Drug Abuse

In the speech,”Everything you know about addiction is wrong,” spoken by Johann Hari, attempts to inform the audience about how society takes drug addiction the wrong way and is completely normal for a human to use drugs as a last resort in life. The presentation starts off when he explains to the audience the many different drug addicts he has met in his life a few years ago while traveling a long 30,000 mile journey. He then goes onto stating from his research that everything humanity has been taught about drugs is completely backwards. A experiment was done in the 50’s to show the relationship between drugs and social life. The reason people start drugs is not because they want to, but it is caused by not being able to bear a present in your life. Moreover, there is cruel punishments of drug abuse in America and how Portugal has tried to change it in their country. Luckily people can get over any kind of addiction when they have a friend or blood relative that they can call on if they have a crisis. Finally, people should be more supportive and open in their heart when it comes to others that have a addiction. The author uses logos and pathos to emotionally connect and comfort the people that have thought about drugs in their life and people that dislike drugs and addicts, but using ethos he tries to make a change in the natural drug habitat.

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

The initial exposure to any drug addiction treatment is an overwhelming experience. Whether one attends an Alcoholics Anonymous session, a Detox facility, or a Psychiatric in-patient center, one unavoidable conclusion manifests itself: Addiction is a horrible situation for any human being.

Addiction treatment is a complex and paradoxical issue. Despite the fact that most of the medical and academic institutions define addiction as a chronic brain disease, it is too often treated on an acute basis. Chronic conditions are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as requiring ongoing management over a period of years or decades and cover a wide range of health problems. The goals of chronic care are not to cure, but to enhance functional status, minimize distressing symptoms, prolong life through secondary prevention and enhance quality of life.

Once the user comes to terms they have a problem and is willing to get help; treatment is next. Treatment must be accessible and address all the needs of the addict including medical and mental issues. The addict needs to stay in treatment and not abandon treatment due to cravings or withdrawal this is necessary to overcome addiction. A tailored treatment plan is crucial for success if the person is to get their life back on track. Medical, clinical, and mental care is included in treatment. The attitude of the addict has to change; healthy life skills must be enforced. Education on the nature of addiction and preventing relapse is addressed during treatment. Getting the help from doctors, family, friends, and support groups can assist

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.

A prevailing belief in the field of addiction is that drug addiction is a “brain disease” characterized by “uncontrollable, compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences” (Leshner 2). In his article “Addiction Is a Brain Disease,” Alan I. Leshner claims that repeated use of drugs alters brain structure and function (1) and that once addicted, few are able to revert back to occasional use (2). Because of their “uncontrollable” behavior, he believes addicts cannot quit on their own and need formal treatment (4). Although Leshner’s ideas represent wide held beliefs in the psychiatric field, recently an array of studies, such as Rat Park and the Vietnam veterans, produce evidence that disproves Leshner’s beliefs that addiction is compulsive, does not exist on a spectrum, and needs professional intervention to resolve, and instead suggests that environmental factors play a larger role in addiction and recovery than was previously believed.

Sustainable Rehabilitation is the only way to truly make a dent in addiction. Addicts must be offered an alternative to their previous lifestyle. A large percentage of addicts who go to rehab, often get out and return to the same habit of their addiction after a period of time. Short term rehabilitation is not as effective as a long term program aimed at changing habits and routine. In order to prevent relapses and in extreme cases death, a variety of methods are used to help the addict maintain a clean and sober life. The end goal is a sustained rehabilitation that leads to a productive and successful life.

The goals of recovery for any individual is to (a) stop using illicit drugs and then (b) maintain abstinence from these illicit drugs. To maintain a successful recovery an individual must go through several steps: detoxification first, substance abuse counseling, medications to help with painful physical withdrawals, an evaluation for co-occurring mental health issues to rule out any other issues such as schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar. In some cases, if there is a co-occurring mental health issue some individuals will self-medicated. There are many types of therapy that can be beneficial to every individual whom is suffering from addiction. Medications can help through the withdrawal symptoms and in most cases, help lessen the chances of relapse. Counseling is a crucial step in not only recovery, but prevention of relapse. Support groups are also beneficial in the prevention of relapse. All these methods help individual be successful in their

Because drug abuse and addiction have so many dimensions and disrupt so many aspects of an individual 's life, treatment is not simple. Effective treatment programs typically incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. Addiction treatment must help the individual stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Because addiction is typically a chronic disease, people cannot simply stop using drugs for a few days and be cured. Most patients require long-term or repeated episodes of care to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained abstinence and recovery of their lives.

Drug addiction is a chronic disease. People who are addicted to a drug or substance are driven by a desire that is uncontrollable. They don’t stop to think about harmful consequences and negative effects it will have on their lives and the lives of their children. The desire to either do the drug they are addicted to or to drink the alcohol that they need overcomes all logical thought. These substances can cause changes in the brain, which can be long lasting. Drug addiction is not only a chronic disease it is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop. This disease is not something a person can just decide to stop it takes extensive therapy to overcome addiction. In order to prevent substance-abuse and addiction, communities should offer more help and rehabilitation options.

Addiction recovery can be broken down into five common phases. The first phase is awareness and acknowledgement of the problem. This can be the most difficult phase, one that many addicts never move past. Denial separates the awareness that using drugs or alcohol has had a negative consequence from the rational and emotional impact that should take place. A common cycle for an addict is denial, rationalization, and justification. It is during this cycle that addicts frequently experience of range of problems: health issues, loss of employment, deterioration of personal relationships, or even jail time. It is the repeated negative consequences, “hitting bottom”, that moves an addict from mere awareness of a problem to the acknowledgement that action is needed. Few experiences are as essential to an addict as the moment when he or she shifts from denial to a willingness to make a change.

Though the treatments for drug addiction is complicated one, it is curable. The treatment is complicated because the addiction has it’s long term effects on the brain and behavior of the person. But if the person has strong determination, consistent on treatment then it make easy to quit the addiction.

The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.

Addiction is a “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.” The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most individuals, but frequent drug use can lead to brain alterations that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain alterations can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease. People in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased threat for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. It's common for an individual to relapse, but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be constant and should be adjusted based on how the patient answers. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing desires.