Alcohol And Substance Recovery Became Popular

Many people have been misguided about whether or not alcoholism is “disease” that attacks a person’s good health. A key suggestion of those that believe alcoholism is a disease is that a disease is uncontrolled. This is not so. When people develop an addiction to alcohol they tend to push everything of importance out of their lives: family, friends, and sometimes even jobs. People with addiction to alcohol throw

According to the NIAAA (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism), about how many previously diagnosable alcoholics matured out of their dependence? A. none B. only a fraction C. one third D. most ANS:C PG39 19. According to Hester and Miller’s empirical research, the highest treatment effectiveness scores were obtained for A. harsh confrontational techniques B. motivational enhancement. C psychoanalytical treatment D. treatment that focused on the underlying cause of the drinking or drug use. ANS:B PG39

This paper will try to explain the different views of how and why Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs are accepted and rejected as effective tools in treating alcoholism and other addictions. The articles reviewed contradict the others’ opinion. First, we see that supporting the 12-step programs with a degree of involvement both the doctor and patient will see better results in treating the addiction. The second view will show that 12-step programs can be used as “self-help” treatment and must be used in conjunction with other forms of rehabilitation. When AA and other 12-step programs are not used with other forms of treatment, the patient tends to become codependent on the group.

Substance abuse first became a big problem around the 1970’s throughout the 1980’s. America was discovering one drug after another to help manage their lives better (newsnarconon, 2009). Methaqualone was one of the first drugs that pharmacists were trying to use to take place of Barbiturate drugs (newsnarconon, 2009). The drug Methaqualone was first used to increase sexual activity, but later it was recognized that it did a great job at helping people sleep, which is why they wanted to use the drug to replace the Barbiturate drugs (newsnarconon, 2009). The pharmacists wanted to replace Barbiturate, because although it was the chosen pill for aid in sleeping, it was also greatly abused to get a high from (newsnarconon, 2009). Along with the high, when people would withdraw from the medication it was life threatening (newsnarconon, 2009).

I was very one sided as I walked into a AA meeting. I thought that the meeting where boring and little bit too much for people who wont to stop drinking. I couldn’t understand why people look forward to these meeting when they can simply talk to someone at home. Nevertheless, I was wrong. Hearing these people story who suffer from alcohol addiction was very heart breaking. I remember one story about this man losing his son to car accident. The only way he dealt with the pain of losing his son was to drink. He stated ever night he drunk him self-asleep. He was so adamant about telling his story because if it wasn’t for the hospital staff he would have lost his life. Alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. alcohol is the main common substance abuse in the united states. The reported show over 16.3 million adults over 18 years older had a least try alcohol in the life time. 71 percent reported that they drank in the past year. 4.7 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month. 6.7 percent reported that they engaged in heavy drinking in the past month. 50 percent of marriage fell due to the spouse drinking uncontrollably (Burke, 2015)

Alcoholism is a prominent substance abuse issue in Western society. The treatment method of controlled drinking as opposed to abstinence is a continuing cause of controversy in alcohol research to this day. The US is different from Europe in its acceptance of controlled drinking as a goal of treatment: “in the US alcohol dependence is typically depicted as a ‘recurring disease’ and the ‘successful abstainer’ as a ‘recovering’ though never ‘recovered’ alcoholic” (Coldwell, 2005). Depending on the alcohol abuse patient’s individual characteristics, either controlled drinking or abstinence is chosen as a treatment.

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.

In the United States, many Americans can argue that we are facing a drug epidemic whether it is alcohol or illicit drugs other than medicinal marijuana. In response to this drug epidemic, organizations were created that are supported by the government and law enforcement in an effort to give addicts a chance to get clean. For example, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous are two organizations that focus on helping people who struggle from alcoholism or any addiction cope with the symptoms of withdrawal in efforts to stay clean with the support of their organization’s community. Although these two organization’s goals are similar, they attack these problems differently beginning with step one out of their twelve step program to help addicts get clean.

Substance abuse has been a known topic which has not been recognized and fully treated the way it should. Unlike general medicine, substance abuse treatments have their own facility and services apart from general settings, making it harder to get the recognition and the assistance needed to help the individuals in need. Both the Affordable Care Act and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), which is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services have promoted and established ways to enhance the quality of the treatment and the amount of treatment given.

“Nearly 88,000 people (approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States” ("Alcohol Facts and Statistics” 1). There need to be stricter federal requirements in detox facilities because someone who has an alcohol issue will deny it, an alcoholic will do anything to be released and get another drink, and repeated intoxication offenders and alcoholics are not capable of making their own decisions.

Her famous slogan “Just Say No” was part of her campaign that influenced the National Crusade for a Drug-Free America anti-drug abuse law. A law was signed by President Reagan on October 27, 1986. In October 1988, she became the first First Lady to address the United Nations General Assembly about international drug interdiction and trafficking laws. (parenthetical citation article national first ladies library) During her address, Nancy stated that the United States needed to stop blaming the countries that produce the drugs and start putting the dealers on our street corners out of business. In 1989, she established the Nancy Reagan Foundation along with the Best Foundation for a Drug-Free Tomorrow created the Nancy Reagan afterschool program, a drug free prevention and life skills program for the youth of our

The 12 step program Alcoholics Anonymous (AA )was born in 1934. Prohibition had been repealed and a man named Bill Watson drunkenly found his way to Manhattan Hospital. Bill was known to knock back quite a bit of whiskey every day and couldn 't seem to be able to quit. While he was at Manhattan Hospital he was given a new and considered experimental treatment for addiction of belladonna, which is a hallucinogen. Bill in his induced state yelled to God to help free him of alcohol. He reported seeing a bright light and feeling such serenity that Bill quit drinking alcohol. He went on to co-found Alcoholics Anonymous and based the principles off the evangelical Oxford Group which believed people were sinners, but with the help of God and confessing, a person could get on the proper path. AA was an answer to a huge void the medical world felt at the time in regard to people who drank heavily. Once alcoholism was named a disease in 1956 by the American Medical Association (AMA) AA grew and more hospitals sprung up wards for alcoholics for patients to detox with no other treatment offered. What someone in a ward for alcholhoics did receive was members showing up to support their fellow drinker and offering support and invitations to meetings. Thus began the road to calling alcoholism a disease and the first 12 step program AA. (14)

There are millions of people who have and who are suffering from alcoholism. For those seeking help with their addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may be the right for them. While this program is not promised to be a cure, and the authors of this program does not promise full recovery, it provides an atmosphere where members can be honest about their dependency on alcohol. Furthermore, AA provides support from other alcoholics, and rewards for meeting certain sobriety anniversary dates. This paper explores the history and major developments of AA. Furthermore, this paper explains the structure of meetings, and the roles the leader and members play during meetings. This paper also touches on AA’s definition of success and how it handles members who relapse. Additionally, this paper explains this student’s experiences of two AA meetings she attended, which include what she learned from attending the meetings, and what she learned from the people she met at the meetings.

In her claim of issues on “addiction and substance abuse”, Hilary Clinton claims that millions of Americans suffer from drug addiction. Clinton states that millions of Americans suffer from drug addiction, explaining that few people get treatment and even fewer recover. Clinton intends to launch a $7.5 million dollar fund to support new programs that will work throughout communities. She puts emphasis on drug education for adolescent, first responder access to naloxone, and rehabilitation and treatment over incarceration. Clinton states that through improved treatment, prevention, and training we can end this epidemic once and for

Alcohol Anonymous was founded in 1935 and offers a twelve step program to help individuals kick the addiction. Fellowshipping with other alcoholics, sharing troubles of the addiction, and having a sponsor has shown to help addicts in their recovery process. Most counseling treatment centers focus on teaching a healthier lifestyle, overlooking the importance of the socioeconomic structure (Nikelly, A., 1994).