There are several essential components of addiction that are considered non-biological. These include cultural and social values, situational factors, ritual, developmental variations, personality differences and cognitive bias. To fully describe the reality of addiction, all of these components must be considered and understood.

Cultural Values

Different cultures view substances in different ways. This difference in perception influences the use of, and the reaction to the substance that in turn encourages or discourages the likelihood of addiction. The presence of a substance in one culture may lead to addiction, but in another follow no abuse pattern. The introduction of a substance into a culture that does not have a social mechanism for regulating its use already established is a common historical theme. There are several historical examples. In India, the use of opium was never considered a dangerous substance. Indeed, it was grown and used in a social context but was not considered an addictive substance. When introduced to China by the British, opium quickly become a major social problem. Prior to the coming of the Spanish, the Hopi Indians drank alcohol in a ritualistic fashion. Following the Spanish arrival, however, alcoholism became prevalent among the same group of Indians. The introduction of a substance into two cultures simultaneously can lead to different outcomes. Heroin was introduced to the United States and Europe at the same time. In the U.S. heroin, addiction was a social catastrophe, while in Europe, the addiction was considered an American disease.

By looking at cultural perspectives, it is evident that the amount of substance in use at any given time or place does not account for addictive potential. Rather, the effects of alcohol and its presence within a culture correlate more closely with addiction. During the colonial period in America, alcohol consumption was higher than it is today, but the level of alcoholism was far less. Eastern Europeans and Russians are known for consuming large amounts of alcohol, and they have a high rate of alcoholism. In these cultures, and others where alcoholism is rampant (such as among American Indians, Eskimos, and Scandinavians) the display of antisocial aggression and loss of control while intoxicated is excused. These behaviors, the hallmarks of alcoholism, are neither as prevalent or as widely displayed in other cultures that also consume large amounts of alcohol (such as Greeks, Italians) but where alcoholism is low. Clearly, cultural factors influence the nature of addiction. The exact mechanisms of how they do this are not so easily studied and therefore continue to be poorly understood.

Social Values

Behavior is closely tied to the social and peer groups to which a person belongs. Peer pressure exerts a powerful influence over adolescents and to a lesser, but not trivial, degree over adults. Individuals can easily be coerced into initiating and continuing behaviors such as drug use when surrounded by influential peers. Types of behaviors or drug use are not the only things that are influenced by peer pressure, though. Styles can also be changed. How much an individual will drink or smoke, or what kind of alcohol or cigarettes are consumed, the peer group will, often determine. In addition, peer groups can affect patterns of usage as well as the way the drug is experienced. Individuals seek to cognitively define the internal states that are a direct result of drug effects by noting the reactions of others.

The influence of peer group pressure on drug experiences is best noted with marijuana. The use of this substance is a social learning process and involves the peer group as "teachers" in many aspects of its use. In its early introduction, this drug has to be taught how to be smoked effectively. Users will educate the new user how to recognize and anticipate its effects. The peer group helps the novice define why the altered state is a desirable one. Such social learning is present in all types of drug use as well as other behaviors that often lead to addiction.

Situational Factors

An individual's desire for a drug cannot be separated from the situation that surrounds the person taking the drug. Studies by Falk et al. (1983) showed that animals that were addicted to alcohol through an intermittent feeding schedule reduced their alcohol intake when their feeding schedules were normalized. In addition, in the absence of alternatives, the animal is more apt to overindulge. In humans, plausible alternatives will often redirect behavior away from drug use despite the positive mood changes associated with it. Servicemen returning from Vietnam who had been drug addicted during the war often did not become readdicted when they used the same drugs on the home front.

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