Addiction prevention programs that emphasize negative future consequences of substance abuse don’t appear to be working. Essentially, addicts not only value instant pleasure but they also devalue future consequences. Despite the fact that now more than ever, schools educate students on the risks of substance abuse, the number of cases involving substance abuse disorders continues to climb.
This is also true regardless of television regularly displaying the destructive nature of drug abuse, including its negative consequences and social repercussions while intoxicated (often surrounding celebrity hype) and the harsh rigors of trying to get and stay sober (often shown through popular reality shows such as “Intervention”). And while educational exposure to the negative, long-term repercussions of drug and alcohol use maybe prevent some people from developing addictions, others remain vulnerable. Scientists are starting to understand why this is the case.
People who are at risk for developing substance abuse disorders tend to exhibit a trait called “delay discounting,” which is a cognitive function that involves circuits in the frontal cortex of the brain that stores and manages information necessary to guide behavior. This trait causes the tendency to devalue rewards and punishments that occur in the future. It is often paralleled by “reward myopia,” a tendency to choose immediate rewarding stimuli like drugs or alcohol. This may be one reason why education alone cannot prevent substance abuse. Studies have found that people vulnerable to addiction, who know that drugs are harmful in the long-run, devalue such information and are drawn to the instant rewarding effects of drugs or alcohol. (Medical News Today)
This is also evident with those suffering from substance dependencies who face legal, financial, or health problems. Studies have shown they almost consistently choose instant gratification as long as the reward is sooner, despite whether the future reward is greater. Neuroscientists understand that a major challenge in preventing and treating addiction is the reduced value of future reward, especially once the brain is hijacked by drugs or alcohol.
In a new study, published in Biological Psychiatry, faculty members of Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute present a strategy that increases the value of future rewards in the minds of substance abuses and those at risk. The researches found that by increasing an individual’s ability to remember decreases the level of discounting future events. The head researcher reiterated, an “improved memory resulted in a greater appreciation of future reward.” (Medical News Today)
The idea for this rehabilitation technique was borrowed from methods used on stroke and traumatic brain injury victims. It involves individuals repeatedly performing working memory tasks. Ultimately, the brain “exercises” were found to promote the functioning of underlying cognitive circuits. When used on substance abuses, this cognitive rehabilitation tool improved working memory and reduced the discounting of delayed rewards. Such a tool may also prove to be invaluable in reaching those most at risk for substance abuse
