Cocaine, Cannabinoids, Alcohol And Nicotine

Addiction is like all behaviours “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006).

As the disease model argues that there is no cure for addiction, the only treatments available aims to reduce or suppress the urge to use drugs (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). Firstly, addicts

Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are common in America today. The continued use of these substances leads to abuse and addiction. Addiction is the use of harmful yet hazardous substances that lead to dependence and create behavioral and cognitive disturbances with repeated use. When addiction finally sets in, it takes over the person to where they have a persistent strong desire to use and difficulty controlling their intake regardless of the consequences that have or have already occurred. In this paper, I will discuss the different considerations of how Lisa became addicted to drugs, theory model used to assess and create a treatment plan for her addiction.

Genetic factors, such as having a family history of drug abuse, has a major influence on the likelihood that someone will fall into a cycle of drug abuse and addiction (Volkow, 2007; Horvath et al., 2013). From a biological perspective, we address issues by attending to the underlying biological cause. Since we know that addiction can be influenced by chemical changes in the brain, we can combat it and prevent relapse by restoring brain chemistry through the use of medications, such as those that eliminate the pleasurable effects of drugs, and ideally through total abstinence from drugs (Horvath et al.,

Since the creation of drugs, its abuse and addiction became a taboo. As technology advanced into the 21st century, an impetus in civilization created the allure of drugs, which became propagated and popularized into modern society. Consequently, its Achilles heel created a social epidemic which threatened their innocence. Therefore, the conundrum of this phenomenon caused challenges for the addict, society, and treatment providers. Nonetheless, as problem arises, solutions await its discovery; and, as new and innovated ideas emerged, there are precipitate and modern challenges when getting individuals into addiction treatment.

An understanding of addiction must remain broad: addiction as a possible consequence of the human desire to alter consciousness; a chief public health concern for its dramatic negative impact on society through the destructive behaviors of the addiction; a chronic, relapsing, biopsychosocial disorder that cannot be understood apart from social context—not simply as a brain disease (Hammer et al., 2013). It is much more than a brain disease and everyone deserves to be treated for their individual issues and/or traumas. The challenge of providing quality care for the addicted is layered not only with careful consideration and social context of the addicts—their ability to cope, their understanding of the nature of

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there are about 100,000 of deaths per year and there are approximately 8 million people in the United States who have a substance abuse problem (CDC, 2015). A better understanding and greater attention to the commonly abused substance and its treatment would be beneficial in a provider's practice and will also protect the provider from the legalities of prescribing these medications. There are several forms of treatment for every abused substance and the main goal is to help the patient to stop the stop and helping them during the phase of withdrawal. The intent of this paper is to discuss the commonly used substance for abuse and its treatment with the implications

Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs. Becoming addicted to any drug is a complex process. Quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will in order to be consistent and successful. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who feel they may be prepared to do so. Through scientific advances, more is known about how drugs work in the brain. Drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive

Substance misuse behaviour is the use of psychoactive substances in a manner that is harmful to the drug user, which often leads to addiction and thus the perpetuation of the substance misuse behaviour itself, the resulting substance dependence is a facet of substance misuse behaviour characterised by a strong desire to continually take the drug in uncontrolled manner, which leads to withdrawal symptoms once the dosage of the drug is discontinued (Koob, Sanna & Bloom, 1998). This disorder has its roots in both neurobiological and social processes (Galizio & Maisto, 2013), this essay will critically discuss both the biological and social catalysts in which substance misuse initiates and leads to substance misuse behaviour, with reference to the psychopharmacology of individual substances, biological processes as well as specific examples of social and psychosocial theories.

Substance Use Disorder’s (SUD) have become an escalating issue in the mental health field over the last few decades. The alarming incline to drug related and co-occurring maladaptive behaviors has created a dedicated science to better understand and define this problematic situation. Definition allows the therapeutic process to evolve around the symptomatic problem in order to deliver the hope of recovery. Social stigmas often view drug abuse and addiction as one in the same, but when viewed by the clinician, they take on an important role in defining treatment. Drug abuse is viewed as a reoccurring use of a substance outside of its intended purpose resulting in negative consequences. The use of drugs in any form, is often voluntary and has a high risk factor of developing dependency that leads to addiction. The American Society of Addiction Medicine has characterized addiction by the inability to consistently abstain, impaired behavior control, craving, diminished cognitive behavior in regards to relationships, and dysfunctional emotional response (ASAM, 2011). At this point, the progressive substance use cannot be changed without a course of treatment. The therapist’s subscription to a particular pharmacological theory, such as the disease model, behavioral/environmental model, or diathesis-stress model can determine the therapeutic approach.

Studying and developing the biology of addiction allows us to understand the science behind the brain disease. Through years of research, science have found that a consistent usage of substance can actually alter the brain’s function. Substances interfere with major neurotransmitter systems such as dopamine, serotonin, GABA and glutamate. Unfortunately, this makes being “able to successfully maintain a year of sobriety.” extremely difficult which involves “three or four false starts.” (p.38) Michael Dennis of Chestnut Health Systems comments “That can often take eight or nine years.”(p.38) In fact, the change in the brain’s shape is affected by the overuse of substances. Their path to recovery may be thought to be difficult due to the government

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?

The disease model: This theory states that an individual who abuses drugs requires medical treatment rather than moral punishment or exhortation. This theory also justifies spending money to research substance abuse in the same way that money is spent to research other diseases. However, usually the term disease is reserved for a state in which we can identify an abnormal biochemical or physical condition. No abnormal biochemical or physical condition has been found in the case of substance addiction, although mounting evidence suggests that some individuals are genetically predisposed to addiction more so than others. Nevertheless, this theory continues to appeal to researchers, and an intensive effort is always being made to identify the physiological “switch” that establishes addiction after exposure to a drug (Lee, 2010).

Smoking and alcohol are often used together. The use of these drugs gives a sense of relief of stress and euphoria due to their effects on neurotransmitters. Though the initial use of these drugs ranges from self-medication to peer pressure, excessive use of these drugs can lead to dependence of both drugs. Drug dependence may be connected to the effects of the drugs’ tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and sensitization of the drug (Little 2000).

Drug addiction is a complex problem in society today. Addiction is a condition that extremely affects the person’s mind and body. Addiction also has wide sweeping effects on that person’s social connection and functioning. Unfortunately, many addicts don’t realize the social influence of their addiction until much of their functioning has greatly deteriorated.