Combating Addiction with “Addiction:” Fostering Sobriety Through a Rehabilitation Center in Columbus, GA
Disciplines
Other Architecture
Abstract (300 words maximum)
28 million – that is how many Americans ages 12 and older have developed an alcohol use disorder. In Columbus, GA, 19% of adults reported binge drinking at least once a month, the highest percentage in the state (according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Research shows that addiction is driven by large surges of dopamine to the brain’s reward center, reinforcing behaviors that become habitual and difficult to break. Though addiction is considered a psychological disorder, it is also a spatial one. A bar room, in this case in point, exposes individuals to these specific environments that trigger certain moods and behaviors: dim lighting, compressed circulation, and a visual focus on alcohol. Though rehabilitation centers are intended to support recovery, they are often used as a neutral backdrop instead of an active participant in recovery. But what if architecture can enable a person to resist one addiction by fostering other forms of addictive habits? This design research explores how architecture can create new routines and social habitus to undermine other modalities of addiction. This research draws from Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus – the embodiment of certain behaviors, rhythms, and dispositions shaped by spatial and social environments. Habitus is not just cognitive, but also physical: a body can learn patterns until they become instinctive. Architecture can therefore become a stage and a stimulus for alcohol addiction. This is further explored through Annabel Jane Wharton’s view on how built spaces can have agency, and what effects buildings have on their users. A case study that focused on different phases of a person’s recovery, which probed the research even more, was Clean and Sober Living in Fair Oaks, California. This design research argues, however, that architecture can also cultivate new forms of addiction that redirect compulsion towards well-being.
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CACM – Architecture
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Ehsan Sheikholharam
Combating Addiction with “Addiction:” Fostering Sobriety Through a Rehabilitation Center in Columbus, GA
28 million – that is how many Americans ages 12 and older have developed an alcohol use disorder. In Columbus, GA, 19% of adults reported binge drinking at least once a month, the highest percentage in the state (according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Research shows that addiction is driven by large surges of dopamine to the brain’s reward center, reinforcing behaviors that become habitual and difficult to break. Though addiction is considered a psychological disorder, it is also a spatial one. A bar room, in this case in point, exposes individuals to these specific environments that trigger certain moods and behaviors: dim lighting, compressed circulation, and a visual focus on alcohol. Though rehabilitation centers are intended to support recovery, they are often used as a neutral backdrop instead of an active participant in recovery. But what if architecture can enable a person to resist one addiction by fostering other forms of addictive habits? This design research explores how architecture can create new routines and social habitus to undermine other modalities of addiction. This research draws from Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus – the embodiment of certain behaviors, rhythms, and dispositions shaped by spatial and social environments. Habitus is not just cognitive, but also physical: a body can learn patterns until they become instinctive. Architecture can therefore become a stage and a stimulus for alcohol addiction. This is further explored through Annabel Jane Wharton’s view on how built spaces can have agency, and what effects buildings have on their users. A case study that focused on different phases of a person’s recovery, which probed the research even more, was Clean and Sober Living in Fair Oaks, California. This design research argues, however, that architecture can also cultivate new forms of addiction that redirect compulsion towards well-being.