The life-process model of addiction is the view that

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

is not a

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

but rather a habitual response and a source of gratification and security that can be understood only in the context of

social relationship A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...

s and experiences. This model of addiction is in opposition to the

disease model of addiction The disease model of addiction describes an addiction as a disease with biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. The traditional medical model of disease requires only that an abnormal condition be present that cause ...

. It was originated and advocated by Stanton Peele in his book ''The Truth About Addiction and Recovery'' (with Archie Brodsky and Mary Arnold, 1991). Proponents of the life-process model argue that unitary biological mechanisms cannot account for addictive behavior and thus do not support using the term ''disease''. They instead emphasize the individual's ability to overcome addiction by augmenting life options and coping mechanics, pursuing values and purpose, repairing relationships, and expressing personal agency — all of which occur through normal human development. Indeed, the disease model impedes these natural life processes. The biological mechanisms typically claimed to underlie all forms of addiction (

CREB CREB-TF (CREB, cAMP response element-binding protein) is a cellular transcription factor. It binds to certain DNA sequences called cAMP response elements (CRE), thereby increasing or decreasing the transcription of the genes. CREB was first de ...

and

ΔFosB Protein fosB, also known as FosB and G0/G1 switch regulatory protein 3 (G0S3), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (''FOSB'') gene. The FOS gene family consists of four members: FOS, F ...

) — while psychosocial factors are considered as only tangential issues leading to lesser or greater use and exposure — were reviewed by

Eric J. Nestler Eric J. Nestler is the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. His ...

in 2013. The range of data opposing these assertions and disputing the chronic relapsing disease nature of addiction were reviewed by Gene M. Heyman in 2013a and 2013b, and by Stanton Peele in 2016. Peele particularly cites US and international epidemiological data indicating worsening mental health and drug use outcomes dating from the 1990s, when American investment in neuropsychiatric approaches and brain research rose to billions of dollars annually.

References

Addiction psychiatry Substance-related disorders {{Socio-stub

See also

References