Flynn's Suicide

According to the Diagnostic Statistic Manual 5 (DSM-5) substance use disorder is when the individual has a dependency on alcohol or drug, followed by penetrating craving and antisocial behavior to acquire the substance. The terms substance abuse and substance dependence refer to substance use disorder, which has been separated into three classifications as follows

Many people have turned to substance abuse or experience chemical dependency for a variety of reasons. Nurses experience chemical dependency as well. According to Kunyk (2013), “healthcare professionals, including nurses, are also potentially vulnerable to substance use disorders regardless of any special knowledge, skills or insights they might have owing to their education and professional experiences” (p. 54). This paper will define what chemical dependency is, report causes of chemical dependency in nurses, describe behaviors associated with chemical dependency, and explain what needs to be done upon reentry into the work place.

Prescription drug abuse is an ongoing problem in rural teens. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggests that 13% of teens between the ages of 12-17 have experimented with nonmedical prescription drugs at some point in their lives. Researchers have identified several factors linked with nonmedical prescription drug use such as their school enrollment status, history of depression, and a two parent household presence (Gever, 2010).

Substance use disorder, misuse, and dependence are among the most prevalent causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality in the United States (Brannigan, Schackman, Falco, & Millman, 2004; Newcomb and Bentler, 1988a; Sussman, Dent, and Galaif, 1997). Substances of all types are being widely used or misused by teens and emerging adults in the United States (Johnston et al., 2004). Adolescent substance misusers experience numerous social, economic, physical, and legal consequences, for example, truncated development (Newcomb and Bentler, 1988b). Substance use–related disorders are associated with such problems as poor academic performance, job instability, teen pregnancy, and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Crimes such as stealing, vandalism, and violence are associated with “heavy drug use” in adolescence. Adverse immediate consequences occur (e.g., overdoses and accidents). Also, drug-using youths are more likely to develop disorganized thinking and unusual beliefs that may interfere with problem-solving abilities and emotional functioning and may lead to greater social isolation and depression (Sussman and Ames, 2001), though the prevalence of dysfunctional thinking is not known. Substance dependent adolescents endure consequences of additional problems such as drug tolerance effects, withdrawal symptoms, and preoccupation with using a drug to the exclusion of other activities.

According to UAB's health website, "Substance abuse is used to describe a pattern of substance (drug) use leading to significant problems or distress such as failure to attend work/school, substance use in dangerous situations (driving a car), substance-related legal problems, or continued substance use that interferes with friendships and or family relationships. Substance abuse, as a disorder, refers to the abuse of illegal substances or the abusive use of legal substances. Alcohol is the most common legal drug of abuse."

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder which produces compulsive drug seeking and use. The abuse of drugs leads to changes in the function and structure of the brain. Consuming chemical substances to achieve pleasure or euphoria The most commonly abused classes of prescription drugs according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse include opioids used for chronic pain; central nervous system (CNS) depressants used in anxiety and sleep disorder treatments; and stimulants, such as amphetamine among others, utilized to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy.[4]

Infelicitously, for many, pain is numbed by the ephemeral fine-tune of drugs, alcohol, or a process (comportment) addiction. This results in a spiral of numbing, followed by culpability, shame, and even more unpleasant feelings. In many cases, substance use leads to even more traumatic experiences. Often, this eventually leads to substance dependence, and

The term addiction holds many different meanings in today’s society, but in the past it has been referred to as a sort of devotion to something. Over time, a more modern definition of the term has developed that links addiction to harmful involvement with drugs that eventually has potential of produce withdrawal or tolerance in an individual (Alexander & Schweighofer, 1988). Although the word addiction holds a more general meaning in a modern context it pertains to any kind of compulsive use. Current psychological authorities refer to drug addictions as substance abuse rather than simply an addiction for many reasons; the two conditions can be differentiated by the specificity of the substance being

It commonly believed that over time, the effects of drug related cues increases the efficacy of relapse. To this end, the researchers are looking to key brain chemicals to aid in the therapeutic treatment of drug addiction. A main concern is how can drug-related cues be counteracted or reduced in patients prone to relapse. In one study, investigators found that “drug use and relapse involves learned associations between drug-associated discrete and contextual cues and drug taking…” (Bossert, Marchant, Calu, & Shaham, 2013). This is further corroborated by data suggesting with repeated drug use, an attentional bias occurs (Jasinska, Stein, Kaiser, Naumer, & Yalachkov, 2014). As a result, drug cues take over perceptual, cognitive and memory processes. This produces a priming effect, essentially putting the addict in a state of “drug-seeking” readiness. We predict that when presented with certain contextual cues associated with drug use, they will trigger a drug-seeking response in drug addicted individuals when compared to the control. We also theorize that time of day will have an effect on the intensity of the drug-seeking response.

From the first essay, my knowledge about addiction/chemical dependence has expanded and grown in many levels and ways. One of the most important aspects of substance abuse that gave me a better understanding is dependence and its cause and effect. Although I knew people like experimenting with drugs for many reasons such as out of curiosity, have a good time, peer pressure, and other “compelling” factors. However, for so long I could not grasp why or how some people even among siblings become addicted to the drug or alcohol and some don’t. While I realize, multiple factors can contribute to certain illnesses, disorders due to genetic vulnerability, environmental stressors, social pressures, individual personality characteristics, and certain psychiatric problems, but which of those factors have the biggest influence. Prior to this class, I have mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower…to some extent, so it was their initial decision to take the drug, however. Now I know, my perception was wrong, though I never judged anyone for such behavior, I rather was saddened.

Substance abuse accounts for a high number of deaths in the United States. Alcohol is the third leading cause of deaths in the country with approximately 88,000 deaths occurring annually (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). In contrast, almost 40,400 annual deaths are related to the use of illicit drugs. As reported by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (2014), 24% of youths in the eighth grade, and 64% in the twelfth grade, have used alcohol in the past year. Of the adolescents ages 12-17, 11.6% have used alcohol in the past month, 6.2% have engaged in binge drinking, and 5.6% have smoked cigarettes (Fisher, G.L., & Harrison, T.C., 2013). Substance abuse is defined as the continuous use of alcohol and/or other drugs despite consequences in one or more areas of a person’s life (Fisher, G.L., & Harrison, T.C., 2013). Substance abuse relates to other problems, such as illegal behavior, family conflict, poor academic performance, lack of respect for authority, deficiencies in self-confidence, and psychiatric symptoms (Liddle, Rowe, Dakof, & Henderson, 2009). Although substance abuse is a prevalent issue, interventions have been implemented to assist these individuals in making a change.

In the United States there are 23.5 million people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Addiction affects a person spiritually ,emotionally and physically, it also causes chemical changes in the brain. Addiction I’m going to define by using the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-TR. The DSM defines substance dependence as a “maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress” It defines these as the symptoms of substance dependence “tolerance as defined by A.need for markedly increased amount of the substance to achieve desired effect. B. Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of substance 2.the substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a

Society as a whole is impacted greatly by substance abuse and addiction. Not only does it hurt the abuser directly, but it also becomes an enormous financial and social burden on society. Addiction wrecks families, and also highly correlates with poverty because the drug abuser ends up giving everything that they have to keep their addiction going. It also places extraordinarily high demands on the education, criminal justice, and social service systems. Children and babies both are dangerously impacted by the addiction of their parents and the same addiction is likely to even show up in their own lives later on. Drug babies are being born every day already addicted to the same substances their mothers have abused; they are the ones who truly suffer the greatest consequences of the effects of addiction. Teenagers are peer pressured by the alcohol and beer industries to drink; many alcoholics in our society are a result from binge drinking while in college and even in high school. People bound by these addictions who never get the help they truly need or lose their family and feel alone often commit suicide because they feel they are unimportant to society and that ending their own lives is their only means of escape.

“Drug addiction and drug use can be linked to at least half of all major crimes committed in the United States.” ( ) Drug addiction is defined as a human body craving the effect of a high from a drug orally, through the nose, or by injection. The high, depending on the drug, can be a rush, known as “uppers” drugs like cocaine or Adderall which are classified as stimulants that give the body energy. “Downers” drugs are Xanax and Valium, which are anti-depressants and relax the body. People who are drug free, have little to no sympathy for addicts, believing that the addicts lack strong willpower and morals. Addiction is a disease and that is very complex to the human body and it incredibly difficult to overcome to get clean and quit.

Substance abuse and drug addiction affects people from all walks of life. Drugs are available to those who want to consume them. Even though there vast amounts of literature and other informative and preventive data, people still choose to abuse drugs. Unfortunately, most of them become addicts and find it very difficult to escape their addiction for the reason that underlying issues may be causing them to seek and use drugs. There exists a number of special populations that are identified and may use drugs to cope certain stress factors in their life.