The Problem With Drugs And Drugs Essay

Almost half of all Americans know someone addicted to the pain pills they are prescribed to. Heather VanderSloot knows the thoughts an addict has because four years ago she was an addict.

Opioid addiction is so prevalent in the healthcare system because of the countless number of hospital patients being treated for chronic pain. While opioid analgesics have beneficial painkilling properties, they also yield detrimental dependence and addiction. There is a legitimate need for the health care system to provide powerful medications because prolonged pain limits activities of daily living, work productivity, quality of life, etc. (Taylor, 2015). Patients need to receive appropriate pain treatment, however, opioids need to be prescribed after careful consideration of the benefits and risks.

Second Main Point: As mentioned before, opioids are highly addictive, but why? Why don’t people just stop taking the drugs when they realize they have a problem? The

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5, opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by patterns of opioid use that are problematic and persist for at least one year (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Evidence of problematic use of opioid is demonstrated through the presence of at least 2 symptoms which include withdrawal, craving, and continued use of opioids despite the disruptions it causes in personal and professional life. The substances used by persons with OUD are heroin and nonmedical pain relievers ([NMPR]; i.e. nonmedical use of opioid pain relievers), and estimates for DSM-5-defined OUD tend to combine the prevalence of use for each of these substances to determine overall

“Denial is a psychological defense mechanism that is found almost universally in people with addiction” (Henderson 2). Many addicts ignore detrimental consequences in order to

1b. List and describe briefly the major structures of the brain, as presented in your textbook, including the function of those elements that are most related to psychoactive drug reaction.

The best part about having an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol is finding out there are many people out in the world who are willing to helps others recover from their addiction. If you are suffering due to your inability to stop abusing substances, you can put an end to your suffering by taking two important steps, admitting your are helpless over drugs and/or alcohol and finally reaching out for help.

And while plenty of people do have the ability to beat addiction by themselves, many others do not. Yes, the prime personal strength and change needs to be self-motivated, but it can also be guided by a professional who can help streamline the process and make it more effective. Rehab should not be scorned with a negative stigma, but embraced as an effective treatment.

Though many addicts have admitted to abusing opioids that were prescribed, not all users who developed abuse disorder obtain their drugs via medical professionals. Amid the adults who misuse opioids, sixty percent reported using them without being properly prescribed, and over

“Addiction is a choice not a disease”, is a common phrase that stigmatizes drug addiction in our everyday language. The lack of public knowledge about this social problem causes widespread stigmatization and discrimination of the ill. As a result, many individuals who seriously need professional help feel isolated and hopeless, making it harder for them to recover.

This is inaccurate because prescribed opioids are still addictive. The truth is that people typically turn to street drugs because they offer the same euphoric and satisfying feeling but at a much cheaper cost. Everyone blames the drug-addicts because it was "their fault". But no one goes deeper than that. The Western ideology that "pills heal all ills" needs to end. In some parts of the U.S., pills are prescribed for almost anything you can think of, and doctors, not wanting to disappoint their patients, give more and more medicine and it is unnecessary.

Opioid addiction is a condition that is preventable as well as one which individuals display several noticeable risk factors before the actual addiction prognosis to the point of causing death. There is a strong correlation between the early misuse of prescription opioids, which are prescribed for non-cancer pain management, and the development of a dependence on such opioids. Early detection of risk factors such as the misuse of opioids that are prescribed will help indicate that a patient is developing an addiction.1 Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers must closely monitor patients and the rate at which opioids are consumed as well as refilled.

Additionally, prolonged use of opioid drugs changes the way opioid receptors work in the brain, making the receptors dependent on the drug to function normally. This is referred to as dependency. When a person is dependent on opioid drugs, they will become physically ill if they stop taking them. These symptoms, which can sometimes be mistaken for the flu, are known as withdrawal symptoms and they are the body’s response to no longer having the drug in their

Addiction is a “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.” The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most individuals, but frequent drug use can lead to brain alterations that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain alterations can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease. People in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased threat for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. It's common for an individual to relapse, but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be constant and should be adjusted based on how the patient answers. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing desires.

Treatments include support systems, rehab, jail. Maintenance of sobriety is important in keeping yourself sober by attending AA meetings. You must keep in mind though you can’t truly help someone with addiction who doesn’t want to help