Addiction as experiential avoidance

Consumption as a strategy to mitigate withdrawal and pain

From the perspective of functional behavior analysis, addictive behaviors are not interpreted simply as a hedonistic pursuit of pleasure or a lack of willpower, but as a learned and highly reinforced coping strategy to manage discomfort.

Although the initiation of substance use (or a behavior such as gambling) may be motivated by curiosity or social amusement, the maintenance of addiction is often governed by negative reinforcement: the person uses to make something "bad" go away.

That "something bad" may be physical withdrawal (tremors, nausea), but often it is underlying emotional pain or an inability to tolerate aversive internal states.

For example, a person may start smoking tobacco in adolescence because of social pressure, but continue to do so years later because, every time he or she quits smoking, he or she experiences acute anxiety and irritability. The act of lighting a cigarette instantly eliminates that anxiety.

The brain learns a powerful lesson: "If I smoke, the anxiety goes away." Similarly, someone with unresolved trauma may use alcohol not to celebrate, but to shut down intrusive memories or feelings of emptiness. The substance becomes a tool of "emotional anesthesia."

Therapy seeks to dismantle this function by helping the individual understand that consumption is a failed attempt to control private experiences that, ironically, become stronger the more one tries to avoid them through chemistry.

The function of addictive behavior beyond the chemical

It is critical to broaden the definition of addiction beyond chemical dependence.

In this model, an addiction is defined by its function: any behavior that becomes compulsive, that provides short-term relief but causes long-term harm and life impairment, and that the person persists in performing despite negative consequences.

This includes behavioral addictions such as compulsive work, excessive screen use, dependent relationships, food or shopping.

Consider the case of a person who, after a stressful workday, immerses himself in video games for six hours every night.

There is no external chemical substance, but the function is identical to that of alcohol: to avoid contact with feelings of loneliness, professional dissatisfaction or relationship problems. The screen provides a refuge where the mind can disconnect from discomfort.

Another example would be someone who obsesses over cleanliness or tidiness not for hygiene, but to feel a sense of control that calms their inner chaos.

By understanding addiction as an "extreme experiential avoidance disorder," treatment ceases to focus exclusively on object abstinence