Anticipation for Drugs
For addicts, it is difficult to think through their day
without a thought of their substance of abuse. It is important to consider the impact
that drug anticipation has on the addiction. When different cues throughout
their day help to push them towards their addiction, it becomes difficult for
the addict to push away their anticipation and choose not to use. Matt Field
writes that, “The majority of addicted individuals will relapse to drug use
after a period of abstinence.” This shows the extreme control that anticipation
can have because they are constantly hoping for, looking forward to, and
wondering when their next time of use will be.
It is more common for users to place themselves in social
environments which lead to the temptation and anticipation for using, and this
tends to be one of the most conflicting behaviors with the abusers desire to quit.
Field et al states that “reward (including drug reward) comprises three
distinct components: liking, wanting, and learning.” The addiction to drugs
starts out from the “reward,” which is the liking and enjoyment of the drug. This
then leads to wanting and desiring for the continued use of the drug. Finally,
this can lead to the learning stage, which is when anticipation begins to start
from expecting it at certain time and in certain social situations. The
implications resulting from these findings show that limiting the abusers
availability or limiting the social interactions that bring about thoughts of
drug use can cognitively bring about a reduction in drug use. By cognitively
transforming the drug abusers thoughts and anticipation for the drug, it could
begin to limit use of the drug.
The limitation with this study is that only tobacco addiction
was studied, and alcohol and drug addictions would also need to be studied to
better understand whether anticipation would alter all types of SUD or just
tobacco abuse. The tobacco addiction is crucial to understanding SUD, but
studying alcohol and drug abuse would help to better understand the effect of
drug anticipation on that area, as well.
Jędras, P., Jones, A., & Field, M. (2014). The role
of anticipation in drug addiction and reward. Neuroscience &
Neuroeconomicss, 31-9. doi:10.2147/NAN.S35917
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