Substance Abuse Addiction: A Case Study

Unfortunately, treatment for methamphetamine addiction primarily comes under the circumstances of overdose or psychosis. For nurses, the care most needed is management of vitals, restoring hydration, body temperature, blood pressure and behavior back to normal. Specific to the patient, this supportive care may include ventilation or cardiac support. Many times, the degree of psychosis is beyond the scope of nonpharmacologic interventions; this requires the intervention of antipsychotic drugs. Once the initial symptoms of intoxication or overdose have been treated, most hospitalized users are directed to social services and counseling (Romanelli & Smith, 2007). The process is lengthy and the relapse rate is high

It is believed that certain individuals are predisposed or vulnerable to addiction based on biological, psychological and social influences. The euphoric high produced by many addictive substances is the result of overstimulation of the “pleasure center” of the brain. This is the same area that controls emotions, fear, self-control and overall feelings of wellness. The presence of these foreign chemicals creates a response that the brain will crave as soon as it fades. The brain’s chemistry works against its own health, as it rewires its decision making faculties around the primary goal of finding and taking more of the drug” (1). Many people mistakenly believe that psychological addiction is somehow less serious or real than physical addiction. The psychological aspects of addiction are much more challenging to repair and recover from than the physical addiction. Psychological addiction can last for years or even a lifetime.

Addictions are a diverse set of common and complex diseases that are to some extent tied together by shared genetic and environmental factors. Addiction includes alcohol use disorders, cannabis and cocaine use disorders, nicotine dependence, as well as non-substance–related behaviors. Both genetic and environmental variables contribute to the use and abuse of addictive substances, which may eventually lead to addiction.

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

At our time touring CeDAR, we were introduced to the CeDAR Family Program. This week-long program allows for the family members of an individual undergoing substance abuse treatment to learn about addiction and how to better deal with their loved one’s illness. They are also given tools for their own coping and recovery. According to the CeDAR website “research shows participation in our addiction family support program helps increase overall recovery rates” (Family Services: CeDAR, 2016, paragraph 4).

Mr. Greene is a fifty-one-year-old black male, who started using crack- cocaine at thirty-two-years-old and is now twelve years clean. Bryan Sapp was a twenty-year-old white male that died of a heroin overdose whose addiction started at age twelve. Addiction does not discriminate. There are several different causes of addiction, lack of purpose, stress caused by trauma, unmet needs, and boredom are some of them (Rosen 23). On an average 40-60% of people struggling with addiction relapse. There are several different types of rehabilitations for addiction but, there is no cure. In our over medicated society that has led us to this war against addiction, alternative medications are not the alternative therapy to addiction.

Pt. was admitted to the AMS of DE program suffering from opiate addiction with two previous outpatient treatment services. Pt. reported that he started using heroin in 2000 on a daily basis by route of IV and he last used in 2008. Pt. reported a substance abuse hx of alcohol x 33 years, opiates x 8 years, benzos x 20 years, cocaine x 21 years, nicotine x 23 years. PCP x 21 years and cannabis x 23 years. At the time of his discharge, Pt. lost his job and he was living with his

Each 16 bed facility houses female patients with substance use disorders who may also have co-occurring mental health disorders. The primary focus of treatment is on substance use at three of the four sites. One house is a co-occurring disorder focus house. The women are mothers who either have their children under age 5 placed there, they are awaiting placement, are pregnant, or are trying to regain custody of their children. All of these conditions may apply to one mother.

Prescription drug abuse is steadily on the rise; there is an epidemic particularly of prescription opioid addiction and abuse in the United States. In 2013 prescription opioids surpassed automobile collisions for the number one cause of injury-related deaths in America, among individuals aged 25-64 (Lypapustina, 2016). Many patients’ addiction started with experimental use of the drug in a social situation (Felicinda-Reynaldo, 2014). However, another influential factor that should be considered, is that doctors are treating pain differently than they have in the past decade or so. For many years the basic vital signs were blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature. The process of improved pain recognition started in 1992, and pain

I enjoyed reading your post and agree with you that burnout an approximate subject to discuss among counselors that work in the field of addictions. I agree that experience is key to working with this population and education does play an important factor in this field, however, it is not solely the key factor in successfully helping people halt their addiction. There was article by Perkins & Oser (2014), that states, Perhaps this is due to higher expectations of fulfillment when entering the field. Substance abuse counselors with higher educational degrees also tend to have higher rates of turnover, (p. 3). That sometime the more education an individual has the more likely they are to believe that they will have a significant impact in

Drug addiction is something many of us don’t encounter every day. Addiction has, plagued every society across the world, and continues to do so today. It has led to the decimation of towns, cities, and countries; yet we know little about what factors influence addiction. In the past it used to be viewed as a very simple almost binary process, that process being, if someone uses drugs they will become addicted. This idea was challenged and many began to believe that there were much deeper factors at play beyond the pharmacological properties of substances. It pushed us to question what aspects of society, culture, or biology leads people to substance abuse. It wanted to further analyze what factors turn some people from occasional recreational

The patient arrived on time for his counseling session. Reported stability on his current dose and denies the need for a dose increase when offered. Please note, the patient accepted a dose decrease about a week ago and reported that he is adjusting fine with the change. During the course of the session, the patient discuss about the philosphy of Alan Watts-Zen and Buddhism. The patient reflects about his life and his current practice of such religion as it reflects of who he is as a person and about

The person served was a 63 year old Caucasian male who lived alone in his own apartment in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His medication adherence and compliance with medical follow up was inconsistent, and during time with PACT he was hospitalized several times due to non-adherence to medication, excessive use of alcohol and bizarre and irrational behavior. In the past two years, the person served was hospitalized from 11/29/13-1/8/14 at Runnels Specialized Hospital (RSH) following an episode in which he was intoxicated and throwing food items out of his third story window. He was hospitalized again from 3/10/14-3/21/14 at Trinitas Hospital and then transferred to RSH. This episode was also precipitated by the use of alcohol exhibiting disruption

There are many individuals that are incarcerated that are part of a substance abuse program that provides treatments and different methods to help them overcome their addiction. There are often moments where these offenders have characteristics that affect the treatment all due to criminal thinking and criminal value (NCBI, 2005). Many times, these criminal justice clients resist treatment and deny that they have a substance abuse problem, which can create chronic problems for them if they do not seek rehabilitation (NCBI, 2005). Often, offenders usually will have psychosocial problems that can contribute to their substance abuse, which they have no control over after a period (NCBI, 2005). With these psychological issues, it can cause the individual to have a low self-esteem, depression, anxiety; and also enhanced expectations on the use of substances (NCBI, 2005).

Substance abuse is something that has plagued our populations for as long as there has been a substance to abuse. Many of our top health concerns in the world can often be linked back to abuse of things like alcohol, cigarettes, drug use/injections, other types of tobacco products, and many other forms of legal or illegal substances. In the United States, substance abuse costs the nation more than $484 billion dollars per year. That’s more than the costs of cancer and diabetes care combined. Abuse of these substances does not stem solely from just environmental factors or just biological factors—both play a colossal role; along with personal characteristics and parental models.