Substance Dependence: A Psychological Analysis

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

The definition of addiction is the continuing, compulsive use of a substance despite negative physical, mental or societal consequences of the substance. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1) To be psychologically dependent upon a substance is to feel the need to have the substance to maintain the feeling of well being. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1) Physical need is determined by tolerance levels for the substance. There would be a need for increase in dosage to achieve the same feeling. (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 1)

Growing up with substance abuse parents can potentially put the children at risk for developmental deficiencies. Parents who are substance dependent are oftentimes focus on themselves over their children, and this leads to neglecting the children. Without the attachment with the parents, children are lack of security and trust to explore the outside world. According to Erik Erikson, children develop at different stage. Infants are totally dependent on their parents. If parents provide the good care and support to the children, they will develop the basic trust to their parents and the world, otherwise, they will feel insecure and develop mistrust instead. This mistrust may cause problems later in life. As children begin to grow and navigate the challenges of adolescence, parental substance abuse has a direct impact on their well-being, as well as their behavior. Teenagers are eager to seek their identities. Yet, growing up with mistrust, inferiority, and shame

“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

Psychodynamic theorists explain the causes or substance abuse as related to dependency issues dating back to early childhood. This view claims that a when parents fail to satisfy a young child’s need for nurturance the child will grow to be highly dependent on others for

In a junkies life their dependency is associated with tolerance, withdrawal, persistent desire and failed efforts to reduce or control the use of a substance. Spending large amounts of time trying to get the substance, using it, and recovering from its use.

Addiction claims the user through physiological dependence that creates a need for the drug of choice on a very basic level. Through repeated substance abuse, the user gains tolerance for the drug, needing it in larger amounts, and on a more frequent basis, until the body cannot function normally without the drug. Withdrawal symptoms now also occur upon attempting to halt use. This is how substance abuse becomes the disease of addiction.

Substance abuse is any nonstop pathological use of a medication, drugs, or alcohol. Substance abuse is most likely to be diagnosed among people who have just started taking drugs or medication and is often an early symptom of substance dependence. However, substance dependence can show without any symptoms of substance abuse, and substance abuse can last long periods of time without changing into substance dependence. Substances that are abused are, but not limited to, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for varied reasons. Substance addiction symptoms include the need for increasing amounts of the substance to maintain desired effects, withdrawal if drug taking stops, and a lot of time spent in activities related to substance use. Due to substance abuse and addiction our society pays a significant

Substance abuse involves the usage of psychoactive substances like drugs and alcohol for various reasons like excessive stress, low self-esteem, loneliness and much more. However,

Substance abuse is defined as a pattern of drug use leading to significant issues or distress. Substance dependence is merely defined as continued use of alcohol or drugs even when significant problems have developed.

Substance abuse is an intense desire to use increasing amounts of a particular substance to the exclusion of other activities whereas drug dependence relies on the body’s physical need for a particular substance.

Constant stress in the environment during child hood can contribute to adult substance abuse. A few stressors could be parents fighting, family financial struggles, divorce, death of a family member or constant moving. For some adults, stressors could lead to developed feelings of being unwanted or feeling lonely and could result in the abuse of drugs to cope with the stressors endured during their childhood. When parental figure(s) or guardian(s) is constantly absent or negligent, the child will find new forms of role models, which is often their peers who may come from worse off homes or backgrounds, and influence and aid in developing negative

Substance abuse disorders is easily defined when an “individual continues to use the substance despite experiencing negative consequences from their use. These negative consequences can include health problems; difficulties in their family, work, and social life; and financial and legal problems. They are said to be dependent on the substance when,” in addition to theses negative consequences, they build tolerance and experience withdrawal if they stop using the drug” (Martin, 2007, p. 265). Substance abuse dates back to the early Americans colonies with beer that was brought over by the pilgrims and more popularly the ratification of the Constitution to prohibit the use of alcohol

One day when Wes was chasing his sister, Nikki, he finally caught her and didn’t know what to do, so he punched her. This angered his mother, Joy, because her first husband was a violent alcoholic who used to beat her when he was drunk. Wes explains that he has two memories about his father, the first of which was when his father talked to him about hitting his sister and the second was when he died. Wes’s father wasn’t feeling well one day, so he got taken to the hospital. The doctors didn’t know what was causing his symptoms, so they sent him home and told him to rest. He ended up having acute epiglottis and died that night. The death of Wes’s father was very hard for Wes because he became the man of the house at a very young age.

When someone says, “You get that laugh or that smile from your father or your mother.” You don’t always believe them, but in some studies today it is said that if your parents or anyone in your family has a history of a drug addiction those traits in their genes have a decent chance of being passed down to the children causing problems for them later in life. According to the Drugs and Addiction article in the 2009 Addiction Journal, “Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that the heritability of substance use disorders is moderate to