title: Substance abuse as a dynamical disease: evidence and clinical implications of nonlinearity in a time series of daily alcohol consumption.
abstract: Several authors have suggested that chaos theory, the study of nonlinear dynamics and the application of the knowledge gained to natural and social phenomena, might yield insight into substance-related disorders. In this article, we examine the dynamics of substance abuse by fitting a nonlinear model to a time series of the amount of alcohol, which an adult male with a diagnosis of substance abuse consumed on a daily basis. The nonlinear model shows a statistically superior fit when compared to a linear model. We then use the model to explore a question that is pertinent to the treatment of substance abuse, whether controlled drinking or abstinence is a preferred strategy for maintaining sobriety.
authors.affiliation: College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Stillman Hall, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. warren.193@osu.edu
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Raymond C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Julien C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sprott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013695:Temperance