The Driving Force of Addiction

Key words: Impulsion vs Compulsion

Today’s post will be short & to the point. As always, nothing in this substack should be considered to be authoritative or comprehensive. There are many books in circulation today which discuss the underlying themes of addiction and many are quite thorough. In contrast to those books, today’s post will present a somewhat oversimplified, yet easily conceptualized, explanation of the progression of addiction that too frequently occurs in individuals with long term substance abuse.

With that said… the goal today is to have a better understanding of that which is experienced by those who progress from first time users to those with serious substance abuse disorders and to have a better understanding of what they may feel.

The first key word to consider is: Impulsion. Early on, an individual’s substance use is impulsive in nature. Typically, they are seeking short term benefits at the risk of long term consequences. Perhaps, potential consequences aren’t fully considered. At any rate, the individual is looking for a high & willing to risk at least *something* to get it. In this way, early substance use is driven by impulsion.

With continued use, as time goes on, slowly but suddenly the driving factor is no longer impulsion, but rather compulsion. The second key word to consider is: Compulsion. For example… With repeated use, the euphoria associated with heroin use is diminished, tolerance is developed and the individual who was previously driven to use for the sake of a high is now using almost entirely to avoid experiencing dreaded withdrawal symptoms. No longer are they impulsively seeking short term pleasure, instead they are in a vicious cycle that can only be broken through detoxification, ideally with medical supervision and guidance.

So let’s wrap this up. Initial substance use is typically impulsive & eventually transitions to being compulsive. Patient’s find themselves trapped in the depths of addiction and due to regular oversaturation of opioid receptors, they cannot effectively function without continued use. In this way, they are compelled to use.

As always thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.

DISCLAIMER

This is not Medical Advice and while the reader believes what he has shared, substack dot com does not equate to strong evidence. Please do not treat patients based on what is read in this post, these are opinions of an internet stranger. Instead use these posts as a starting point for furthering your own study & education.