| Course | ADC 510 Addiction Theories and Practice |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Theory comparison with case |
| Length | About 1,066 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 510 Module 2
Weak, Sick or Stuck? Theories of Addiction and a Client's Question
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 510: Addiction Theories and Practice
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Weak, Sick or Stuck? Theories of Addiction and a Client's Question
Travis, thirty-four, entered outpatient treatment at a program in southern Ohio after his second opioid overdose. Like the program and his counselor, he is invented for this course. In his third session he asked a question that many clients ask in one form or another: "Am I just weak? My dad says I could stop if I wanted to." This paper examines what different theories of addiction would say, and how a counselor might answer.
The Moral Model
The oldest view treats addiction as a failure of will or character: people who use drugs excessively choose to do so and could stop if they tried. The moral model has some appeal because it preserves personal responsibility, and many clients, like Travis's father, hold it. But it explains little about why some people develop addiction and others do not, and it tends to produce shame and punishment, which make help-seeking less likely.
The Disease Model
Leshner (1997), writing as head of the federal agency that funds most addiction research, made the case that addiction should be understood as a disease of the brain: prolonged drug use causes lasting changes in brain structure and function, and these changes underlie the compulsive drug seeking that characterizes addiction. Addiction begins with voluntary use, he wrote, but at some point a switch is thrown, and the person's control is compromised. Leshner argued that recognizing addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease should reduce stigma, encourage treatment rather than punishment and lead to treatments addressing both biological and behavioral aspects. The view has shaped research funding and public messaging.
A Critique of Compulsion
Heather (2017) questioned whether compulsion, an irresistible drive to use that overrides choice, is a useful description of addiction. He reviewed evidence that people with addictions respond to incentives, often reduce or stop use when circumstances change and frequently recover without treatment, which is hard to square with the idea that their behavior is compelled. He argued that addiction is better understood as a disorder of choice, in which people repeatedly make choices they later regret and struggle to keep resolutions, rather than as a loss of control. Heather did not deny that brain changes occur, but argued that describing addiction as compulsive misdescribes most people's experience and can undermine their belief in their own capacity to change.
Learning and Environmental Models
Learning theories explain addiction through reinforcement: drugs produce pleasure or relief, and behaviors that are rewarded become more likely. Environmental models emphasize the conditions in which drug use occurs. Alexander et al. (1978) compared rats housed alone in small cages with rats housed together in a large, enriched environment, later called Rat Park. When both groups were offered a morphine solution and water, the isolated rats drank considerably more of the morphine solution than the rats in the social environment. The authors suggested that drug consumption depends substantially on environment. The study has been widely cited, though later attempts to replicate it produced mixed results, and rats are not people. Its lasting influence lies in the question it raises: how much of addiction lies in the person and how much in their circumstances?
Comparing the Models
| Model | Core explanation | Implication for treatment | Answer to Travis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moral | Failure of will or character | Punishment or exhortation | Yes, you are weak; try harder |
| Disease | Lasting brain changes compromise control | Medical treatment, including medication; reduced stigma | No, your brain has changed; this is an illness |
| Learning and choice | Reinforced behavior and repeated choices | Change rewards; build skills for different choices | No, but your choices have been shaped; you can learn new ones |
| Environmental | Circumstances shape use | Change environment, connection and opportunity | No, look at what your life has been like |
Learning Theory in More Detail
Learning theories add two ideas the other models lack. First, drug use is reinforced both positively, by pleasure, and negatively, by relief from withdrawal, stress or painful feelings; for many people the second matters more over time. Second, cues associated with use, such as places, people and moods, come to trigger craving through conditioning. These ideas explain why Travis's craving rose when he drove past the closed factory and why treatment often includes learning to recognize and manage triggers.
Answering Travis
A counselor can draw on several theories without contradiction. His counselor told Travis that the evidence does not support the idea that he is simply weak. Repeated opioid use has changed how his brain responds to drugs and to stress, which helps explain why stopping has been so hard and why medication may help. His circumstances matter too: Travis had lost his job at a closed factory and his marriage in the same year, and his use rose sharply afterward. And he still has choices: about treatment, about medication and about the people and places in his life, and those choices can be supported and practiced. The combination reduces shame, as the disease model intends, while preserving the agency Heather emphasizes and pointing to the environmental changes Rat Park suggests.
What the Evidence Does and Does Not Settle
The evidence does not crown one theory. Brain imaging and animal research support lasting changes with prolonged use, as Leshner argued. Natural recovery and responsiveness to incentives support Heather's emphasis on choice. Environmental research supports Rat Park's broad point, even if the original study is not the strongest evidence for it. The theories describe different levels of the same phenomenon, from cells to choices to communities, and a full account needs all of them. This is the person-in-environment view that runs through this course.
Why Theory Matters in Practice
Theories shape what programs offer. A program built on the moral model might rely on confrontation; one built on the disease model, on medical care; one built on learning, on skills and incentives; one built on environment, on housing, work and connection. Most effective programs now combine elements of several, consistent with the person-in-environment perspective this course emphasizes.
Conclusion
The moral, disease, learning and environmental models offer different explanations of addiction and different answers to a client's question about weakness. Leshner's disease model reduced blame and encouraged treatment, Heather's critique restored attention to choice and Alexander and colleagues' Rat Park study pointed to environment. A counselor can draw on all three to give Travis an answer that is truthful, reduces shame and leaves him with real choices.
References
Alexander, B. K., Coambs, R. B., & Hadaway, P. F. (1978). The effect of housing and gender on morphine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology, 58(2), 175-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426903
Heather, N. (2017). Is the concept of compulsion useful in the explanation or description of addictive behaviour and experience? Addictive Behaviors Reports, 6, 15-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.05.002
Leshner, A. I. (1997). Addiction is a brain disease, and it matters. Science, 278(5335), 45-47. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.278.5335.45
What the ADC 510 Module 2 instructions ask for
The second module of ADC 510 typically asks for a paper comparing theories of addiction. Follow the Module 2 instructions in your Aspen course; the client here is invented. Describe major theories, such as moral, disease, learning and environmental or social models. Present evidence for and criticism of each, using primary sources. Compare their implications for treatment and for how clients understand themselves. Apply the theories to a client, in words the client would understand. Explain how a counselor can draw on several without contradiction. Include APA 7 references for each theory's key sources, and avoid caricaturing the theories you find less persuasive. Say plainly which theory you find most useful in practice and why, after giving the others a fair hearing.
How the ADC 510 Module 2 example is put together
Travis, a composite thirty-four-year-old client at a southern Ohio outpatient program, asks whether his opioid use means he is weak. Leshner's Science article presents addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Alexander, Coambs and Hadaway's Psychopharmacology study shows housing conditions changing morphine intake in rats. Heather's Addictive Behaviors Reports article argues that compulsion is overstated and that choice remains. A four-row table compares moral, disease, learning and environmental models. The counselor's answer to Travis draws on several: his brain has changed, his environment matters and he still has choices, none of which makes him weak. A short section explains how each theory would shape a program's design.
Where the marks sit in the ADC 510 Module 2 rubric
Papers comparing theories do well when each theory is described fairly, fair use of evidence and criticism and application that shows the theories' practical consequences. This example uses primary sources for each position. It presents the disease model's strengths and Heather's critique fairly. The Rat Park study is described accurately, including its limits and the mixed results of later replications. The table shows what each model implies for treatment and for the client's self-understanding. The application avoids choosing one theory dogmatically, showing how a counselor can integrate them in a way that reduces shame without removing agency. The counselor's words to the client are given in full, which shows theory turning into a conversation.
Common ADC 510 Module 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Theory papers often present one theory as correct and others as outdated. Present each fairly, with its evidence and limits. Use primary sources, not only textbook summaries. Show what each theory implies for treatment and stigma. Avoid overstating single studies; Rat Park, for example, has been influential but difficult to replicate. Apply the theories to a client in language the client could understand. Notice that clients often hold theories of their own, sometimes moral ones learned from family or church, and that these shape how they hear what you say. Ask what a client believes about addiction before offering your own view; the answer tells you where to begin.
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ADC 510 Module 2 questions, answered
What does ADC 510 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 510 covers theories of addiction in this module, so a paper comparing moral, disease, learning and environmental models and applying them is typical. Check your Module 2 prompt.
Is addiction a brain disease?
Leshner argued that it is, because drug use changes brain function in lasting ways; critics such as Heather argue that this view overstates compulsion and understates choice.
What was the Rat Park experiment?
Alexander, Coambs and Hadaway found that rats in a large, social environment drank much less morphine solution than rats housed alone, suggesting environment shapes drug use.
Where can I find a free ADC 510 Module 2 sample paper?
The complete paper is here: four ways of explaining addiction, laid side by side, each answering one client's question about weakness.
Why do theories of addiction matter for treatment?
They shape what treatment targets, how blame and stigma are assigned and how clients understand their own capacity to change.