Substance Use Disorders: A Case Study

Substance abuse is a very widely known public epidemic in today's society. Many people are unfortunately plagued by this issue. According to Emedicinehealth.com (2012), “People abuse substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for varied and complicated reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost,” (para. 1). People that are affected by substance abuse includes a very different range of people. Many that abuse the substances end up having health-related problems which in turn increases the need for health care. Other people that are affected by substance abuse are the family members and friends of the abusers because they have to deal with the person abusing the substances. Things that can be abused are

As the disease model argues that there is no cure for addiction, the only treatments available aims to reduce or suppress the urge to use drugs (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). Firstly, addicts

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates substance abuse, whether it is smoking, alcohol abuse or illicit drugs, costs the nation over 700 billion dollars annually, (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that, ” In the United States, 6.6% of persons aged 12 or older (an estimated 17.3 million individuals) in 2013 were dependent on or abused alcohol within the year prior to being surveyed”. Out of that 6.6% men had a higher rate of dependence or abuse with 8.7% being male and 4.6% being female. In the same survey it

Edward is an approximately 30 yo Caucasian male who lives in California. Edward presented in the interview as relaxed and confident, sitting with his arm stretched over the couch. Edward stated his main goal today was in the spirit of helping others by telling his prescription substance use disorder story.

Gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction also. Negative consequences go along with drug abuse and addiction. Estimates for the total costs of substance abuse in the United States, according to Drug Facts revised in November 2011, say that including productivity and health and crime related costs, exceed $600 billion annually. “This includes approximately $193 billion for illicit drugs, $193 billion for tobacco and $235 billion for alcohol. Indeed alcohol has the highest amount of expenditure for abuse. These numbers do not fully describe the amount of destructive public health and safety implications of drug abuse and addiction, such as family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, and child abuse.” Drug addiction, along with alcoholism, is a chronic disease. With medication and psychotherapy they can be overcome. Relapse is always a concern and a possibility when considering chronic disease. The actual fact is that they can reoccur and will continue to need the willingness and commitment of the patient to maintain sobriety. Often people think that because a substance may be addictive that it should not be used; however the fact is that there are many benefits to the supervised use of marijuana which are more evident every day now. Chemicals that effect the brain and

Mr. Landaverde reported that he does not have any medical illnesses and has not been prescribed any medications. Mr. Landaverde reported that he went to the doctor in August 2016 for a regular checkup. Mr. Landaverde stated that he normally goes to the doctor every six months. Mr. Landaverde reported that he has never been hospitalized in the past. Mr. Landaverde reported that he does not have any emotional or psychiatric problems. Mr. Landaverde stated that he has never been to counseling. He stated to the best of his recollections, neither one of his parents have ever suffered from a substance related disorder.

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).

Boys face the stereotype of always having to be tough and confident (pg.286). So, Terrel, being an athlete, might start to consume alcohol to show his strength and to appear cool and adult-like to his peers, especially to other boys. He might also take on smoking and consuming alcohol since he has lived with his mother who has these unhealthy habits. Even, when she was pregnant with him, she was smoking and drinking and has not been successful in eliminating these habits. Prenatal exposure to smoking and alcohol raises the likelihood of a child to consume these substances early in life (FindYouthInfo 2013). Terrell grew up to be a quite healthy child despite having had a very high risk of developing FAS or FAE. But his mother continuance with these unheathy habits puts him at great risk of developing substance abuse.

Substance abuse and addiction have become a social problem that afflicts millions of individuals and disrupts the lives of their families and friends. Just one example reveals the extent of the problem: in the United States each year, more women and men die of smoking related lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined (Kola & Kruszynski, 2010). In addition to the personal impact of so much illness and early death, there are dire social costs: huge expenses for medical and social services; millions of hours lost in the workplace; elevated rates of crime associated with illicit drugs; and scores of children who are damaged by their parents’ substance abuse behavior (Lee, 2010). This paper will look at

Another aspect f substance abuse is codependency. Kanal (2011) defines the codependent as person that is close to the abuser. In this instance, the other person becomes dependent as well. One could same it is reflective of “If you cannot beat them, join them.” This is obviously problematic because the normal model finds the abuser and the other person in his or her life trying to seek help for the person, advocating for the person to quit, and has no desire to become addicted as well. This is normally the person who works to ensure the other people in the home children remain safe. One most also realize that alcoholism is passed from one generation to the next it is both genetically passed and a nurtured habit.

Primary prevention for families is arguably the cornerstone of substance abuse treatment and prevention. An adequate support system is the foundation for anyone suffering from an illness, especially one as strong as an addiction. The text describes the need for role models, families, and outside resources for substance abuse recovery (Levinthal, 2014, p. 392-393). Family policymakers, such as mothers and fathers play an essential role in setting clear boundaries and expectations in regards to drug-taking behaviors (Levinthal, 2014, p. 393). Although, families are the primary focus of this prevention strategy, peers and friends also contribute to an individual's support system. Being sure that everyone involved in the life of a substance abuser

Drug addiction is a complex problem in society today. Addiction is a condition that extremely affects the person’s mind and body. Addiction also has wide sweeping effects on that person’s social connection and functioning. Unfortunately, many addicts don’t realize the social influence of their addiction until much of their functioning has greatly deteriorated.

Rassool (2011) defines addiction as “any behaviour, activity, substance, object or thing that has taken control of an individual’s life-style, that is causing harm to the individual and family” (p4). The majority of us are exposed to a range of addictive behaviours that impact on individuals and families across socio-economic and cultural areas, and it has been argued that we now live in an addictive society (Rassool, 2011). Addiction is useful in enhancing our scientific understanding of human behaviour due to its classification via the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM-5), which is the standard classification of mental disorders. It is used for clinical, research and policy purposes and has a large influence on the diagnosis and treatments of disorders across many countries (Hasin et al, 2013). Another way in which addiction can be measured is using the Dependence Syndrome. According to Edwards and Ross (1976), elements of the syndrome include; increased tolerance to alcohol, avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, compulsion to drink, and rapid relapse after abstinence. These measurements of addiction aid our scientific understanding of human behaviour because they allow for a more reliable and valid diagnosis, consequently impacting treatment and thus, enhancing psychologists’

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

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