Learning theorists suggest that alcoholism depends on learning and culture. What four arguments support this view? Analyze each argument

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
? Addiction patterns vary according to cultural practices and the social environment.
o Alcoholism is much more likely to occur in societies that forbid children to drink but condone drunkenness in adults than in societies that teach children how to drink responsibly and moderately but condemn adult drunkenness.
? Policies of total abstinence tend to increase rates of addiction rather than reduce them.
o During prohibition, overall rates of drinking decreased, but rates of alcoholism among those who did drink increased.
? Not all addicts have withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking a drug.
o Soldiers who were addicted to heroin in Vietnam often quit with no withdrawal symptoms when they returned home.
? Addiction does not depend on properties of the drug alone but also on the reasons for taking it.
o Those who take drugs for pain control to be able to function normally are less likely to become addicted than people who use drugs to escape from their problems.