PSY260H1 Lecture 10: Addiction
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To start using a form of addiction(drugs) a person most likely sees someone else doing it first before doing it themselves, this is called social learning: reinforcement i. For someone to choose to take a drug again they must have had a very positive reinforcement when they took it the first time. Dopamine is the physiological response in the brain for wanting or motivation. Addictive drugs all lead to an increased dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum). Some directly increase dopamine levels and other lead to increased levels with downstream effects (occurring later on). Injection of a drug into the bloodstream is considered to be a rapid delivery which is associated with higher addictive potential. A slow release opiate such as pills lead to a less likely chance of becoming addicted. For someone to take larger amounts of a drug their response to it must undergo tolerance.
