Addiction and Substance Use

Abstract

Abstract A number of evolutionary explanations for substance use and addiction have been advanced, with much of the debate centered on whether humans have evolved specific adaptations for drug use, or whether it is better to conceptualize the human attraction to psychoactive substances as reflecting their action on more domain-general motivational and emotional systems that have evolved for other purposes. This chapter reviews evolutionary approaches to understanding drug use and addiction, arguing that extant approaches fail to fully account for the heterogenous nature of substance use and the range of effects that drugs have on users. To more clearly conceptualize substance-using behavior, the author argues that one needs to consider how drugs affect different motivational and emotional systems. This approach can account for the diverse nature of drug-using experiences, and can also provide insights into how drug use and addiction varies by age, gender, and other individual characteristics.