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Substance Abuse

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Substance abuse is over indulging or abusing a harmful substance that could be addictive. From experience I have watched several family members and friends deal with addiction. I have seen them at their lowest and I have watched them overcome some heavy obstacles. They are the main reason why I chose to take this class. My understanding of substance abuse is very minimum. I do not fully understand their mindset and their reasoning for abusing alcohol or drugs. I am also under the impression that it is easy to overcome such an addiction. For 15 years I have watched my brother struggle with alcohol addiction and I am happy to say that he has completed inpatient treatment this year. I have spent several years bailing him out of situations that …show more content…

We even thought that time in prison would make him straighten up. This only created more problems. He was able to get over the drug abuse while in prison but upon returning, my brother felt that he could continue to drink the same amount of alcohol that he drank prior to his incarceration. From this episode, he blacked out and could not remember where he was, he had also vomited extensively, and urinated on himself. He could not function with or without the alcohol. He also lost his CDL license for drinking on the job and wrecking his 18 wheeler. These events could have killed him or someone else. During withdrawal, I noticed my brother began to have tremors. His hands would shake and he would be diaphoretic. I knew these symptoms were not good but he always corrected it with another alcohol beverage. My family went through so much to help my brother. My father stopped drinking and my mother was drug free. Their main focus was getting my brother help. It took us to realize that he had to help himself in order to be successful in his treatment. After losing custody of his son and having a court order for rehabilitation, my brother started his journey to being alcohol …show more content…

I understand that one substance abuse can lead to abusing several other substances. I also understand that treatment depends on the substance the patient was using. Opioid treatment may be different from alcohol treatment. With the psychiatric clinical setting and interacting with patients that was going through substance abuse treatment, I realized I have so much more questions regarding substance abuse. I feel like I just opened a book with incomplete sentences and no clarification to a confusing story. I’m hoping this class will clear up some of my confusion and redirect my mindset and thoughts on substance abuse. I am a very open minded individual but when I get going on a topic, I am driven until the

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