Welcome to week three

Welcome to week three of Understanding Addiction.

Last week we established a basic understanding of what an addiction is. This week we will take a closer look at the dominant models and theories of addiction, including their consequences for prevention and treatment interventions.

There are numerous ways that addiction is understood, and various models have been proposed to offer explanations. An understanding of the complex science of addiction can improve prevention and treatment responses.

This week we focus on five models of addiction that have influenced drug policy, research and treatment approaches in Australia:

• Moral
• Disease
• Psychological
• Socio-cultural
• Biopsychosocial.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and there are many other models and theories of addiction. It is also worth noting that the concept of addiction extends beyond substance use to other behaviours such as gambling, gaming and internet use, sex, pornography, eating, and exercise. However, we will restrict our attention solely to substance addiction this week.