Document Type
Article
Source Publication Title
Unpredictable Drug Access and its Relevance for Substance Use Disorders: A Critical Review
Abstract
Many factors contribute to drug use and the development of substance use disorders (SUDs). We and others have argued that individuals who misuse illicit drugs face circumstances in which their access to drugs is variable or unpredictable, particularly for those who are experiencing poverty. Herein, we make the case that such unpredictable drug access increases drug intake and choice, particularly when the time and efort required to obtain drugs is relatively large. If translated to real-world scenarios, unpredictable access could lead to increased severity of drug misuse, poorer treatment outcomes, persistence of drug seeking during periods of drug unavailability, drug taking despite negative consequences, and increased relapse rates, though additional research is surely needed. We describe how variable drug access can be evaluated in the laboratory, review prior research that has compared variable vs. fxed drug access, provide a summary of preclinical fndings based on the literature reviewed, and end with implications for policy and treatment for individuals with SUDs.
DOI
10.1007/s40614-025-00449-1
Publication Date
6-2-2025
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Doyle, William S.; Freeman, Kevin B.; and Huskinson, Sally L., "Unpredictable Drug Access and Its Relevance for Substance Use Disorders: A Critical Review" (2025). Psychiatry. 1.
https://digitalcollections.umc.edu/psychiatry-pub/1
Comments
The version of record of this article, first published in Perspectives on Behavior Science, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-025-00449-1