ABSTRACT
Motivation concepts have always been central to theorizing in addiction. Across areas of investigation, substance use has been approached in terms of its instrumentality to fulfill different motivations or goals such as achieve a pleasant drug “high,” escape an aversive withdrawal “low” or cope with negative affect, socializing, etc. Furthermore, motivation concepts such as craving, choice, incentive, after self-control, and impulsivity have been at the core of theorizing about addiction. They have been invoked to understand the overpowering motivational strength of the desire to obtain drugs and individual’s decreased ability to abstain from using drugs despite negative consequences. In a recent review article, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and her collaborator declared addiction as “a pathology of motivation and choice” (Kalivas & Volkow, 2005).
