Abstract

Background: E-cigarette use has spread rapidly and widely among youth, to an extent that has surprised some researchers.

Objectives: We suggest that this surprise is owing to a particular limitation in the dominant models of addiction – namely, a strong focus upon addictive substances as cause. We argue that the phenomenon at hand is easier to comprehend when less attention is placed upon preventing the use of specific substances and more upon what we identify as structural susceptibility to addiction instead.

Results: Drawing upon neurobiology, history, public health theory, and social theory, we re-conceive addictive substances as mechanisms of escape from social structures that predispose whole societies to addiction.

Conclusions/Importance: We argue that the surge in youth e-cigarette use in particular, as well as the phenomenon of addiction in general, are easier to comprehend if models of addiction are expanded to conceptualize the problem in its wider dimensions. We invite addictions researchers to join us in expanding the field’s analytical view.

摘要

背景：电子烟的使用在年轻人中迅速而广泛地传播，其程度让一些研究人员感到惊讶。

目标：我们认为这种意外是由于主要成瘾模型的一个特殊限制——即强烈关注成瘾物质作为原因。我们认为，当较少关注防止使用特定物质而更多关注我们认为对成瘾的结构易感性时，手头的现象更容易理解。

结果：利用神经生物学、历史、公共卫生理论和社会理论，我们将成瘾物质重新设想为逃离使整个社会容易上瘾的社会结构的机制。

结论/重要性：我们认为，如果扩展成瘾模型以在更广泛的维度上将问题概念化，那么青少年电子烟使用的激增以及一般的成瘾现象就更容易理解。我们邀请成瘾研究人员与我们一起扩大该领域的分析视野。