Impulse control can be defined as an inability to control the desire for a subst
ID: 3458065 • Letter: I
Question
Impulse control can be defined as an inability to control the desire for a substance or act. The lack of impulse control is seen as a factor related to substance abuse but it is not the only factor. Research information on addictions and the two types of addictions (substance addictions and behavioral addictions). Choose one substance addiction and one behavioral addiction and answer the following: Describe each addiction including potential genetic and environmental factors leading to the addiction. Describe the common symptoms, especially those that impact the person both physically and psychologically. Describe the common treatments for the disorders. Explain why a person with an addiction may have a difficult time accepting he or she has an addiction, seeking treatment, and abstaining from the addiction without relapsing.
Explanation / Answer
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You will definitely have to elaborate the answer based on your textbook readings given in the question and any case study you would like to apply.
(Answer) Impulse control mostly works as the mode of an addiction. It is not generally the cause of the addiction itself. A teenager who might drink excessively and party more than required during their youth is basically when lack of impulse control is the cause. When such individuals grow older, they generally discontinue this lifestyle to enter into the next stage of their lives.
For an addict, the cause of their addiction is different from the mode of their addiction. An addict would generally have certain stressors in their life. These stressors would contribute to certain mental and cognitive pressures. In order to relieve such stress, an addict might take up certain activities that help them momentarily subtract the stress from the period of euphoria.
For instance, John is unemployed and has been so for a long time. His bills are piling up and he is very close to being evicted from his home. These stressors have cause John to consume too much pain medication. Since his problems seem to be nowhere close to being solved, his impulse control seems to be getting weaker.
For the case of behavioural addiction, let us assume that Jane is a healthy girl who is insecure about her body. She comes from a family of fairly healthy individuals. She feels that she does not want to look like her family members but, rather she wants to look thinner. She begins to get addicted to working out more than is prescribed. As a result, Jane becomes far too thin. This behavioural addiction is caused by Jane’s view of her family’s genetics and the pressures that she faces about her insecurities.
John now suffers from extreme nerve and kidney damage that the pain medication has caused and Jane has severe muscle damage and deficiencies. The psychological effect of any addiction wears off over time. This is why an addict would generally increase their dose in order to achieve the same euphoric state. However, the physical effect of their action/ consumption would still be the same. Higher doses would have a greater physical impact. This is generally when an individual might over-dose.
Generally, people who accept their weaknesses might be able to talk about it easily, seek help and perhaps even eventually solve their issues. However, people who are in denial about what stresses them out might seek a relief in ways other than healthy communication and interventions by family and friends. These individuals then succumb to addictions and might still be in denial. This is why an addict might find it hard to admit their vulnerabilities. For instance, John might find it difficult to appear weak enough to admit that an issue as common as unemployment has led him to be an addict. Admitting this might be equivalent to admitting to being weak.