| 2210 |
| Title: |
A Neuroethical Analysis of Addictive Disorders |
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| Date / Time: |
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM |
| Type: |
CONCURRENT |
| Level: |
INTERMEDIATE |
| Sponsor(s): |
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| Speaker(s): |
John D. Banja |
Case managers often assist clients with addictive disorders. It is well known that recidivism rates for certain addictions are very high, and that helping and supporting persons with addictions can be extremely frustrating. This presentation will examine the development and formation of addictive disorders, with a view to their implications for treatment and for moral responsibility (i.e., does the addict really have free will?).
Specifically, we will examine:
• The biophysiological nature of an addictive craving as it is understood on a molecular level and as it exists outside of conscious awareness;
• The craving as becoming a conscious sensation, and the individual’s struggle with the urge to satisfy it;
• Succumbing to the craving, understood as a priming mechanism for future behavior; and
• The post-craving/post-ingestion period, where the user (and others) can reflect on the addictive behavior and plan corrective strategies.
Each of these stages has clinical treatment implications which will be explored. A special point of interest, however, will be to examine what contemporary neuroscientific understanding of addiction reveals about the nature of “free will,” especially in terms of the role of punishment among persons with addictive disorders. We will discuss the cogency of arguments claiming that addicts have little or no free will; and, if so, what can be done about it? |
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