AN EXAMINATION OF FRAME OF REFERENCE AND SELF-CONTROL IN ALCOHOL AND DRUG ...

148 Pages·2013·0.96 MB·English

by  Sarah Scott

AN EXAMINATION OF FRAME OF REFERENCE AND SELF-CONTROL IN
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTS

DISSERTATION

Presented to the Graduate Council of
Texas State University-San Marcos
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements

for the Degree

Doctor of PHILOSOPHY

by

Sarah Scott, B.S., M.S.C.J.

San Marcos, Texas
August, 2013
AN EXAMINATION OF FRAME OF REFERENCE AND SELF-CONTROL
IN ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTS

Committee Members Approved:

__________________________
Mark C. Stafford, Chair

__________________________
Joycelyn M. Pollock

__________________________
Mitchell B. Chamlin

__________________________
Stan Friedman

Approved:

__________________________
J. Michael Willoughby
Dean of the Graduate College
COPYRIGHT
by
Sarah Scott
2013
FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT

Fair Use

This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553,
section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations
from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for
financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed.

Duplicate Permission

As the copyright holder of this work I, Sarah Scott, authorize duplication of this work, in
whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only.
DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this project to my grandfather, Floyd Wayne Scott, who was the
best person and most gifted teacher I have ever known. Without his unconditional love
and support I would not be who I am or where I am today.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervising professor, Mark C. Stafford, for directing me
toward the literature that helped form the basis for this study and for his help in crafting a
final product. I would also like to thank the remaining members of my committee,
Joycelyn Pollock, Mitch Chamlin, and Stan Friedman, who were very helpful and patient
throughout this process. I sincerely appreciate the time each of them spent reading drafts
and providing me with feedback.
Additionally, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people who participated
in this study. This project would, quite literally, not have been possible without the help
of 64 people who took time out of their days to fill out a survey. I am particularly
grateful to those suffering with alcohol and drug addiction who shared their stories with
me in the hopes that they could help others. I chose this line of research because I want
to do the same.
I also want to thank my mother and grandmother for their unwavering support
over the last decade. I am grateful for every midnight phone call, every word of support,
and every visit that came at just the right time.
Finally, I have to thank two very tough and tenacious women who know exactly
what it takes to finish a project like this, my fellow first pancakes, Michele Quiñones and
Erin Grant. Thank you for the cocktails, the commiserating, and the bad karaoke. Guess
what ladies? We’re done.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1
II. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................5
Defining Addiction: Loss of Control ..........................................................8
Choice Theories of Addiction ....................................................................20
Explaining Self-Control .............................................................................29
Research Questions and Hypotheses .........................................................32

III. METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................................34
Sampling Method .......................................................................................34
Data and Instrumentation ...........................................................................43

IV. FINDINGS .......................................................................................................51
Local Preferences .......................................................................................51
Long-Term Preferences .............................................................................53
Patterns Over Time ....................................................................................54
Modes of Reinforcement............................................................................55
Self-Control................................................................................................62

V. CONCLUSIONS ...............................................................................................72
Limitations .................................................................................................74
Future Research .........................................................................................75
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APPENDIX A: DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
AND DEPENDENCE ......................................................89
APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE ..................................................................................93
APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE DEVELOPMENT .................................................115
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................120
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Sample characteristics ....................................................................................................77
2. Self-reported drug of choice. .........................................................................................78
3. Percent reporting lifetime, current (past three months), and intravenous drug use .......79
4. Perceived access to various substances..........................................................................80
5. Paired samples t-tests of differences in perceived level of enjoyment for using or
abstaining at different points in time .............................................................................81
6. Paired samples t-teest of perceived level of enjoyment for abstinence or daily/almost
daily use over one year ..................................................................................................82
7. Paired samples t-test of perceived level of enjoyment for moderate use or daily/almost
daily use over one year ..................................................................................................83
8. Paired samples t-test of perceived level of enjoyment for moderate use or abstinence
over one year ..................................................................................................................84
9. Percent reporting positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or punishment after
using at various points in time .......................................................................................85
10. Regression of substance involvement scores on self-control and opportunity ............86

viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Utility of using over time ...............................................................................................87
2. Utility of abstaining over time .......................................................................................88
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