Cocaine Abuse

Is drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it is a choice. Some scientists believe that that drug addiction is a disease and to an extent that it makes people powerless to control its prevalence, on the other hand some scientists believe that addiction is a choice and that people have

Cocaine remains a highly addictive substance. In many cases, the associated addiction seems to be taking a greater toll on addicts today than it did yesteryear. The only thing that seems to have gotten better is the quality of addiction treatment. Today, premiere rehab centers like Beaches Recovery can offer a wider range of treatment options, which they can customize specifically for cocaine addiction.

The NA meeting is a support group consisting of men and women that are recovering addicts who meet regularly to stay clean. The NA group practices twelve-steps of NA. These support groups offer social and psychological support for many years following abstinence from drugs. Members will learn social and prevention skills that will decrease the risk of relapsing (Keene, 2001). Twelve Step programs are free programs as a supplement to treatment and are associated with positive outcomes to maintain sobriety. Hence the reason providers encourage twelve-step program

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are Twelve Step support and recovery programs for addicts. The themes for both AA and NA are the same at every meeting and in every location: attain and maintain sobriety. Terms such as denial, sobriety, clean and sober, relapse, falling off the wagon, one day at a time, working the steps, making amends to people you have hurt, “it works if you work at it,” and changing People, Places, and Things are common terms and themes voiced at the meetings.

Narcotic Anonymous (NA) is a place where group of people, men and women gather together several times a week or month with the desire to stop using narcotics. This program started around the late 1940s which was taken from the idea of Alcoholic Anonymous (NA World Services, 2014). People who attend NA participates either because it was a court order or its their own willingness to get better. Narcotic Anonymous is an outlet for narcotic addicts to find people who share their own struggle in overcoming narcotic addiction; It can also provide resources on how to stay clean and stop using illicit drugs. NA welcome every participant from different ages, races and type of addiction.

There are thousands of people in the United States that are addicted to cocaine and are left untreated. Many of them are at risk of severe health problems. I am conducting this research paper to compare and contrast the differences between the effectiveness of drug courts and cognitive behavioral therapy for cocaine addicts. We know that all people respond differently to therapy than others do, but it is good to be able to find the effectiveness and success rate of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and drug courts overall. But before we jump into the effectiveness of CBT, we need to know what the goal of CBT is and what the process is for CBT. Not only do we need to know the effectiveness and success rates of these two, but we also need to

The addictive properties of cocaine are a dopamine D2-receptor researchers “indicate that these dopaminergic neural systems play an important part in rewarding effects” (Miller, Gold, Smith, 1997, p.64).

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse 2014, the disease model addiction is considered a brain disease that can affect multiple circuits in the brain, which involve motivation, learning, memory and inhibitory control over one’s behavior. Because drug addiction and abuse have so many dimensions and disrupts aspects of one’s life, treatment is just not that simple. Addiction treatment must be able to stop an individual from using drugs and continuously maintain a drug free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in working, family and society. Because a person’s addiction is typically considered a chronic disease, those who have the disease cannot simply stop using drugs in a few days and totally be cured. Some require long-term and repeated episodes of care to be able to achieve one’s ultimate goal of sustaining abstinence and recovery of their lives. A report conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the

In the 1940s, numerous efforts to inaugurate self-help groups for substance abusers were made throughout America, but failure prevailed (NAWS 1998, Stone 1997). The self-help concept is related directly with the individual’s sense of responsibility (Raftopoulos and Flora, 2011). Kelly and Myers noted studies of private substance use disorder treatment centers that revealed that 90% based their treatment on the 12-Step principles, thus aftercare like AA/ NA are warranted to achieve ongoing recovery (Nowinski, Baker and Carroll, 1995). Narcotics Anonymous like AA, is a free self-help group with voluntary membership that supports life-long recovery for those who desire abstinence (NAWS, 2008). Many hospitals, behavioral health centers, and criminal justice institutions refer those in need to NA because of the high rate of relapse occurring after formal treatment (Gossop, Stewart, and Marsden, 2007). Gossop et al. (2007) claims that NA helps the addict sustain the goals accomplished during treatment and lessens relapse, especially after residential treatment. Many studies of 12-step programs present an increased rate of abstinence, reduction of use, and psychological health outcomes (Gossop et at. 2007). Gossop and colleagues (2007) found that through a 5-year follow-up period those attending NA/AA after treatment were more likely to be abstinent from opiates. Gossop reports that those who attended

Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are nonprofit organizations and safe havens for individuals who are ready and willing to combat addiction. These programs have proven to be successful treatment interventions through the 12-step

The stimulant properties in cocaine make it attractive as an antidepressant. Cocaine causes an individual to feel euphoria, enhances strength, and can mask fatigue. These intense contented feelings can cause an abuser to go on binges. Very rarely are cocaine abusers addicted to only cocaine. Other drugs such as marijuana and alcohol are used to combat the unpleasant effects of cocaine once the “high” wears off. The symptoms of the disorder interact with each other increasing the symptoms of all of the disorders.

Twelve Step programs have been helping people for more than seventy years ("Twelve Step History," 2011). The durability of the program proves its efficacy in addressing the underlying problems and symptoms of addiction. Although the Twelve Step program began with Alcoholics Anonymous, the system has expanded to include and embrace all other addictions from overeating to gambling. Narcotics Anonymous is the Twelve Step group for persons who have an addiction to drugs. It started in the 1940s as a response to the growing number of chemically addicted persons who did not have a comorbid addiction to alcohol ("Narcotics Anonymous," 2012). According to Peyrot (1985), Narcotics Anonymous is the oldest and largest self-help group for substance abusers. The program exists worldwide, and serves a diverse population. One of the key reasons why Narcotics Anonymous should be included in any treatment repertoire is that the group serves multiple functions, serving as "underground social movement and major treatment modality for drug abusers," (Pevrot, 1985, p. 1509).

This topic is interest because I have seen a lot of people in my community where they start consuming marijuana and lead to cocaine for a better high. Once they consume cocaine they stay with that addiction. I would like to research if cocaine can be replace with a medication while helping the individual with their addition. This topic is important because it will give me a better understanding of the addiction and the effect of the behavior.

When newborn babies are exposure to opiates or narcotics in utero, they suffer withdrawals after birth. As a fetus the baby becomes addicted to the drug and has small stokes in utero. At birth there is a sudden cessation of the drug and the baby is left without a steady supply. Cocaine or crack withdrawal can last 2 to 3 weeks and has been linked to SIDS

They speed up the action of the brain. They make people feel more alert, more confident and less tired.