy
3 types of drug therapy which all work by changing how the person
experiences the drug of addiction:
Aversives – main effect of aversives is to produce unpleasant consequences
such as vomiting. E.g. disulfiram is a drug therapy used to treat alcoholism by
creating hypersensitivity to alcohol. If a person has taken disulfiram and then
an alcoholic drink, within 5 minutes the effects of a sever hangover are felt. A
client then associates drinking alcohol w these unpleasant outcomes rather
than w enjoyment (CC).
Agonists – these are drug substance substitutes. they activate neuron
receptors providing a similar effect to an addictive substance. Agonists like
methadone used to treat heroin addiction satisfy the addicted person’s craving
for a state of euphoria. They have fewer harmful side effects and are cleaner as
administered medically rather than on streets. They stabilise the individual as
they control the withdrawal syndrome allowing a gradual reduction in dose and
symptoms.
Drug therapy for nicotine addiction (agonist) – nicotine replacement therapy
uses gum, inhales or patches to deliver the psychoactive substance in tobacco
smoke but less harmful way. It provides the person w a controlled dose of
nicotine which operates neurochemically as an agonist which activities nAChRs
in the mesolimbic pathway of the brain. This stimulates release of dopamine in
the nucleus accumbens. Using NRT means the amount of nicotine can be
reduced over time by using smaller patches, so can be managed over a period
of months, reducing the unpleasantness of withdrawal symptoms.
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