A universal problem grasping the lives of many victims worldwide is addiction. Hiding itself in a variety of different substances and states from drugs and alcohol to food, it takes over individual’s lives and families. Addiction is very complex and deals with biological, physiological, psychological, behavioral and spiritual aspects of a person. It is best to think of addiction as multilayered of disorders, by which compulsive use of the addicting substance is only one of them. Defining addiction is hard enough, so one can imagine how hard diagnosing addiction can be. For this reason, it is left to counselors who are trained and have a vast knowledge of the issue at hand.
Substance Use disorders can be easy to misunderstand and society views drug abuse as being caused by lack of “will”. Even moderate use can affect a person’s mood, mental state, and coping abilities and in ways that can stop therapeutic progress or can develop a more serious substance problem. For these reasons it is important to be familiar with the diagnostic criteria and categories that define substance use disorders. Addiction specialists see substance use disorders as conditions that are influenced by a web of interaction between biological, psychological and social factors that are presented in different degrees in each individual. Social factors include variables such as socioeconomic status, heaving drinking in certain peer groups or subcultures and religious prohibitions against using psychoactive substances. Expectancies about the positive effects of alcohol and other drugs develop through peer influence, adult examples and mass media. These experiences can shape the actual alcohol or drug experience once experimentation has begun. For example, if peer influence prompts you to use drugs or alcohol during parties or different social events, than drinking alcohol or doing drugs becomes part of the inclusion requirement. This can innately be contributed to the social learning theory. Albert Bandura states in the social learning theory that behavior is learned from the environment through observational learning. Reinforcements can then keep the act from continuing. For example, a teenager that begins drinking and begins to feel more self confident or like they are fitting in, will associate drinking with a better image of themselves.
Growing up, a friend of mine would always complain that her parents drank in excess after work every day. They drank to the point of it being a problem and affecting their health. As the years went by, slowly my friend would begin joining her parents and through observed social learning had attributed drinking as a way to cope with the stress of a long day. Gradually, like many within addiction, my friend began losing contact with those who did not enjoy drinking to excess. Her social circle revolved around drinking with her parents and other friends who drank as much as she did.
In many instances, social learning theory can be used for the treatment of addiction. This can be done by incorporating new groups of individuals who have healthier habits into your life, observing and adapting to new positive coping mechanisms and learning refusal skills in response to peer pressure.
Albert Bandura | Social Learning Theory | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html
Schlosser, A., & Hoffer, L. (2012). The Psychotropic Self/Imaginary: Subjectivity and Psychopharmaceutical Use Among Heroin Users with Co-Occurring Mental Illness. Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, 36(1), 26-50.
Washton, A., & Zweben, J. Treating Alcohol and Drug Problems in Psychotherapy Practice: Doing What Works. (2006).Guilford Press.
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Social Learning Theory and Addiction | Applied Social Psychology (ASP)
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