Does habituation play a role in drug habit? Comment on McSweeney, Murphy, and Kowal (2005)

Abstract

Comment on the article, "Regulation of Drug Taking by Sensitization and Habituation," by McSweeney, et al. McSweeney, Murphy, and Kowal offer the intriguing suggestion that the basic behavioral processes of habituation and sensitization play an important role in drug taking, specifically, repeated drug taking. The suggestion is noteworthy because, if correct, it, as the authors point out, could lead to new approaches to prevention and treatment, approaches that involve the use of environmental variables that are relatively accessible. I think their exposition raises several issues. A number of these questions are related to the phenomenon of drug tolerance, an outcome that can be understood as either an instance of or deriving from the process of habituation. The presentation also contains passages in which the logic is not fully clear. Another issue I have with the article is the overall logic approach on the basis of features of drug addiction.