Addiction is not Driven by a Single Process

A motivational system in overdrive characterized by intense cravings, compulsive and overvaluing of drugs to the point that its need overrides other behaviors. In time, drug seeking behavior becomes automatic leading to chronic, habitual and pathological drug seeking behavior and in turn addiction is elicited in the absence of triggers or cravings.

Drugs have differing effect on motivation, personality traits, cultural norms, social context and comorbidity of mental illness influences substance consumption. Both Positive states (euphoria, social acceptance) and negative states (anxiety, stress, illness/pain, altered mood) reinforce drug taking behavior.

Addiction is a slow, gradual process using desensitization to build new hedonic thresholds altering brain systems. In time, stronger simulation of the drug or substances are needed to achieve the same effect. Associations between the drug reward form an attractive and wanted dependence on the drug, enhanced by a hypersensitive progressive ratio schedule. Through conditioned stimulus pairing motivation is elicited and is maintained by automated processes charaterized by the stimulus-response (S-R) relationship, resulting in neuron alterations.

The value of the drug, either real or expected, increases risk-taking behaviors. Addiction moves from a forward-search goal-oriented strategy influenced by consequences to a caching model with prolonged activation of dopamine neuro-transmission. This constant spiraling and looping leads to aberrant decision making, impaired executive functioning skills, impulsivity, improper valuation of events, loss of control, inflexibility to change behavior. All these actions together produce imbalances, vulnerabilities and failure points forming incorrect-action-outcome relationships. Non-addicts can shift between goal-oriented and habitual behaviors. But,For addicts, addiction is not driven by a signal process (Meyers et al, ).

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