The Social Deviant and Initial Addiction to Narcotics and Alcohol

Abstract

A preliminary and tentative outline of the development of alcoholism and opiate addiction is presented. The more ready availability of alcohol and the greater acceptability of its use by the larger society is undoubtedly partially responsible for the enormity of the difference in the incidence of these addictions. However, except for such specific differences as those found in the development of tolerance to and length of action of these drugs, the following formulation would seem to apply equally to both. 1. While a lawful concurrence of events determines the "high" degree of avail-ability of drug supplies to the social deviant, he does not initially actively seek them. 2. Deficient social controls determine acceptability to the individual of experimentation with drugs. 3. Fortuity, at least with respect to individual choice, determines the drug which will be tried initially and the circumstances under which this occurs. 4. Reinforcement from daily activities is inadequate, and counter-anxiety is not of sufficient strength to deter the social deviant from retrial and excessive use. 5. The progress of initial addiction is determined by learning and conditioning. In this process the degree of reinforcement and, therefore, the probability of repeated use are contingent upon (a) the interaction of specific effects of the drug used and the particular patterning of social and idiosyncratic responses of the individual; and (b) relief of abstinence symptoms following repeated use. 6. After sufficient periods of abstinence to eliminate measurable signs of physiological dependence, relapse occurs according to further learning principles partially described in the pharma-codynamic theory of Wikler. While it would seem plausible that Wikler''s theoretical position could be effectively applied to alcoholism, it has not been developed in this connection.