Substance Abuse And Drug Addiction

Addiction to substances represents one of the most insidious diseases known to mankind. Given the serious nature and sensitivity that surrounds addiction, the only viable path to recovery from this disease tends to be through spending time in a reputable drug and alcohol rehab treatment center. Any efforts to try to classify all addicts into one group represents nothing more than an exercise in futility.

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

Substance use disorder is defined as being a pattern of maladaptive behaviors and reactions brought about by repeated use of a substance, sometimes also including tolerance for the substance and withdrawal reactions. (pg. 294). The individual I will be talking about for the project is someone that came to crave a particular substance and rely on it every day. Their choice to devote so much of their time to their substance caused issues between their family and friends. Both family and friends started to drift away from this individual. It was almost like all they literally cared about was making sure that they got their substance. Their choice of substance was alcohol. The individual had built up a tolerance where if there was a longer period of time where they would have to go without they would start to feel anxious and get sweaty, that was their withdrawal reactions exposed. A lot of people that have alcohol use disorder specifically start off by developing their drinking problem in there young college years. It is the prime time to be pressured by your peers to try and drink until you puke your cuts out. For other individuals they are so lucky and it actually can be seen as being disorder that is hereditary. For the specific individual that I am talking about for this paper he developed it because a majority of his dad’s side of the family had alcohol use disorder. This individual new the odds were against him, but still fell into the same steps his father’s side did.

“Addiction and Substance Abuse.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 July 2016. infobaselearning.com. The argument is about the “War on Drugs” and if it is working. One side of the argument thinks that by not funding the “War on Drugs” drugs would become uncontrolled. They believe that by stopping the war on drugs it would cost a lot more money in lost productivity and crime rate. They state that rehabilitation can occur while the person in in jail, and it should not substitute their punishment. While the other side believes that though we have thrown billions of dollars into this war on drugs it has shown no improvement whatsoever. They believe that by legalizing drugs the government can better regulate

"One reason healthcare professionals may not be detected as drug abusers is that their job performance often seems to be the last thing affected by their drug abuse. In the general community, employers are advised to look for early signs of drug abuse, such as increased rates of absenteeism or decline in job performance, which doesn't seem to be the case with healthcare professionals. Those in healthcare will alienate their families, destroy their finances, drop out of their usual recreations, and only then have their problems show up on the job. Just possibly, impaired healthcare professionals are less likely to miss work simply because they

Substance abuse among Healthcare Providers is a significant problem in the healthcare community. Multiple studies have estimated that 10 – 15 percent of healthcare providers in the United States may become chemically dependent at some point in their careers. “When alcohol is excluded from such assessments, the incidence of drug dependency is estimated to be between 1 and 2 percent.” (Booth, et al, 2002). This statistical estimate seems to be on par with substance abuse in the general population; (Nationwide Trends) however, the repercussions of substance abuse among healthcare providers are severe and can lead to permanent revocation of licensure to practice medicine.

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]

Alcohol and opiate abuse is often collectively referred to as substance abuse. Addiction to alcohol and opiates can have debilitating effects on individuals, their families, and the society. Although there is significant awareness of repercussions related to substance abuse, this problem persists in the United States (U.S.). Primary care providers (PCP) can treat alcohol abuse management and with additional training they can also treat opiate abuse (Uphold & Graham, 2013).

A person who has a substance abuse and a mental health disorder are identified as having a co-occurring disorder. Patients with substance use and mental health share common ground, because they hold the philosophy that treatment of chronic illness requires a long-term approach in which stabilization, education, and self-management are central (Drake, Mercer-McFadden, Mueser, McHugo, & Bond, 2016, p. 589). A counselor can help give resources (NA meetings being available in their community) as well as skills needed to help one not to relapse. Cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling, and other therapy approaches can help people recovering from addiction stay clean ("counseling," 2017, para. 2). Psychotherapy can also treat the other

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

In the United States addiction in the healthcare industry in a serious epidemic with a large number of its workers either addicted or abusing drugs and alcohol on a regular basis, in this review paper I will focus specifically on members of the nursing profession and nursing students. According to the ADA 1984, AMA 1987, AphA 1982, and ANA 1984 ( Kenna et, al.2004) drug and alcohol abuse and addiction is recognized as a serious threat against public safety due to the fact that not only does substance abuse impair the nurses ability to do their job to the best of their ability it also puts their patients at risk for receiving inadequate and sloppy care. One of the major hurdles in receiving treatment for many nurses and others in the healthcare field in that our society has been conditioned to view addicts as villains or as morally less then (Dunn 2005).

When a healthcare professional has an addiction, sometime mistakes are made and the patient’s life is never the same. Sometimes, the issue can never be corrected, and the patient will have to live with the consequences for the rest of their life. This is true for the many patients that have been mistreated or misdiagnosed, because of a professional in healthcare that was high, hungover, or itching for the next fix.

Addiction is a chronic and relapsing disorder that can have devastating affects on physical, mental and emotional health of the addict and also has drastic affects on the family members of addicts. There are wide variety of things one can be addicted to including, drugs, gambling, sex, overeating and videogames. For the purpose of this paper, addiction to drugs and alcohol will be examined and discussed. More specifically, the aspects that will be investigated are etiology, affects on the brain, treatment options and further research directions for this debilitating disorder.

According to Dictionary.com, substance abuse is defined as a “long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction (dictionary.com).” Substance use can include anything from alcohol to any variety of drugs, prescription or illicit. Responsible alcohol use is considered being no more than 3 drinks for a woman and no more than 5 for a man in a single setting. Proper prescription medication use means only using the medication as it is recommended, or prescribed, by a doctor. Any other use of the medication falls under substance abuse and can put a person on the substance use disorder

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