Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction
Addiction as a Biopsychosocial Disease
Biopsychosocial is a model of addiction that incorporates psychological, biological, and social-cultural factors that lead to substance abuse and must be regarded as an effective way to manage and treat. Given its chronic nature, drug addiction is not simple to treat because it is exhibited by an insatiable, compulsive, and uncontrolled urge. Due to its harmful consequences, it has long-lasting effects, thus misleads one’s brain to an extent of displaying dangerous characters. Relapse is an attempt to quit drugs only to resume a higher urge and deteriorated abuse pattern, making it hard to contain drug addiction completely.
Biopsychosocial is preferred over the brain disease addiction model for its approaches in biological, psychological, social, and behavioral points of view (du Plessis, 2018). Medication is useful to suppress withdrawal syndromes in the way of restoring brain normalcy and reduce cravings. It also helps in medically-induced detoxification (Cheng, 2018). However, this is the first step of treatment but not the actual treatment. On the other hand, the behavioral approach aims to help the patients change the attitudes and behaviors linked to drug and substance abuse. The biopsychosocial model considers factors similar to other models to a greater or lesser extent since the mutual relation between the environment, genetic-biological factors, individuals’ behaviors and thoughts to maintain their health in the process of becoming sick.
Since this model factors both behavioral therapy and medication approaches, it is easier for active management in the current substance abuse crisis. The biopsychosocial model remains the best to guide the field of addiction owing to its effectiveness, coherence, and efficacy in treatment. In addition to the effective way of containing drug abuse, the criminal justice system has been proven successful as a humane approach to helping offenders reform in their behaviors.
References
Cheng, J. (2018). My Take on the Biopsychosocial Model of Patient-Centered Care. Pain Medicine, 19(11), 2101-2103. https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/19/11/2101/5106421
du Plessis, G. (2018). INTEGRAL FOUNDATION FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT: Beyond the Biopsychosocial Model. Integral Publishers. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmed_Yousif_Ali2/publication/328149011_book_review_An_Integral_Foundation_for_Addiction_Treatment_Beyond_The_Psychosocial_Model_by_Guy_Du_Plessis/links/5be560c04585150b2ba9113b/book-review-An-Integral-Foundation-for-Addiction-Treatment-Beyond-The-Psychosocial-Model-by-Guy-Du-Plessis.pdf