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Siegel (1975), summarized in Turkanan (1987) ’s work, illustrates
the powerful influences that classical conditioning can exert on drug action. Derived from
this, we can say that if the drug-receptor interaction was the only issue of importance in
dependency behaviour, then anyone who ever used a drug would be addicted. As addiction is
the exception rather than the mean, this may mean other processes are far more important
in determining dependency that drug action alone. Expect recreational drug use to decline
once it goes out of fashion and stops being “cool”. This has happened in New York with
crack cocaine. It is now no longer “cool” and is much less common. Fashion seems more
powerful than the pharmacology of addiction. |