It is curious, that neither Dwight Gooden nor Alec Baldwin seem to have studied chemical dependence; rather, they both – at least jokingly – compare chemical dependence to “process addictions,” bandying about the word addiction, as many people do, until it loses its meaning. It is difficult to examine this podcast using the theories of dependence that we have learned, given the above, and that the segments dealing directly with Gooden’s experience are short and scattered, and often interrupted by Baldwin’s enthusiasm for hearing his own voice. Despite this, some conclusions can be drawn from Gooden’s experiences with dependence. It seems as though the Incentive Sensitization Theory best explains his lived chemical dependence, and that he himself
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This theory is not applicable in Dwight Gooden’s case, because there was no time for the lengthy process required to become dependent that this theory …show more content…
First and foremost, it seems as though the section regarding neurodegeneration most accurately reflects Gooden’s beliefs regarding his own dependence. He describes his inability to make and follow through on decisions, saying, “Once you start it it’s – you’re done,” as though he has no choice; and, soon after that statement, continues with “’Well, I’m just gonna do a little bit,’ and then three days later you’re there doing the same thing.” Gooden describes a loss of control, which Gilpin and Koob explain may be caused by “substantial reductions in the volumes of many brain structures in human alcoholics” in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, which have “central roles in executive functions, such as decisionmaking [sic].” They follow this revelation with its implications, which are vast: those deficits in executive functions may “impact motivational circuits, impairing the ability of the organism to inhibit impulsive behavior and thereby further contributing to pathological drug-seeking behavior,” referencing a study conducted by Jentsch and Taylor in 1999, titled “Impulsivity resulting from frontostriatal dysfunction in drug abuse: implications for the control of behavior by reward-related stimuli.” In other words:
This theory is not applicable in Dwight Gooden’s case, because there was no time for the lengthy process required to become dependent that this theory …show more content…
First and foremost, it seems as though the section regarding neurodegeneration most accurately reflects Gooden’s beliefs regarding his own dependence. He describes his inability to make and follow through on decisions, saying, “Once you start it it’s – you’re done,” as though he has no choice; and, soon after that statement, continues with “’Well, I’m just gonna do a little bit,’ and then three days later you’re there doing the same thing.” Gooden describes a loss of control, which Gilpin and Koob explain may be caused by “substantial reductions in the volumes of many brain structures in human alcoholics” in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, which have “central roles in executive functions, such as decisionmaking [sic].” They follow this revelation with its implications, which are vast: those deficits in executive functions may “impact motivational circuits, impairing the ability of the organism to inhibit impulsive behavior and thereby further contributing to pathological drug-seeking behavior,” referencing a study conducted by Jentsch and Taylor in 1999, titled “Impulsivity resulting from frontostriatal dysfunction in drug abuse: implications for the control of behavior by reward-related stimuli.” In other words: