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Drug Abuse Essay

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Drug Abuse

After reviewing the case study provided it is very evident that Matt has a substance abuse problem. He is a college student who is struggling to find a sense of belonging. He spends a great deal of time alone worrying about the financial burden he is placing on his family. His mother currently reported concern with Matt’s drinking habits, because her husband is a recovering alcoholic. His friends and roommate are suspicious about his use of alcohol and possibly even other substances such as cocaine. I feel the theoretical perspective that coincides with Matt’s substance abuse is the adaptive model. His father is a recovering alcoholic, who most likely drank around his children while they were growing up. Even …show more content…

Other negative effects on the individual include aggressive impulses, mood lability, impaired judgment, impaired social functioning, unsteady gain, nystagmus, and flushed face. Withdrawals begin 4-12 hours of cessation or reduction of alcohol use. Symptoms include; coarse tremor of hands, tongue, or eyelids, nausea or vomiting; malaise or weakness; tachycardia; sweating; elevated blood pressure; anxiety, depression, irritability; hallucinations; headache; and insomnia (Townsend, 414). Matt is in a detoxification center and displays many of the signs and symptoms of alcoholism that I have noted. He denies use of alcohol, however; smells of alcohol, his face is flushed, his speech is slurred, and he has urinated on himself, he has vomited several times, and is verbally abusive to the staff. His roommate when questioned found pieces of a broken mirror and thinks Matt has been using cocaine. Alcohol is a gateway drug which means it often times leads to other drugs such as cocaine, so it is very possible his roommate is right about his inclination. Also alcohol acts as a depressant so the pieces of broken mirror could have been from or been leading to a suicide attempt. When people are drunk they lose the

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