Addiction Is Driven by Excessive Goal-directed Drug Choice Under Negative Affect: translational critique of habit and compu

Course overview

This article examines different theories of drug addiction: goal-directed choice driven by drug value in negative states, habit driven by stimulus-response associations, and compulsion driven by insensitivity to costs. Evidence from both animals and humans is evaluated. The excessive goal theory finds support through the association of dependence severity with greater drug choice and economic demand. Habit theory has weaker support, as habitual behavior in drug-exposed animals does not align with complex decision scenarios or rewarded responses. Compulsion theory also has weak support, as the persistence of punished drug-seeking is better explained by drug value rather than insensitivity to costs. Overall, the data suggest that human addiction is primarily driven by excessive goal-directed drug choice during negative affect, with less influence from habit or compulsion. Addiction becomes pathological when negative states overpower abstinence goals by increasing the expected value of drugs.