Biopsychosocial Influences Essay

Biopsychosocial InfluencesHayley Grace PartridgeBaker College OnlinePSY-2250 – Psychology of Drug Use and AddictionDr. Gwen ZegestowskyJanuary 22, 2023Biopsychosocial InfluencesIn 1987, the American Medical Association classified addiction as a disease – defining it as a chronic brain disease where substance abuse becomes uncontrollable due to the changes it causes in the brain (Thrive by IU Health, 2022). Diseases can be prevented and treated, but they cannot be cured. Much like how diabetes is a disease of the pancreas and heart disease is a disease of the heart, so if addiction is a disease of the brain (Thrive by IU Health, 2022). The disease model of addiction has helped reduce stigma towards addiction as it focuses mainly on biological factors (Marc, 2018), Unlike the moral model of addiction that views addiction as a moral weakness and a lack of willpower (YouthAOD Toolbox, n.d.). Addiction cannot be explained solely by biological factors or social and environmental factors. The biopsychosocial model of addiction aims to explain addiction through an interaction of psycho-social factors and neurogenetics (Buchman et al., 2010), which means addiction results from