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A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

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Addiction concepts and international control.

¹Stockholm Univ., and Deputy Director of the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs.

The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs

|January 13, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Addiction concepts emerged with increased psychoactive substance availability during global expansion. These concepts helped reconcile substance accessibility with societal demands for sobriety, influencing early alcohol and drug policies.

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Area of Science:

Social Sciences
History of Medicine
Criminology

Background:

The rise of addiction as a concept is linked to the expansion of psychoactive substance availability during European empires and the Industrial Revolution.
Addiction concepts emerged as a framework to understand the tension between increased substance access and the need for sobriety in new industrial societies.

Observation:

The concept of addiction was initially applied to alcohol and subsequently extended to other psychoactive substances.
The historical development of addiction concepts reflects societal responses to changing patterns of substance use and availability.

Findings:

Addiction concepts served to explain contradictions between substance availability and societal demands for sobriety.
The definition and application of addiction concepts evolved over time, broadening from alcohol to other substances.

Implications:

The historical context of addiction concepts is crucial for understanding their current application and limitations.
The study highlights the complex and often contradictory role of addiction in international drug control treaties, where it is cited as justification but often excluded from practical considerations.