The Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction

This essay explores the biopsychosocial model of addiction, which includes biological, psychological, and social factors. It discusses the influence of genetics, brain function, conditioning, and social environment on addiction. It also examines primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. The essay provides a comprehensive understanding of addiction and its causes.

Running head: THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF ADDICTION
THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF ADDICTION
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THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF ADDICTION
Table of Contents
Definition of addiction.....................................................................................................................2
Influence of biological factors in the development and maintenance of addiction.........................2
Genetic factors.............................................................................................................................2
Physiological factors....................................................................................................................3
Influence of psychological factors...................................................................................................4
Classical conditioning..................................................................................................................4
Operant conditioning...................................................................................................................5
Influence of Social factors...............................................................................................................6
Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies.....................................................................7
Summary..........................................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................10

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Definition of addiction
Addiction is defined as “learned habits that once established become difficult to
extinguish even in the face of dramatic, and, at times, numerous negative consequences”
(Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013). To define in a simpler way, addiction is the acquired habit that
people find too difficult to let go even when they face risks to their wellbeing. The report aims to
explain addiction and its reasons in details. The main purpose of the essay however, is to explain
the biopsychosocial model of addiction. The biopsychosocial factors include biological,
psychological and social factors leading to addiction. While the biological factors include
genetics, physiology and brain function, psychological factors include conditioning, personality
traits and so on. The social factors associate to peers, family, culture and “other contextual
factors” (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013).
In order to explain these factors of addiction, it is important to understand that addiction
is not limited to just one type. Hence, several factors especially the three mentioned have an
influence on people developing an addiction.
Influence of biological factors in the development and maintenance of addiction
As discussed above, biological factors include the genetically charged factors, brain
functions and physiologically influenced factors.
Genetic factors
Koob and Volkow (2016) have found that genetics contributes largely to an individual
developing addiction. The author gives example of this influence wherein he states that a child of
alcoholic parents if adopted by a family with no alcoholic genes has higher chances of

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developing the addiction of alcohol. Kreek et al. (2005) have also found a relation between
genetics and addiction. the authors revealed in their study that genetic and genomic influence do
have influence on addiction, especially drug addiction and suggest that this influence could be
used to “optimize clinical trials of new addiction medications”. However, Hall, Carter and
Forlini (2015) have found that there has not been any concrete evidence that associates genetic
influence with the development of addiction.
Physiological factors
The physiological factors that influence the development and maintenance of addiction
include tolerance and withdrawal. While tolerance refers to the desire for more substance,
withdrawal means the physical reactions like craving or nauseating. These cause the individual to
develop addiction. As Yao et al. (2014) note, the way chemicals influence an individual is not
constant and varies as per individuals. To cite an example, some having high level of
anxiousness might not feel abnormal when consuming alcohol and might continue drinking
because it does not affect them, they would think. In this way, these individuals might fall in the
cycle of tolerance and withdrawal hence, addiction. Nie et al. (2016) however note that
physiological factors also include gender, memory disorder and so on. The authors state that
although gender is not amongst the most likely of the physiological factors developing addiction,
it does have some contribution. Their research has found that men have “higher rates of addiction
than women”. regarding memory disorders, the authors have found that addiction causes some
people to learn behaviors much late than those without addiction. In particular, those with a
history of substance abuse tend to over learn motivational cues related to alcohol and drug
consumption.

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Influence of psychological factors
Psychological factors are perhaps the most dominant factors that contribute to developing
addiction. The reason for this is that psychology involves the human mental functioning that is
different in different individuals. For example, when someone goes through a phase of
depression, it affects that person’s mental health and he or she might indulge in some form of
addiction to get over this phase. According to Skewes and Gonzalez (2013), psychological
factors also have various subsections such as personality, modeling, conditioning, self-efficacy,
motivation and change.
Classical conditioning
The theories like classical and operant conditioning are also helpful in understanding the
influence of psychological factors in developing and maintaining addiction. Skewes and
Gonzalez (2013), classical conditioning helps in explaining the increase of tolerance and
withdrawal. It also helps understanding the way craving plays in maintaining the addiction.
a. Originally neutral – now
conditioned stimulus
i.e., sights, smells, and sounds
related to substance abuse
b. Unconditioned stimulus
i.e., substance (drugs or alcohol)
c. Response
i.e, psychological and
physiological responses

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Figure 1. Classical Conditioning demonstrating development and maintenance of addiction
(Source: Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013)
In the figure above one could clearly see that the smells, sights and sounds related to
substance use are conditioned to extract the exact response as consuming the substance itself. As
the authors state, “this process helps in maintaining the addiction”.
Operant conditioning
Figure 2. Operant conditioning demonstrating positive and negative outcome
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Person A consumes
cocaine
Person B wants to
forget her abusive past
Person B continues
using cocaine
Person B forgets
about her past
Person A continues to
use cocaine
Person A experiences
positive effects of cocaine

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(Source: Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013).
As evident from the above figure, operant conditioning is utilized to explain the manner
by which people develop and maintain addiction using reinforcement. The reinforcement could
be either positive or negative. In positive reinforcement, the person experiences positive outcome
of cocaine use and hence continues using it On the other hand, in negative reinforcement, the
person continues to use cocaine to remove an unwanted memory or consequence of the past.
Other psychological influences are also there that help understand the development and
maintenance of addiction including behavioral theories and cognitive behavioral theories.
Influence of Social factors
The authors explain that social components such as “neighborhood crime, availability of
the substance, tolerance and acceptance of drug use and poor support from community” are
behind the development of addiction. Velleman, Templeton and Copello (2005) further provide a
clear explanation of the social model of addiction and state that addiction stems from and is
continued due to the following factors:
 Social norms
 Social environment and
 Family influences
Social environment and setting are vital contributing factors to addiction. People living
under certain social setting such as poverty tend to develop addiction at a higher rate than those
living under financially sound conditions. However, the statement could be contested in that the

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social setting relating to better financial condition but poor cultural values might also cause the
development of addiction.
Social norms emerge from the social setting. The social surrounding and setting decide
the way the drug is used and this becomes the norm that defines informal and formal rules. While
the informal rules, meaning the unspoken laws practiced by a certain group, are the ones that are
accepted; formal rules refer to the laws that oversee the use of drug.
Other than the social setting and norms, familial influences are also the most important
factors influencing the development and maintenance of addiction. Family could influence a
person’s personality, values, intelligence and behavior. The authors have identified two ways
through which family might influence the development and maintenance of addiction (Skewes &
Gonzalez, 2013). These include:
 Nature-based, generic pathways
 Nurture-based family system pathways
Poor parent-child relationships, disruption in the family, drug abuse by parent or sibling,
social deprivation, low economic status, poor styles of parenting are some of the ways by which
family life might increase a person’s development of addiction and its maintenance. Apart from
these factors, sexual, emotional or physical abuse leading to trauma, positive attitude of parents
towards alcohol or drugs, too rigid boundaries also contribute to the development and
maintenance of addiction. Therefore, it is clearly established that social factors have a huge role
to play in a person developing and maintaining addiction.
Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies

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Proper prevention strategies implemented at the right time could help a person come out
of addiction or even stay away from it. Three types of preventions strategies are there (Skewes &
Gonzalez, 2013):
 Primary prevention
 Secondary prevention and
 Tertiary prevention
Primary prevention intends to prevent the initiation of addiction or delay the initiation of
addiction at an early age. The strategy has proved to be one of the best because it stops addiction
at an age when a person is the most vulnerable. one of the most effective primary strategies is to
promote health education amongst the population and eliminate all the factors that could
instigate a person to develop addiction (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013).
In secondary prevention strategy, the younger generations who have already developed
addiction are targeted (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013). Under this strategy, the main aim is to
control the damage already caused to the person developing addiction. Counseling sessions are
amongst some effective secondary prevention strategies used to help people come out of initial
addiction.
Tertiary prevention strategies, also known as relapse or rehabilitation strategies aim to
minimize the damage caused by addiction by providing rehabilitation to the person and make her
or him drug free. This strategy enables the person to achieve and maintain the enhanced levels of
health and overall functioning. Various nonprofit, non-governmental organizations and private
organizations provide rehabilitation centers equipped with all the basic and advanced facilities to
enhance the overall wellbeing of a person who has reached the stage of maintaining addiction.

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Summary
To summarize, it needs to be reiterated that the biopsychosocial model of addiction, as
discussed above, help greatly in understanding the reasons and causes of addiction development
and maintenance. The analysis found that the biological factors of addiction include genetic
influences wherein the person develops addiction because of someone in his or her family had
addiction problems. Gender and mental disorders also lead to addiction development.
Psychological factors mostly discussed the classical and operant conditioning that influences
addiction. The social factors included familial influence, social settings and social norms.

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References:
Hall, W., Carter, A., & Forlini, C. (2015). The brain disease model of addiction: is it supported
by the evidence and has it delivered on its promises?. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(1), 105-
110.
Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2016). Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysis. The
Lancet Psychiatry, 3(8), 760-773.
Kreek, M. J., Nielsen, D. A., Butelman, E. R., & LaForge, K. S. (2005). Genetic influences on
impulsivity, risk taking, stress responsivity and vulnerability to drug abuse and addiction.
Nature neuroscience, 8(11), 1450.
Nie, J., Zhang, W., Chen, J., & Li, W. (2016). Impaired inhibition and working memory in
response to internet-related words among adolescents with internet addiction: A
comparison with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry research, 236, 28-34.
Skewes, M. C., & Gonzalez, V. M. (2013). The biopsychosocial model of addiction. Principles
of addiction, 1, 61-70.
Velleman, R. D., Templeton, L. J., & Copello, A. G. (2005). The role of the family in preventing
and intervening with substance use and misuse: a comprehensive review of family
interventions, with a focus on young people. Drug and alcohol review, 24(2), 93-109.
Yao, M. Z., He, J., Ko, D. M., & Pang, K. (2014). The influence of personality, parental
behaviors, and self-esteem on Internet addiction: a study of Chinese college students.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(2), 104-110.