Running head: CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY PAPER
Chemical Dependency Paper
Linda D. Miles
University of Phoenix
Child Therapy
MFFC/536
Robert Skaff
October 01, 2008
Chemical Dependency Paper
Chemical Dependency Paper
This paper will discuss Chemical Dependency or Substance Dependency and Substance Abuse in Adolescents; specifically the development, progression and biopsychosocial of dependency and abuse in the adolescent population. The definition of epidemiology and diagnosis will be addressed. Lastly three treatment options including the range of severity will be provided. There is difference between substance abuse and substance dependence. The distinction between the two is characterized by the role they
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Or they are similar enough to the brain’s natural chemical messengers that they trick brain receptors into activating nerve cells. Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines cause the neurons to release too much of the neurotransmitters, causing the sensation users describe as the brain “racing.”
And, in one way or another, almost all drugs over stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, flooding it with the neurotransmitter dopamine. This produces euphoria, and the heightened pleasure can be so compelling that the brain wants that feeling back again and again. Unfortunately, with repeated use of a drug, the brain becomes accustomed to the dopamine surges by producing less of it. So the user has to take more of the drug to feel the same pleasure — the phenomenon known as tolerance. There are several psychological factors that exist in the adolescent with substance and chemical dependency disorders. The moods of these adolescents are not stable and they are more prone to depression. They have various emotional and behavioral difficulties. Adolescents with these disorders also tend to have learning disabilities and psychiatric disturbances. (Jorgenson and Salwen, 2008) According to the research of Terry Brown, “Psychological dependence for long term users is more likely; some have mental health problems such as confusion, sleep disorder depression and paranoia.”
Tolerance plays perhaps the most important role in promoting addiction. When we use a medication to treat an illness, a specific dose should produce the same response dose after dose. However, that is not true for opioids. With repeat use, opioids become less effective both at relieving pain and producing pleasure. We call this phenomenon tolerance.
Addiction to drugs and alcohol has taken epidemic scale in the recent decades, the number of people affected by this disease has been increasing steadily and the age of drug and alcohol use initiation has sadly been decreasing, children as young as 12 years old are reported as addicts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 22.5 million Americans aged 12 and older self-reported needing treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use in 2014. Drug abuse and mental health disorders are commonly seen as coexisting conditions. They are among the top conditions that cause disability and carry a high burden in society.
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,
One of the most powerful factors for relapse is stress, since it triggers the sense of drug seeking and craving behavior mostly during the abstinence period. This feeling of stress at the time is predictive of the rehabilitation period. Addicted individuals comparably show increased susceptibility to stressors than others who are not addicted. Examples of relapse inducing stressors include fear, anger, or sadness. Relapse and substance abuse costs and affects the individual, the community, and family in significant ways; it is also measurable through common aspects that include un-employability, loss of productivity, and mental health issues for the user. It also reduces their quality of life as shown through the increased rate of crimes, neglect of children, increase in violence, and dependency on non-familial support systems for
All drugs of abuse seem to activate DA release from these two areas although each drug family tends to work via drastically different psychopharmacological mechanisms.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes addiction as a, “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). Long-term use can effect and change a person’s ability to learn, judge, and make decisions. Stress, memory issues, and behavior problems are also common side effects of extended drug use. There is not one single factor that can determine if a person will become addicted drugs. However, certain risk factors have been identified as predicting higher probabilities of addiction because of a person’s biology, environment, and development. Adolescents who abuse
According to the Urban dictionary, a stimulant can refer to any drug the affect the activity in the central nervous system (CNS) or sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The most common recreational stimulants are called ?uppers? and include ADHD medications (Adderall, Ritalin, etc.), amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy. The more addictive stimulants can give you a sense of euphoria and an overall sense of well-being.?(D., 2004)
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
Mind Chemistry: Repeated medication utilization changes the route in which your cerebrum feels joy and may likewise cause physical changes to nerve cells in the mind. These nerve cells use neurons to convey, and when an individual is dependent on a substance, for example, heroin it disturbs correspondence in the mind. This causes a single person to utilize a greater amount of the medication to compensate for the absence of neurotransmitters.
It is dopamine that is involved in the pleasure centers of the brain where motivation, reward, the experience of pleasure, and motor function take place. Methamphetamine’s ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the euphoric “rush” or “flash” that many users experience. Repeated methamphetamine use can easily lead to addiction—a chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use.
There are many experiments done which concluded the fact the addictive medication stimulate DA-comprising neurons and these neurons target the areas n brain that give boost to the addiction. Brain has a passageway in brain that links the individual to the sentiment of reward this is known as mesolimbic dopamine system. This circuit (VTA-NAc) basically exhilarate the reward system, manages humans response to rewards.
Many people in the world are addicted to drugs and any kind of high they get is good for them. They get addicted and without help they will only get worse. The use of drugs makes one depend on them and you can slowly lose family, a job and your entire life. This dependency leads to addiction whether it be drinking or drugs. Substance use disorder refers exactly to its' name, it is substance use or substance dependency. Substance use also known as drug use disorder is a condition in which the use of one or more substances leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. You can miuse and abuse a drug, and although it sounds the same, they are two different scenarios. A drug misuse is using a drug for purposes it is not intended for.
Drugs, withdrawals, poor medical, and psychological health are the most common stereotypes associated with substance dependence, but there is more to this psychological disorder than these mere stereotypes. Unlike substance abuse, substance dependence is a physical and psychological disorder when the user’s body is dependent on a substance or substances.
Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related consequences, poor peer relationships, mental health issues, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. There are also significant consequences for family members, the community, and society in
Drugs are substances other than food that affect the way your mind and body works (Al Robertson et al).