Alcohol And Substance Abuse ( Public Health England, 2016 ) Essay

Addiction is has been around for a long time. The fear of people becoming addicted to certain substances has lead to policies changes. However, there has not been a major federal law passed that dealt with addiction in over forty years. In 2016, President Obama signed a law that covered all the major points of addiction and recovery. This topic this important to me because some of my loved ones are addicts. I may also have clients that are addicts.This paper will take a look at that law. First, we have to define a few key terms.

It is paramount to attempt to understand why individuals become ‘addicts’/ drug dependent, as in doing so treatments and therapies may be adopted in line with the needs of the drug dependent individual. A greater understanding in the area of causality may produce more effective interventions at earlier stages of drug misuse.

A broad range of medical and psychological therapies is currently available for people who struggle with substance addictions. The scientific community is working on evaluation of various treatments to determine which strategies offer the best chances of successful outcome. People who need treatment for alcoholism and drug use are very diverse group. Addiction is a disorder that requires an individual case approach; therefore, different ways to

The definition provided above is accessible and easy to understand; however, it initiates false beliefs among individuals because it fails to acknowledge that drug addiction is a mental health problem. Moreover, when words such as, “dependence”, “control” and “craving” are used to define drug addiction, it leaves an impression to the reader that addicts are indeed “people who cannot control their impulses.” Consequently, when we fail to recognize that drug addiction is a mental health problem, our focus is diverted towards the physical aspect of drug addiction. This could cause the belief among individuals that drugs alone cause the addiction. It is essential to acknowledge that there are chemical hooks in drugs; however, individuals need to understand that drugs alone do not cause the addiction. We need to identify and distinguish the “root cause” of addiction and ask ourselves: what caused the individual to take the drug in the first place?

New evidence supports a connection to evolution. Linden proposes that the science that treatment of addictions is assisted with the use of medications and the psychological tools we have now, combined into a complete treatment program. The psychosocial model offers the difference in using and abusing drugs and alcohol. Accordingly, the psychological aspect of this model offers a perspective of an underlying mental disorder or imbalance that is at the core of the addiction problem. One avenue, from a treatment standpoint, is the absence of guilt for abusing drugs or alcohol. This, in no way, diminishes the need for retribution for the actions, such as thefts, during the abusing period. It does, in my opinion, make way for a more effect start on recovery. The removal of the failure feeling of using in the first place allows for an opening of the mind to alternate theories of reason. Is it possible there is a medical or biological reason? Sure, there is. However, the reasons will differ greatly from one person to

A “Substance Use Disorder” is new to the DSM-5. Previously, the terms “abuse” and “dependence” where used instead. In general, the DSM-5 considers a Substance Use Disorder to be recurrent drug use that causes impairment and continued use despite substance use related problems. The DSM-5 also focuses on how substance use causes a change in brain functioning. The change is primarily responsible for intense drug cravings, as well as repeated relapses. Finally, the DSM-5 divides the criteria for Substance Use Disorder into four groupings: impaired control (Criteria 1-4), social impairment (Criteria 5-7), risky use (Criteria 8 and 9), and pharmacological criteria (Criteria

Substance abuse is the harmful or dangerous use of any psychoactive substances including drugs, alcohol and even tobacco. The term ‘Substance Abuse’, as understood today was first used in 1987’s DSM-IIIR, before that social & cultural factors were not considered. Even with that change, many Americans still today consider drug and alcohol abuse to be moral weakness or character defect.

Substance abuse disorders is easily defined when an “individual continues to use the substance despite experiencing negative consequences from their use. These negative consequences can include health problems; difficulties in their family, work, and social life; and financial and legal problems. They are said to be dependent on the substance when,” in addition to theses negative consequences, they build tolerance and experience withdrawal if they stop using the drug” (Martin, 2007, p. 265). Substance abuse dates back to the early Americans colonies with beer that was brought over by the pilgrims and more popularly the ratification of the Constitution to prohibit the use of alcohol

Binge drinking is defined as people drinking plenty of alcohol in a short period of time or get drunk (NHS, 2014). In other words, binge drinking is drinking alcohol lead blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or over 0.08g/dL. It means that when men drink more than 5 units of drinks and women have over 4 units of alcohol in around 2 hours is binge drinking.(NIH News,2014)Nowadays, binge drinking have a large proportion among youths in the UK, which lead to the health problems to them. In this essay, it will show the situation of adolescents of binge drinking in the UK and the health problems to them. Also, the campaigns did by the Department of Health and the Alcohol Concern. Moreover, evaluates the utility of those to help the youths.

The behaviors exhibited by addicts are only the symptoms of the disease and not the disease itself. Therefore, instead of punishing the addict, nonjudgmental and therapeutic responses are appropriate. Addiction requires intervention

“The number of alcohol consumers in the UK has increased substantially over the last century. Around 40 million British adults regularly consume alcoholic drinks and while many do so moderately, about 25% exceed Department of Health guidelines” ("› Tackling alcohol misuse: why the dental team should help | British Dental Health Foundation", 2016.) As a result, oral health problems are very common in those who consume high amounts of alcohol and therefore, DCP’S will face a greater burden. Alcohol contributes in tooth decay due to the fact that alcoholic drinks have a high amount of sugar, and regular consumption will cause demineralization of the tooth, deteriorating the enamel surface. Alcohol abuse can also reduce the saliva in the mouth, causing the mouth to become dry, making the teeth vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease.

Addiction is a difficult disease that involves several different factors including biological, psychological and sociological aspects. Anderson (1997) states that substance use refers generally to the ingestion of illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, PCP, amphetamines, etc. The use of illicit drugs, such as alcohol and nicotine, are less frequently included in this definition, despite their widespread use and undisputed potential for harm. Substance abuse, however, is a more value-laden term which implies substance use, probably over time, which is somehow detrimental or harmful. Thus, substance use need not constitute substance abuse, although they often coexist. Wormer, Davis (2010) indicates

Drug and alcohol addiction is a very serious and widespread problem in America, and across the globe. Drug addiction is a constant craving, seeking, and using of a substance, despite the negative consequences it may have on the addict or those around them. When drug use becomes more frequent, it is considered drug abuse. Once an individual’s drug abuse is can no longer be controlled, and they are using the drug to get through everyday life, it beomes an addiction. A person on drugs has an altered way of thinking, behaving, and perceiving. There are treatment facilities all over the world dedicated to help those suffering with drug addictions. All

to govern much of the individual’s behavior. The most extreme case of drug use is the

Historically, drugs have been used for medicine purposes, for ceremonies and rituals (Ouzir & Errami, 2016, p. 59). Nowadays, the majority of legal and illegal drug consumption remains occasional and recreational, with about 15-35% of individuals developing an addiction (Lenoir & Noble, 2016, p. 1096). The term “addiction” typically refers to psychoactive substance abuse such as tobacco, alcohol, cocaine or opioids and is characterized by impaired control, functional impairment, risky use, tolerance and withdrawal (Chamberlain et al., 2016, p. 841). Several repetitive behaviours share these core aspects of addictions, such as gambling disorder, Internet addiction (Chamberlain et al., 2016, p. 841), exercise dependency (Berczik et al.,