Carreño, David F.Pérez Escobar, José Antonio2024-12-092024-12-092019-04-19Carreno, D. and Pérez-Escobar, J.A. (2019). Addiction in existential positive psychology (EPP, PP2.0): from a critique of the brain disease model towards a meaning-centered approach. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.16044941469-3674https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1604494https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/24774The registered version of this article, first published in Counselling Psychology Quarterly, is available online at the publisher's website: Taylor and Francis Group, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1604494La versión registrada de este artículo, publicado por primera vez en Counselling Psychology Quarterly, está disponible en línea en el sitio web del editor: Taylor and Francis Group, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1604494Addiction is widely considered to be a chronic brain disease. Under this view, neuroscientists have spent lots of resources to study the brain and identify pharmacological targets to palliate addiction. However, the brain disease model presents serious epistemological and practical limitations. Firstly, this article collects important critiques to the medical model and calls for a more pluralistic approach to addiction. Secondly, we discuss the problematic self-regulation of people with addiction from an existential positive perspective (also termed PP2.0). People with addiction, whether it is related to substance abuse, gambling, internet surfing, shopping or eating, usually manifest existential struggles that could account for the development and maintenance of their addiction. Relational problems, evasion of guilt and responsibility, and a lack of meaning in life have been evidenced in the literature. At the base of this psychological problem, there are both an inability to cope with the dark side of life and a maladaptive search for positive emotions that cannot be naturally obtained from meaningful social interactions. Finally, the meaning-centered approach (MCA) is proposed for addiction recovery. MCA helps clients find a purpose in life and integrate into society. This existential positive approach can be a fundamental complement for mainstream addiction treatments.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess72 Filosofía::7205 Filosofía de la Ciencia11 Lógicaartículoaddictionexistentialpositive psychologyPP2.0meaningpluralismbrain disease model