Drug Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

During the state of SUD it is question whether the individual suffering from such a disease should be held accountable for their actions. Another distinguishing factor between SUD and abuse is that SUD are not static entities but rather evolve over time (Doweiko, 2015). This evolution or rather stages are ranged from 0-4 which include total abstinence to middle to late stage addiction. SUD must also meet certain criteria’s in the DSM-5 manual. There are 4 general categories to determine if an individual suffers from SUD (Doweiko, 2015). The categories consist of impaired control over substance, multiple attempts to quit, activities center around getting substance, using, or recovering from using, and pharmacological effects of the drug. Manifestations, spiritual, vocational, primary disease, and potential to be fatal is also considered in the diagnosis criteria of SUD. Substance abuse on the other is used when individual uses a substance or compound for no medical reason or the substance is used in excess (Doweiko, 2015). Abuse has no physical dependency from the chemical, has no automatic physical

Heroin addiction is one of the leading killers of adolescents and adults in the United States. In recent years, addiction has skyrocketed, and “the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths increased by 286 percent between 2002 and 2013.” In 2002, “100 people per 100,000 were addicted to heroin, and that number has doubled by 2013” (The National Institute on Drug Abuse 2013). The most affected populations include low income males, adolescents, and those who have a family history of addiction, due to their increased susceptibility and crime-ridden environment. While it may seem as though heroin addiction is “just another drug problem” in the U.S., it is actually a problem of major public health importance because there are numerous physical, economic, and social risks associated with heroin dependence. Heroin dependence in the United States accounts for brain damage, increased homelessness, crime, and incarceration rates, as well as economic decline.

Substance abuse and addiction can impact every aspect of a person’s daily life, relationships, employment, and can have a profound impact on the user’s overall health. The certified professionals at the addiction treatment centers in Silver Spring, Maryland are uniquely qualified to mitigate the physical aspects of detox and withdrawl, but also help the individual to work through and resolve the many issues that evolve out of addiction. The addiction treatment centers in Baltimore, Maryland, and the surrounding area, offer inpatient services, outpatient care, and residential treatment options.

For many years, individuals have battled substance abuse and addiction. My position comes from hearing about it, having seeing results from it, and reading about it, also developing my own thoughts about addiction. Weil and Rosen (1993) believe that a drug use (and addiction) results from humans longing for a sense of completeness and wholeness, and searching for satisfaction outside of themselves. McNeece and DiNitto (2012) says the reason why people continue to use drugs to the point of becoming a physically and/ or psychologically dependent on them are more complex, some have tried to explain this

Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid abuse in the United States and Michigan has continued to rise, and with it, the devastating results that accompany it. Research has shown that increased opioid abuse leads to an increase in overdose and death, increases in crime and increased incidences of costly blood borne diseases like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis. It also leads to increased societal costs, such as an increasing number of children in foster care and increased healthcare, workplace and criminal justice costs that can decimate communities and local budgets. Many communities were caught with their heads in the sand, as they were overwhelmed by the influx of prescription opioids into their communities. When policies were finally implemented to curb the amount of prescription opioids in their communities, rates of heroin use (also an opioid) began to skyrocket and people began realizing they had an opioid epidemic on their hands. How to combat this heroin epidemic has been the topic of many debates. This article will attempt to examine the relationship of nonmedical prescription-opioid abuse and its effects on heroin use.

Shockingly, the state of Vermont has become one of the heroin capitals in the United States (Tron, 2014). According to Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin, roughly two millions dollars worth of heroin comes into the state every week (Tron, 2014). Nearly 80 percent of Vermont’s inmate population is behind bars for drug related crimes (Tron, 2014). Since major interstate roads flow through Vermont, such as Boston and New York City, it makes it easy for drug traffickers to move heroin into Vermont (Tron, 2014). In 2013, the number of heroin related deaths doubled in Vermont, and the amount of individuals getting treated for opiate abuse increased by 770 percent between 2000 and 2014 (Tron, 2014). The drug heroin has taken the lives of many Vermonters,

Wise and Koob state that addiction begins with positive reinforcement, habits, a person feels the “high” of the habit, however, then the tolerance sets in which conditions the brain for negative reinforcements and one increases the use to enjoy the habit (2014). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012), drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. This disease is complex disease that is treatable, however it is a lifetime of treatment, sending many into relapses over and over again. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

According to an article on wcax.com, “more Vermonters died from opiate overdoses last year [2011] than murders and traffic fatalities combined.” Some opiates have medically valid uses, while others are recreational drugs of abuse. All are physically addictive, and it has become evident that many people have begun to abuse them. Pharmaceutical drugs have taken over the minds of many Vermonters.

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

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.

These treatments could be given on out-patient basis, in-patient basis or on short-term or long-term residential basis. There are variety of professionals are giving service for drug addiction treatment. These professional are physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, rehab counselors, social workers, nurses, etc..

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

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, iIn 2013, a survey reported that an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older had used an illegal drug in the past month. The first time someone uses a drug, it is usually voluntary. This first use is usually to mask certain emotions that they are currently going through. Repeated use can lead to changes in the brain that challenge an addict’s self control and interfere with their ability to resist the temptation of a drug, this addiction makes them feel better about themselves and forget about the problem they are dealing with at the time. According to the Mayo Clinic, drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a dependence on a legal or illegal drug or

1.Drug abuse and addiction continues to be a global issue. According to the “United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime” (UNODC), about 5% of the global population used an illicit drug in 2010 alone, and about 27 million or 0.6 percent of the adult population of the world can be categorized as drug abusers. A7