ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the etiology of drug “addiction”. The arguments presented in the chapter are tenable, but they represent only one of several perspectives used in studying substance use. Drug addiction is defined behaviorally; it carries no connotations regarding the drug’s potential adverse effects, the social acceptability of drug usage, or the physiological consequences of chronic drug administration. Initial drug use can be motivated by a number of factors. Curiosity about the drug’s effects, peer pressure, or psychodynamic processes can all provide sufficient motivation for experimental or circumstantial drug use. Drug addiction is frequently divided into two phases, acquisition and maintenance. A primary issue in considering the etiology of drug addiction is whether addiction to various drugs represents different processes, each specific to a particular drug type, or whether some general mechanism underlies addiction to different pharmacological classes of drugs. Several animal models of human drug addiction have been studied.
