Stress, habits, and drug addiction: A psychoneuroendocrinological perspective

Schwabe, L, Dickinson, A., & Wolf, O. (2011). Stress, habits, and drug addiction: A psychoneuroendocrinological perspective. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 19(1), 53–63

Chapter 8 in the text provides explanations of the different classes of drugs, and it emphasizes how these different types of drugs influence the brain and behavior. Further, we viewed a video in class and discussed in depth the relationship between drugs and addiction, and the various negative consequences of psychological and physical dependency. While addictive qualities vary from one drug to the next, factors leading to addiction could be similar across the board. Schwabe, Dickinson, and Wolf (2011) suggest that stressors are indirectly linked to not only addiction but also vulnerability to relapse. The researchers propose neurological mechanisms through which voluntary (recreational) drug use leads to involuntary (dependent) drug use. These include two different types of instrumental or learning actions. Drug use begins with an “action-outcome” process of learned associations. Recreational drug users perform the action of using a drug, and the outcome is often pleasurable or what they desired to feel. However, at a certain limit, this voluntary drug use become compulsive and habitual. This second type of learning is deemed “stimulus-response” by the researchers, meaning that the stimulus of a “craving” or “need” for the drug is present, and the response is to use the drug to feel the previous sense of pleasure. The major question arises, though: what causes this switch in learning mechanisms to cause recreational drug use to turn into addiction? Evidence cited by the researchers in this study suggests that stress and stress hormones can play a role in this mechanism switch. The release of stress hormones by a previously-addicted brain could reinstate the habitual type of stimulus-response, and thus cause an individual to become more vulnerable to addiction. The researchers also propose that prolonged exposure to stressors may cause the acceleration from voluntary to involuntary drug use and abuse. This research could prove invaluable to the treatment of drug or alcohol addiction and also be helpful in the prevention of relapse in individuals who have beat their addictions. For instance, an ex-alcoholic may be aware that stress could cause a relapse, so he or she might learn how to avoid stress-provoking situations, and could be taught measures to cope and reduce inevitable life stressors. This was quite an interesting article!