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
Most of the times, an alcoholic or a drug addict may not be fortunate enough to have caring family members to assist him or her in overcoming addiction. For the most part, many addicts who wish to cease using alcohol desire a sense of support and understanding. Many addicts may feel encouraged to speak about their personal problems with others who share the same kinds of experiences. It is very important that individuals who have faced problems with alcohol be motivated to quit with people who may likely be recovering alcoholics. Likewise, this kind of self-help treatment method may facilitate an alcoholic to build a trusting relationship with fellow group members.
Most people do not completely know the definition of drug use and addiction, or the treatments that can be provided to stop it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as “addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). This definition gives an accurate representation of what addiction is, and how it can be such a serious problem. As given by the definition, addiction is a chronic disease, and when you have an addiction it is extremely difficult to quit. “Drug addiction is a complex disease”. It later goes on to state that “brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a “relapsing” disease.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). This shows why people
Substance use disorder is defined as being a pattern of maladaptive behaviors and reactions brought about by repeated use of a substance, sometimes also including tolerance for the substance and withdrawal reactions. (pg. 294). The individual I will be talking about for the project is someone that came to crave a particular substance and rely on it every day. Their choice to devote so much of their time to their substance caused issues between their family and friends. Both family and friends started to drift away from this individual. It was almost like all they literally cared about was making sure that they got their substance. Their choice of substance was alcohol. The individual had built up a tolerance where if there was a longer period of time where they would have to go without they would start to feel anxious and get sweaty, that was their withdrawal reactions exposed. A lot of people that have alcohol use disorder specifically start off by developing their drinking problem in there young college years. It is the prime time to be pressured by your peers to try and drink until you puke your cuts out. For other individuals they are so lucky and it actually can be seen as being disorder that is hereditary. For the specific individual that I am talking about for this paper he developed it because a majority of his dad’s side of the family had alcohol use disorder. This individual new the odds were against him, but still fell into the same steps his father’s side did.
One of my good friends became alcohol dependent at around the age of 18 and entered rehab last year. Because he was so young, we were very close, and I was young, his alcoholism projected onto me and it became a norm for us to get drunk during school or in the mornings or binge drink all weekend. He went away to college a year ahead of me and I was relieved and thought that I can finally focus on myself and the negative effects of alcohol would go away. But then he tried to kill himself and was dropped right back into our hometown
While the alcoholic must detox and work through their problems, family counseling is a necessity during treatment. Over time, alcoholism has a strong impact on the family and friends of the alcoholics. From the genetic component of addiction to relationship quality, family members are intensely involved in the addiction.
After observing this pattern of behavior for years, it provided me with the perception that alcohol abuse not only harms the person who is addicted but, the surrounded family members. They endured with the history
When I was 14 years old, my father died of a drug overdose, after spending his life struggling with the disease,. I took care of my niece while my sister was heavily using. I fought with her for years to get sober. Then I found her in a bathroom unconscious, with no pulse, and a needle still stuck in her arm. I gave her C.P.R. for nearly 13 minutes until the paramedics’ arrived. They explained to me that if I had stopped giving her C.P.R., they would have never been able to revive her. In addition to them, I have several other family members and friends that also struggle with addiction. I have watched them try to get, and stay, sober. I have seen the control that addition has over them, and felt the way it affects everyone around them. I have watched the financial burden they cause their families, and our community.
Ever since I was a kid the topic of substance abuse has been very familiar to me. Growing up I have watched my aunt drink her life away and I have lost my uncle who was very close to me from an overdose. It has affected me in ways I never knew. Unknowingly I have grown up to completely despise all addictive substances. I find myself wishing I could do more for the people who abuse drugs and alcohol. I find myself thinking about what could have been if I was there for my uncle, even though I was so young. It’s sad to think of all the young and old lives lost due to substance abuse, it’s sad to think that maybe they thought they had no purpose in life. Lately there have been dozens of high schoolers in my area that have been found overdosed
When my brother Brandon was thirteen he told his siblings he wanted to start a life of crime. My brother is a drug addict. His life has been ruined by his addiction. He has been arrested more times than I can count for selling drugs and for domestic violence. Brandon has stolen and lied and hurt all his family members at least a dozen times each because getting high is the only thing he can focus on. His only friends are drug addicts and he steals from them too. His mind can only focus on drugs and how he is going to find his next high. I have tried to help him, but every time I try something awful happens and I am left wishing I had never tried. I have not talked to my brother in many years. He wants to be a part of our family again, but
Drug/alcohol addiction is classified as a chronic illness that is characterized by an uncontrollable craving for these substances along with associated unfavorable seeking habits and is often accompanied by devastating health consequences. Addiction is an illness with many dimensions and disrupts both the physical and psychological aspects of an addict's life. Thus, addiction treatment integrates many components related to specific aspects of the drug/alcohol addiction.
Substance abuse mentions to a set of related circumstances allied with the consumption of mind- and behavior-altering substances that have adverse behavioral and health outcomes.
Substance abuse is the use of drugs, alcohol, or chemicals. The substance abuse results in physical, psychological, emotional harm to the user or others. People abuse substances such as drugs and alcohol for varied and complicated reasons, but it is clear that it comes at a significant cost. 0Substance abuse can be recognized through it 's signs and behavior changes, as well as short and long term effects. There are various ways however to treat substance abuse.
This is when my mom tried convincing her to go back into counseling so she could deal with her problems in a healthy way. Instead she ignored it and continued on her destructive path, never dealing with her problems that she was facing. The one good thing at this time was her brother. They would communicate thru visitations, letters and over the phone whenever possible. He would tell her how sad he was being locked up but more because of what she was putting herself thru. Eventually she checked herself into a substance abuse program and then a rehab center. Finally in 2013 she was able to become drug free minus drinking alcohol occasionally. She has been
Substance abuse can simply be defined as a pattern of harmful use of any substance for mood-altering purposes. Medline 's medical encyclopedia defines drug abuse as "the use of illicit drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities other than directed."
Many families have to deal with their alcoholic relatives regularly, due to the fact that they lose their ability to stop themselves from drinking. They lack coordination, strength, and control. This causes them to require a lot of attention to keep them out of trouble and accidents. They become an annoyance, calling on their drunken rants or begging for