What is an addiction?
When we say that a person has a substance addiction, what do we really mean? Over the years, many answers have been proposed; however, there is no clear consensus on …
Course: Understanding Addiction
Moral vs disease conceptualisation
These definitions we looked at earlier this week really only describe addiction, they do not explain it. Even conceptualising it is difficult. Most of the twentieth century saw theories of …
Summary
That brings us to the end of week one! A week founded on statistics may seem a little dry, but this provides a great foundation for next week. This week …
The psychology of addiction
Substance abuse is widely reported to have significant effects as a burden on society, but why do people develop an addiction? What is the psychology behind this? The increasing trend …
Summary
This week we have explored the philosophy of harm reduction in the context of some well-known harm reduction programs. We also considered how the philosophy of harm reduction could be …
The Dangers of Methamphetamine Use
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. It is also commonly referred to as meth, blue, ice and crystal. How Much is Methamphetamine Used? …
Non-Medical Pharmaceutical Use
Non-medical pharmaceutical use refers to consuming a prescription or over-the-counter drug for non-therapeutic purposes or other than directed by a registered healthcare professional (Larance et al., 2011). Uses of Pharmaceutical …