Use Of An Autoethnography For My Research Method

The content of this paper is an interview with Laura Crain from the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition. In the paper I touch on the history of the Coalition and how its evolved throughout the years. The coalition has a lot of involvement with the community in various counties. The work on a larger scheme rather than on a one to one basis. This interview covered the mission and goals set for the Coalition. Laura discussed with me the influences internal as well as external that affect the Coalition. Another thing we discussed was the struggles that come along with running an organization like this. I also touched on my personal experience and my thoughts regarding my internship.

Substance abuse issues within Appalachian have been addressed by several fields of study including social services, criminal justice, and health services. This issue is defined similarly in all fields even though it

With assistance from local educators such as Dr. Fagan and government policies could help bring awareness to opioid addiction to reduce and limit opportunities for misuse. Communicating this problem among healthcare physicians, providers, health departments can provide the public with information to help those with recovery and prevent further exposure. With effective communication, healthcare providers can spread knowledge, stories, break the stigma surrounding opioid use, and bring more discussion. “Children who learn about the dangers of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs.”Therefore, we must start a conversation to break the stigma that affects individuals and families throughout our communities. Within the environment, some individuals may feel stigmatized by substance abuse which can be a barrier for those to seek help and contributes to poor mental and physical health ultimately increasing rates of relapse, delay recovery and increase involvement in risky

If one traveled through the small quiet community of Monroe, MI you would probably never think that this town has a drug problem. From the outside it seems like a nice middle class suburb that might be ideal to raise a family. For those that reside here however, they know that there is a growing problem. There aren’t many families that haven’t been affected by heroin addiction in this small town. The drug has literally swept through this county like an angry mob of rioters bringing crime, death, and destruction with it, leaving many people in the community asking, “Why?”

The usage of heroin in the Oswego area is visible to law enforcement, but not noticed as much by ordinary residents. Due to the unseen interactions between buyers and sellers, it is easy to believe drug use is non-existent in a community such as Oswego. The truth of the matter is, this is not true. In retrospect, many of the residents use drugs in part because the neighborhood they reside in is expected to be free of such activity. The people who recognized drug use was a problem became advocates to stop the issue. For instance, there is Tim and Shannon Ryan, who are the parents of a son who overdosed from heroin. Tim Ryan, introduced his son Ryan to the world of heroin, would spend $400-$500 a day on his addiction, causing his family to lose their Oswego home and forcing his wife to file for divorce. Hoping to save her family, Shannon Ryan videotapes her husband and son while under the influence believing if they viewed the tape while sober it would cause them to quit the drug. Unfortunately, this was not what happened. The Ryan’s lost their son Nick to heroin usage. Consequently, Tim and his now ex-wife publicly speak out against heroin usage. Tim who is now clean runs a non-profit organization called A Man in Recovery.

This paper explores drug abuse as a problem that crosses ethnic lines for all Americans and translates to a major problem for all society. The articles used show the impact of drug abuse and how it is felt by all Americans. As a result of this paper, the author has discovered the institutional response to drug abuse and how it is felt disproportionately among the poor and among African Americans and Hispanics. According to the research it was discovered from a global survey data from the World Health Organization, that Americans are more likely to try illegal drugs than anyone else in the world. Approximately forty-two percent of American adults have tried marijuana and Americans are also number one in terms of annual prescription

Today, in society, there has been a huge rise in the amount of deaths due to heroin overdose and addiction. Heroin and opiate addiction is something that needs to be recognized within our society in order to help protect one another. In this essay, I will explore the different methods of treatment, health insurance issues, and how the addicts affect the society. Information involving treatment for heroin and opiate addicts needs to be more prevalent in society because we do not hear much about how to treat addicts until something goes wrong. With knowing that there are these issues in society, information about treatment and help needs to be addressed more affectively in order to prevent death and other health issues from occurring. Insurance is also a major factor that goes along with treatment, and I believe that treatment and other rehabilitation programs should partially be covered by health insurance in order for the whole process to be affordable. All of the educational parts of these issues go untouched because it is not talked about in many societies; in a news article by Dan Dearth he discusses the concerns of many police officers within the area of Washington County, MD. The police officers believe that Heroin is the up and coming drug that is going to affect many citizens, and there is no education about how Heroin affects an individuals body and mental stability. Therefore, the educational part of this situation needs to be introduced more within the society

I will explore the life of a white 23-year-old female college student named Becky who still lives at home with both her parents in the suburbs. Becky has a boyfriend named Jason who is 28 and a high school dropout. Recently Becky’s mother found a package of heroin and cocaine in her daughter’s room however when she confronted her daughter Becky denied that the substance belongs to her. It was not until long that Becky’s drug problem became known when she was picked up from a club trying to buy drugs from an undercover police officer. Becky has been court ordered to go detox then to a rehabilitation center for 90 days as well as attend Narcotics Anonymous and Alcohol Anonymous. Becky’s boyfriend was not

Substance abuse is one of the major issues affecting the community since many young people are either involved in the use of illicit drugs or the illicit use of legitimate drugs. As a result of this pressing issue, it's important for various stakeholders to be actively involved in helping young people involved in substance abuse. The involvement of community members and leaders in fighting substance abuse is also fueled by the fact that drug abuse is a problem that can be dealt with effectively at the community level. The involvement of these stakeholders is through developing and implementing substance abuse programs that are relevant.

I am writing to you today in regard to your request that I develop a program to decrease substance abuse in low-income teenagers at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio. This memorandum will discuss the program I recommend and the reasons why I believe it will help reduce substance abuse in this population.

For instance, if an individual lives in the ghetto, they are mostly connected in some way to the use of illicit drugs and alcohol use. Indeed, this can be due to the numerous amount of bars located in a low-income neighborhood or sale of illicit drugs within the community. In the article Five Stereotypes about Poor Families and Education, Valerie Strauss asserted, “We also should realize that when these problems do exist in low-income families, they have the potential to be particularly devastating because people in poverty who are struggling with substance abuse generally do not have at their disposal the sorts of recovery opportunities available to wealthier families. Nor do they have access to preventative medical attention that might catch and treat growing dependencies before they become full-fledged additions.” (Strauss, 2013) Therefore, instead of labeling poor individuals as the responsibility of the drug and alcohol abuse epidemic, a solution can be given to assist these individuals with these problems before the addiction grows and becomes out of hand to

Everyone has an addiction, whether it’s an addiction to a drug or just needing your phone at all times. Growing up I saw AA meetings portrayed in movies and on tv shows, and I thought AA was the only recovery group out there. To my surprise AA isn 't the only group out there for addicts. I chose NA because a few people I know are sober or in recovery, and I felt it was important to know about the culture. Learning about Narcotics Anonymous was almost like a culture shock in itself to me because I had no idea it existed. When you don 't have a “problem” you don 't often think about these groups existence and what goes on. In my essay I will be discussing the organization, purpose, beliefs, values, and norms of Narcotics Anonymous. As well as the stereotypes I had before I emerged myself into this culture.

The high percentages of drug and alcohol abuse in Southern Appalachia can be rooted in the economic realities of this region because if people aren’t making enough money than they can become depressed and turn to drugs to help “aid” them. This behavior only hurts them more in every aspect of their lives

Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to

Drug abuse is on the rise across the United States. It is uncommon in the current time to hear of a family that drug use has not impacted in some capacity. Heroin abuse is an epidemic that is substantially affecting thousands of families across the St. Louis area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Heroin-related overdose deaths have more than quadrupled since