Substance Abuse/Life Substance Evaluation

There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged

According to the SAMHSA (2010) report on the national survey on drug use and health almost 22.5 million people are reported to be associated with substance abuse disorder (SAMHSA, 2010). This illness was found to be very common in all age groups, both sex, and seniors. There are several effects on these individuals and their families. Many people who suffer from substance abuse disorders fail to acknowledge these serious consequences. First of all, no response of pain relief can be seen with smaller doses of pain medications, as their bodies are used to high levels of various substances at the same time. Nurses become frustrated when they try to treat and help these patients with pain. Sometimes it is difficult to think about ethical principles when nurses have to deal with such patients with pain and suffering.

Treatment guidelines from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicate that treatment should include age-appropriate group therapy, and teach skills to rebuild social support networks (Trevisan, 2008). Staff need to be experienced in working with the elderly and use a slower pace and age-appropriate content. Respect with an atmosphere of support and change rather than confrontation should be created in the therapeutic setting. Three medications have been approved for treatment of alcohol problems; however, there are few pharmacological treatment studies of alcohol dependence in older adults and no know studies of other drugs of abuse (Trevisan, 2008). These three medications include Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate (Trevisan, 2008).

4. What type of drug is chlorpromazine, and where was it first tested on patients? Antipsychotic, A new phenothiazine drug, chlorpromazine, was synthesized in France in 1950 and was tested on such patients. In 1952, two French psychiatrists, Delay and Deniker, announced that the drug exerted a specific effect in diminishing the symptoms and signs of psychosis in patients with severe mental illnesses. (Hart & Ksir, p. 171)

According to Feldstein and Miller (2007), explain that the SASSI was publish is 1985 and select by counselors to use with other screening instruments. Wormer and Davis (2013) describe the SASSI form with true/false question not pertaining to substance or alcohol. This SASSI assessment is the most used tool that has different versions (Miller, Woodson, Howell, & Shields, 2009). For instance, the SASSI 3 has 10 scales with 93 items to identify if a client has a substance disorders. In addition, the scales include the Face Valid Alcohol, Face Valid Other Drug, Symptoms, Obvious Attributes, Subtle Attributes, Defensiveness, Supplemental Addiction Measure, Family History, and Tendency to Involvement

This data builds the precision of the substance use/abuse assessment, and additionally giving important course to setting up pertinent intercessions. The SALCE evaluates the activity in the client life by two ways; the normal assessment of life conditions which is reflected by one of the four classifications below. The other is to recognize regions of stress which are recorded under Low or Unusual Life Circumstance Ratings toward the finish of the SALCE report.

Although there are several different assessments one could use, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, (SASSI-3) would be the first choice. It is a “brief self-report, easily administered psychological screening measure that is available in separate versions for adults and adolescents. The Adult SASSI-3 helps recognize individuals who have a high probability of having a substance dependence disorder with an overall empirically tested accuracy of 93%.” Dr. Glenn A. Miller developed the SASSI-3 and is comprised of 67 true-false items with additional 26 item self-report section on substance use for identifying people with a high probability of having a substance dependence disorder. The subtle items of the SASSI-3 appear to have no correlation with the rest of the test. The subtle items may identify some clients who have alcohol or other drug issues the client may not admit to. A counselor having an awareness of their client’s history of alcohol use aids the counselor in identifying clients who are at risk and what treatment strategies may be most effective. The SASSI-3 is quick and easy for the counselor to score; only taking 15 minutes to administer and score. This assessment is helpful in both inpatient and outpatient sites. Although some studies have shown that alcoholism is hereditary, the genes have yet to be identified. Alcoholism is not only complex but involves different pathways that may lead to the development of alcohol dependence. Some factors may

I had the opportunity to interview a Substance abuse counselor named Tyler Luedke, he works for the Community Treatment Center in Green Bay and is also a case manager. This interview provided me an outline of his central beliefs and the approach he takes when it comes to the communication with clients. As a counselor, he listens to clients and describes their problems of what causes them to engage in addictive behavior. AODA counselors discuss ways to cope and potentially incorporate methods, such as 12-step programs, to help clients toward recovery. Every patient is different and struggling with various degrees of addiction he finds himself working with some individuals in a crisis, while others will meet with you regularly as they recover.

This is a Level 3 Unit which means that bullet pointing you answer is only acceptable when stated. All other answers need to be detailed and in a narrative format.The sizes of the boxes are not indicative of the size of your answer required to meet the national standards. Keep the formatting consistent with the original document. This helps to demonstrate your IT skills.Use spell check on your computer and check your grammar. This will provide evidence for your level 2 literacy which is recommended for a Level 3 award.

Sue was referred to American Samoa Department of Human and Social Services for a substance abuse intake assessment due to her addiction to crack cocaine. She has recently pled guilty to charges of possession, sale of an illicit substance, and of engaging in prostitution. Sue is a single mother of four children range from the ages of 2, 4, 5, and 8. She has been a victim of domestic violence by the father of her children and now his whereabouts are unknown. Sue believes that he has returned to Haiti. After her husband left her and the children, she engaged in an ongoing lesbian relationship with her best friend, which is another prostitute.

Substance abuse, or substance use disorder (SUD), is recognized by the medical community as continual overindulgence of an addictive substance such as drugs and alcohol. The extent of a person’s involvement in the disorder is measured by the amounts normally consumed and the length of time between periods of consumption. Substance abuse does

The assessment serves many purposes. By giving simple, yet specific questionnaires, the professional can determine whether additional screening or diagnosing is necessary. "Relevant assessment information includes consumption patterns, substance-related problems, expectancies and motives for use and situational context for use" (Carey & Correia, 1998, p. 736). Three of the best tools or methods include collateral information, biochemical methods, and self-report

In January of 2009 the government took action against the recommendation of the ACMD, and move Cannabis from a Class C drug to a Class B drug, based on the foundations of the Misue of Drugs act 1971 this would indicate that evidence of increased harm has been discovered. Jacqui Smith, the home secretary at the time of this action justified the act with the following quote “decision takes into account issues such as public perception and the needs and consequences for policing priorities, where this is, doubt about the potential harm that will be caused, we must err on the side of caution and protect the public.” - Reference

The philosophy of the study is that the scorer has to account physical, psychological, and social harm to the user and their surroundings. For example, physical harm consists of direct or indirect harm from using the drug, while psychological harm is based on dependence and direct or indirect impairment of mental function. The drugs listed were: Alcohol, Heroin, Crack Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Tobacco, Amphetamine, Cannabis, GHB, Benzodiazepines, Ketamine, Methadone, Mephedrone, Butane, Khat, Anabolic Steroids, Ecstasy, LSD, Buprenorphine, and Psilocybin. The results were that alcohol rated the highest with a score of 72 out of a 100, followed by Heroin with 55 and Crack Cocaine with a score of 54. Ecstasy was listed the fourth to last with a total score of 9, from 1 point in harm to others and 8 points in harm to user. Mushrooms was scored a total of 6 with only points in harming the user. LSD was scored with 7, consisting of only harming the user. (David J. Nutt

Substance abuse is one of the most detrimental social problems found in all societies. It has been the leading cause for generational breakdowns of families and communities, and is probably the most controversial social problem when developing corrective solutions. Substance abuse can be defined as the chemical dependence, or pattern of usage of both legal and illegal substances, that has adverse physical, psychological, and psychomotor effects on the human body. The use of substances does not always have to be a drug, but can also be anything taken into the body that can cause a mood-altering effect, such as inhalants or solvents. Additionally, substance abuse has many different faces and is the one social problem that crosses all