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Drugs as instruments: A new framework for non-addictive psychoactive drug use
Abstract
Most people who are regular consumers of psychoactive drugs are not drug addicts, nor will they ever become addicts. In neurobiological theories, non-addictive drug consumption is acknowledged only as a “necessary” prerequisite for addiction, but not as a stable and widespread behavior in its own right. This target article proposes a new neurobiological framework theory for non-addictive psychoactive drug consumption, introducing the concept of “drug instrumentalization.” Psychoactive drugs are consumed for their effects on mental states. Humans are able to learn that mental states can be changed on purpose by drugs, in order to facilitate other, non-drug-related behaviors. We discuss specific “instrumentalization goals” and outline neurobiological mechanisms of how major classes of psychoactive drugs change mental states and serve non-drug-related behaviors. We argue that drug instrumentalization behavior may provide a functional adaptation to modern environments based on a historical selection for learning mechanisms that allow the dynamic modification of consummatory behavior. It is assumed that in order to effectively instrumentalize psychoactive drugs, the establishment of and retrieval from a drug memory is required. Here, we propose a new classification of different drug memory subtypes and discuss how they interact during drug instrumentalization learning and retrieval. Understanding the everyday utility and the learning mechanisms of non-addictive psychotropic drug use may help to prevent abuse and the transition to drug addiction in the future.
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“Several studies have reported some clinical benefits of hypnotic, meditative and psychedelic trances on pain, emotional regulation, sleep, fatigue, stress, cognitive difficulties and quality of life [43–48].”
From Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices (2024) · cites this paper as [43]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Müller, C. P., & Schumann, G.
- Affiliations
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- ORCID
- Müller, Christian P.
- Venue
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2011-11-10
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 293-310
- ISSN
- 0140-525X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-1825
- OpenAlex
- W2094928962
- Cited by
- 286
- References
- 593
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- drug addiction, drug memory, learning mechanisms, consummatory behavior, psychotropic drugs, addiction prevention
- MeSH terms
- Association Learning, Conditioning, Operant, Biological Evolution, Humans, Models, Psychological, Psychological Theory, Psychomotor Performance, Self Medication, Behavior, Addictive, Drug Users, Drug-Seeking Behavior
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