Drug Addiction Essay

Heroin addicts have the psychological dependence on heroin that leads them into the state of self-destruction and the possibility of leading to death by the extreme use of heroin. Never estimate the poppy flower for its power that withholds the fiends to their mentality enduring the euphoria enslavement of the mind that contained for many centuries. The heroin addiction nation is a self numbing injection and dry approach to have the mind under the state of the greatest feeling of great happiness leaving the pain behind under the spell of heroin. Heroin comes in many forms for addicts to enjoy in their own way. They come in powder and rock like form that is combined with other narcotics. The snorting form for heroin is not

Over the last few days at Providence Crosstown Clinic, I have gained a tremendous amount of insight into the field of addiction and substance use disorder. Crosstown Clinic is an addictions treatment clinic with an interdisciplinary team that cares for over seventy clients with substance-use disorder. Clients come into the clinic three times a day and are given either DEM (diacetylmorphine) or HME (hydromorphine). DEM is an addictive drug derived from opium that produces an intense euphoria, also known as “high”; whereas, hydromorphone is a synthetic narcotic analgesic, similar to morphine and heroin. During the first few days, I have learned Crosstown clinic began as a study to assess long-term opioid medications effectiveness, also known as the SALOME trail, to test whether hydromorphone, a licensed medication, is as good as diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient of heroin, at assisting people who suffer from chronic opioid addiction and who are not benefiting sufficiently from other treatments. I was told by the clinic nurse that the test found that hydromorphone is almost the same as DEM; however, clients prefer DEM better since it gives them a longer “high”. I have yet to work with clients with substance use disorder, and I am excited to learn more about alcohol and substance use like alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines.

When the goal of addiction treatment is to provide a behavioral change, it is beneficial to include any treatment that can assist with the recovery process. The utilization of medications can potentially increase the chances of sobriety. The HBO series Opiate Addiction: A New Medications for drug addiction (Hegedus & Pennebaker, 2007), creates awareness of the benefits of pharmaceutical use.

What is interesting about this is that although drugs act on the brain, that does not necessarily mean that is can be considered a brain disease. People have the power to change, and being addicted to a drug does not change that. It’s just like how people are able to learn something new. A person addicted to a drug can learn to not be addicted to it anymore, just like a baby can learn that he/she does not need a pacifier. The different types of substance use disorders I will focus on to not be a brain disease will be alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

The brain disease concept from this documentary series restricts our understanding of complex behaviors such as drug addiction or alcohol use as a large population of society wonders why these people don 't simply stop the negative behaviors that they are engaging in. This disease perspective sends a message to the public that an addict 's condition is amenable to a medical cure and that the language used is more to describe conditions such as schizophrenia and other such afflictions that have not been brought on by the sufferer themselves and that cannot modifiable by the person 's desire to do better. From the brain disease perspective; addiction is something beyond these people 's control and is in part contributed by genetic dispositions and a chemical imbalance in the brain among other things, and not something based on an individual 's choice and behaviors leading to heavy drug use. The studies from the video, as well as other sources, typically cite the brain as the organ in which addiction is said to reside yet this is not perfectly clear and has not been thoroughly scientifically explored. Images of the brain are shown in the videos, one of a normal healthy person and one of a person who has an addiction. While this is true to an extent,

I believe drug addiction is a choice that evolves into a disease over time if the drug continues to be used regularly by a person. Drug addiction is a disease that a person makes a conscious decision to receive. Every single person that is addicted to drugs ultimately put themselves in the position that they are in because of their personal choices, however, I don’t believe a single person that is addicted to drugs woke up one morning and said, “I think I will get addicted drugs today”. They consciously chose to ignore the fact that drugs are addictive and hoped it would not happen to them. Gene Heyman argues that drug addiction is completely a choice made by an individual and that it is not at all a disease, which stands in contrast to a widely- accepted view by most health officials.

You crave it, you want it and you just can not stop thinking about it or, you just can’t stop doing it, they call it addiction. “Addiction is a chronic, but treatable, brain disorder. People who are addicted cannot control their need for alcohol or other drugs, even in the face of negative health, social or legal consequences. This lack of control is the result of alcohol- or drug-induced changes in the brain. Those changes, in turn, cause behavior changes” (What is Addiction). The behavior change happens when the brain can no longer see the picture as the “big picture”, with out the drug substance. That is when a person that has an addiction starts depending on the drug substance to enhance their experiences.

Your brain is not naturally infected with a problem, it is self inflicted. When you take drugs you physically injure your brain. This proves addiction is not a disease. Addiction is a result in a choice an addict made to try and use drugs. Not all drug abusers are children of drug abusers, which proves addiction cannot be blamed on genes. Parents and family members could have influenced the choice to do drugs, but they did not make it for the addict. If addiction reaches the point to where an addict is dependant on their drug, they let it. Addiction is definitely a problem. It affects family members, friends, and society. There are medications to help addicts quit, but not to cure addiction. After rehab it's up to the addict to continue staying clean, or use drugs

It seem that a new connotation has been given to the term ‘drug’. Before in the past, the term was used for the word ‘medicine’. But in the 21st century it’s not only used to describe medicine, but also to reference fatal narcotics, which includes heroin, cocaine, and many other specifications. All these narcotics have an evil affect on the mind and body cells of the addict. The young generations are failing victims of these addictions. I believe that addiction is a brain disease. It is when the addict becomes dependent on a drug and uses it, despite of having knowledge of what the long term harm of it does to one’s health. Addiction is a brain disease, because it can change the structure and functioning of the brain. While I watched the video,

Drug treatment centers are far more abundant now than they have been in terms of effectiveness as research and studies have been conducted. In particular THE CAMP Recovery Center is a “Nationally-accredited program run by an expert staff with extensive training” and has had numerous success and recovery stories from struggling addicts that just wanted a way out, including one from a family member of mine. THE CAMP is located in Santa Cruz mountain with an offering a variety of outdoor focused activities to supplement group therapy and other recovery-related programming. The clinic offers a variety of different detoxification options depending on the addiction a person has. The Center offers detox/treatment programs for the following additions:

Substance abuse disorders are common in our society. It is a disorder that each one of us will most likely experience through a family member, friend, or our self. I felt very drawn to this topic due to the fact that I have a family that has background of substance abuse and I myself have battle the demon. Not until I struggled with my own addiction did I become more tolerable and understanding to those that have a substance abuse disorder. Substance abuse is not something anyone wants to have; it is a disorder that takes control of a person’s life. It is a beast that tears a person apart; from their being to the lives of their loved ones. This disorder is not biased in anyway; rich or poor, male or female, employed or unemployed, young or

In the modern era both addiction and substance abuse are serious issues. In order to fix these issues we need to understand the different types of addiction and the difference between addiction and substance abuse. Firstly we need to understand what substance abuse and addiction are, let us start by looking at their definitions. Substance abuse is when someone misuses a specific substance for example alcohol. Addiction is when that someone repeatedly misuses the substance, so much so that they no longer have control, over whether they use the substance or not, and when to use the substance. The difference being; that addiction is repeated substance abuse and by being so is a different, and more dangerous problem then substance abuse.

The disease model: This theory states that an individual who abuses drugs requires medical treatment rather than moral punishment or exhortation. This theory also justifies spending money to research substance abuse in the same way that money is spent to research other diseases. However, usually the term disease is reserved for a state in which we can identify an abnormal biochemical or physical condition. No abnormal biochemical or physical condition has been found in the case of substance addiction, although mounting evidence suggests that some individuals are genetically predisposed to addiction more so than others. Nevertheless, this theory continues to appeal to researchers, and an intensive effort is always being made to identify the physiological “switch” that establishes addiction after exposure to a drug (Lee, 2010).

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem, driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is an even bigger problem that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Abusing either one of these substances can lead to the death of you or the death of someone else or even cause a major change in their life like Jacqueline’s story, her whole life has been changed because of another person’s ignorance and carelessness. Therefore, you should know the facts about drug and alcohol abuse before you do something you may regret for the rest of your life.

Addiction is a choice and by classifying addiction as a disease, we are just enabling drug addicts to take no responsibility for their own actions in their lives. By labeling addiction as a medical condition it creates a false assumption that addicts have no control over their own behavior. People become addicts because of their behavior, not their brain chemistry. The disease concept is so popular because it gives people an easy way out; if they inherited their addiction they can’t be responsible for their own behavior. The disease model of addiction is flawed for a number of reasons; first, most people who take drugs do not become addicted, but may take drugs for a period of time, then stop when they choose to do so. Many well respected professors and scientist claim addiction is a scapegoat behavior that has been incorrectly identified as a physical or mental illness, an addict is only a victim of bad science and misguided policy.