A review of addiction concept from the perspective of positive psychotherapy

Addiction is the clinical picture related with the use of a substance beyond its aim and at gradually increasing amounts as a result of the tolerance to the substance, the continued use of the substance despite the fact that it causes problems in the life of the person and appearance of withdrawal symptoms when the substance intake is reduced or discontinued. In psychotherapy, addiction should not only be considered as a pathological symptom and insufficiency, but it can also be an expression of the person's efforts to cope up with the problems, even if they are not very productive. In order to overcome the problem of substance addiction, techniques of positive psychotherapy (PPT) are used at both individual therapy and group work. In this article, the concepts of PPT such as positive interpretation, balance model, reaction types, model dimensions, actual capabilities and stages of interaction are discussed within the subject of dependency. Literature on substance dependency related with the concepts of PPT is reviewed and the article is aimed to form a base for research in this area. [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2019; 20(0.200): 108-111]