An integrated psychology for the addictions: beyond the Self-Medication Hypothesis

The Self-Medication Hypothesis (SMH) is a popular explanation for chemical dependencies. The SMH ignores or leaves out important biological research which has explored the mechanisms of reward, motivation to use alcohol/drugs, as well as the impact on mood of chronic, excessive alcohol/drug use. A new psychology is needed which includes this biological research as well as the psychological observations contained in the SMH. Self Psychology is used to create an integrated psychology for the addictions.