...Heroin Addiction Psyc 305 B-03 June 15, 2015 Abstract: This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction in our society. Heroin addiction is an epidemic problem in the United States and is growing every year. Factors such as genetics and environmental factors will be discussed as they relate to heroin addicts. Trends with prescription pain medication and their effects on heroin use will be discussed. This paper will also highlight the prevalence of heroin in the United States. Heroin affects different groups of people in all walks of life. Treatment for heroin will be discussed in the latter portion of this paper. This will highlight different options to fit specific needs. Addiction: a physical dependency on a substance (Doweiko, 2015), a chronic brain disease that causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences, (Addiction, 2015). There is no universally accepted way to define addiction. It seems that it is easier to qualify behavior as an addiction than it is to define the word itself. For the purpose of this paper we will use the four general categories of the DSM-5 to help identify and understand heroin addiction. This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction’s possible causes, prevalence and treatment. What causes heroin addiction? The causes of heroin addiction are not clear. As with most drugs it is thought that the user is trying to feel better or self-medicate...
Words: 1591 - Pages: 7
...African Americans and Chemical Dependency Name: Insitution: African Americans and Chemical Dependency Abstract Chemical dependence is the use of chemicals, which may include alcohol, drugs, and other substances that may affect normal physiologic or psychological processes, in an uncontrolled, compulsive way. It is often referred to as substance abuse. Substance abuse has been the subject of many a discussion, due to the adverse effect it has on human health, relationships, and many other spheres of human life. This paper will evaluate the incidence and prevalence of substance abuse in differing populations, with a special emphasis on African Americans. This paper will also review the steps of care that victims of chemical dependency are taken through in the rehabilitation program, with a focus on Africa American populations. Additionally, the paper will review the professional resources that are used in the treatment of chemical dependency victims among African Americans, and finally, the paper will explore the issues that impact treatment and recovery from chemical dependency among African Americans. African Americans and Chemical Dependency African Americans have historically been consistently ranked among the racial/ethnic groups with the highest rates of substance abuse. In recent years, however, the statistics seem to have improved when compared to overall ratings. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), alcohol use seems...
Words: 1602 - Pages: 7
...Drug Addiction Crime or Disease? Interim and Final Reports of the Joint Committee of the American Bar Association and the American Medical Association on Narcotic Drugs. INTERIM REPORT For the last half-century public authorities in the United States have been wrestling with the problem of controlling addiction to narcotic drugs. Since the twenties, legislation and enforcement policies have aimed at total repression, with criminal sanctions of notable severity attaching to every transaction connected with the non-medical use of drugs. Drug-law enforcement has become a major police activity of federal, state and local governments; the threat of long imprisonment, even of death penalties, hangs over not only the smuggler and the peddler, but the addict-victim of the illicit traffic. Addiction to narcotic substances has been recognized as a health problem for a long time and in many different countries. It has also in our times and in our national community, emerged as a criminal law problem of distressing magnitude and persistency. The fields of medicine and law are thus equally affected, and the Joint Committee which offers this report has undertaken its assignment with enthusiasm at the prospect of uniting its parent organizations in a common effort centered in an area where the concerns of each overlap and largely coincide. If the Joint Committee can contribute something towards mutual enlightenment and ultimate agreement between the medical and legal professions regarding...
Words: 5083 - Pages: 21
...The Truth about Marijuana Addiction Pamela D. McKoy Liberty University Online Abstract The commonness of abuse and addiction of marijuana has progressively grown among adults and youth worldwide. The use of marijuana is so mainstream that it has taken on a legit aura to the point that it is condoned and in many areas even legal. There have been numerous legal and social clashes over the legalization and medical use of marijuana. This paper will exam the prevalence, problems, and treatment of marijuana abuse and addiction. Also this paper will give the physical, mental and social effects that are endured from the use of marijuana. Keywords: marijuana, addiction, prevalence, treatment The Truth about Marijuana Addiction Marijuana, is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States, it comes the Cannabis sativa plant where the leaves and flowers tops are processed into the street form of the drug. Marijuana’s condensed form is known as hashish. The central psychoactive elements in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), it also contains over 400 other elements (Doweiko, 2015). Marijuana came to the United States with the 1920’s wave of Mexican immigrants and soon found a following in the underground jazz community. The federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 gaining control of the drug. It was then listed as a Schedule 1 drug in 1970 (Volkow N. M., 2014). Now in 2015 there is strong support for legalizing marijuana, in fact many of the candidates...
Words: 914 - Pages: 4
...number of resources available to the families that are affected by drug abuse within the family unit. Due to the very sensitive nature of dealing with drug addiction within the family there need to be options for parents, siblings, spouses, etc to guide them as they attempt to make sense of what is happening to their families. Not only does the drug abuser suffer because of their lifestyle choices but the family must deal with emotions such as: a sense of helplessness, lack of control, guilt, pity, sadness, and fear for their loved one. This paper will discuss the information received from just three online articles regarding options available to those suffering from the affects of drug abuse within the family. Article #1: Project Know. Understanding Addiction: Support Groups for Families of Addicts This article outlines the various options available to those dealing with drug addiction within the family unit. The article presents options such as Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, Gam-Anon, Co-Dependents Anonymous, and COSA. Each of these programs helps to provide a better understanding of addiction for family members and spouses of addicts. By allowing for meetings with others dealing with similar circumstances there is an increased support which is essential to the recovery process for both the family member and the addict. Often family members feel a sense of guilt falsely believing that they have contributed to the addiction somehow and they find themselves making excuses for their relative’s...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...Research Study Analysis PSY 325: Statistics for the Behavioral & Social Sciences October 1, 2012 Research Study Analysis Researchers gather data in order to conduct studies that assist in the behavioral and social sciences. The analysis of this data can determine tendencies among populations, the best course of treatment for common social diseases, such as drug or alcohol addiction, or the reasons behind behavior among certain populations. Introduction A number of studies have been conducted in order to provide members of the medical and psychological community with information to determine the best course of treatment for patients with alcohol addiction. These studies take into account other factors, such as personality disorders, chronic diseases, and also address the use of medication and psychological treatment. The first study entitled, Personality Disorders Among Alcoholic Outpatients: Prevalence and Course in Treatment, attempts to determine the prevalence of personality disorders among men and women seeking outpatient treatment for alcoholism. The hypothesis is that if there is a personality disorder present, it should help determine the type of treatment an alcoholic receives. The treatment chosen should be tailored to the patient’s comorbid personality disorder, or lack thereof. The second study entitled, Chronic disease and recent addiction treatment utilization among alcohol and drug dependent adults, “the objective of this paper is to...
Words: 1555 - Pages: 7
...Garret Necaise 5/7/12 PSY 435 TuTh 11:00-12:15pm Article Critique #1 (Addiction Theories) “Television addiction: Theories and Data Behind the Ubiquitous Metaphor” This article was presented in the American Psychological Association by Robert Mcllwraith, Robin Jacobvitz, Robert Kubey, and Alison Alexander. Mcllwraith is the head of the Department of Clinical Health Psychology and the director of the Rural and Northern Psychology Program. Jacobvitz is a Psychology educator and consultant in Albuquerque, NM. Kubey is the professor of Journalism and Media Studies, and director of the Center for Media Studies at Rutgers University. Alexander has a Ph.D in Communication at Ohio State and has taught research methods, writing, media and society, and seminars in children and television. The reader population for this article is focused on an interest or relation to television addiction. The authors wrote this to present four theoretical models of television addiction derived from existing psychological data on this subject. These models are valuable because they give the reader a viewpoint on where this type of addiction is based from: the television's effects on imagination, the arousal level affected from the effect of television, a manifestation of a dependent or addictive personality, and a pattern of uses associated with the television medium. However, it still remains to be determined whether or not this use of television for effect modulation represents a significant...
Words: 3526 - Pages: 15
...PCN-501: Introduction to Addictions and Substance Use Disorders Grand Canyon University Even the most severely addicted individuals can participate in treatment; in the hopes of reducing their drug and alcohol use. Treatment programs with the higher success rates offer a combination of treatments. I will explore substance abuse prevention programs in this paper. I will summarize their goals, funding, and effectiveness. In the state of Arizona, the Division of Behavioral Health Services oversees A.A sectors. Alcoholics Anonymous’ primary purpose is to help others remain or achieve sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) requires no dues or fees to be a member. The groups that meet in the community are self-supporting. Members pay group expenses by passing a basket around at the meeting for those participating to contribute. There is no government funding, and A.A. accepts no outside contributions from anybody or any organization. It is completely funded by the members themselves. A.A. adopted the Twelve-step method to address a wide range of substance abuse and dependency problems. From a word of mouth marketing perspective, A.A. is a pretty amazing organization. All of this growth has been accomplished through word of mouth marketing. In fact, the organization itself and any individual member are actually prohibited from promoting it (Word Of Mouth Marketing Association, 2013). I think a lot of components that A.A has can be effective...
Words: 1128 - Pages: 5
...Substance Abuse Counselor Profession Freda Davis Winston Salem State University Substance Abuse as defined by DuPont (1997) is as follows” drug addiction or alcoholism and other times referred to more generally as chemical dependency” (The Selfish Brain Learning from Addiction, p. xix). Substance abuse has been identified as a meaningful social problem. The extent of substance abuse and its consequences demand ways to seek effective ways of intervention, prevention, and treatment for individuals, along with monitoring the cost to society as associated with alcohol, drugs, and perhaps other drugs. Although the use of drugs is down from the mid-1980s, it is a problem for society today (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2006), (Journal of Social Work Education, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Fall 2009). Abuse is not limited to mood, or mind altering substances, we live in a society where obsession, and compulsion are at the root of excessive indulging behaviors. We will briefly discuss addiction, and the description for which is given to assist in understanding what the counselor may encounter with-in their realm of practice. Increasingly addiction, a pleasure-producing or compulsive behavior that may occur from jogging, television watching, gambling, eating disorders, drugs, and alcohol abuse (DuPont, 1997). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (2000),” substance abuse is a maladaptive pattern of substance use related to...
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...Briefing Paper 2 Poli 3256 Area Studies: Russia November 3, 2010 By: Zac Gore The Health of Russian Society and a look into Healthcare Summary It’s the end of 2007 and there are still many issues to address when it comes to the health of Russians and health care itself. HIV/AIDS continues to hover at epidemic levels, alcoholism is a country wide problem and death by alcohol poisoning is still on the rise in some areas. Over half of the deaths in Russia are caused by heart problems but the funding for treatment remains insufficient. Russia leads the world in the prevalence of smoking and has yet to sign the World Health Organizations anti-smoking convention. Health care facilities fail to meet fire and safety norms with things like faulty electric power systems and unsatisfactory fire evacuation requirements. Drug addiction continues to be a problem and over 90 percent of the heroin coming into the country is from Afghanistan. Some other noteworthy concerns are the appearances of avian (bird) flu throughout the country and the large number of tuberculosis cases including ones that are drug resistant. However there are some positive trends that have developed. Within the next few years about 30,000 young HIV patients are slated to receive therapy. Drug use is not as prevalent as it was several years ago and increases in drug addiction have ended. The health of Russian conscripts is improving as well compared with the last several years. Introduction 1...
Words: 1442 - Pages: 6
...Heroin Addiction and Treatment Abstract This paper offers a brief explanation of the history of heroin. Describing the origins of heroin, who discovered it and describe the detrimental effects heroin has on an individual. There are several treatment options available for heroin addicts and this paper will look at a few of the ones that have shown the most success. Heroin Addiction and Treatment Introduction: A Brief History of Heroin Heroin comes from the opium poppy. This plant has been used by a number of various civilizations going back to include ancient civilizations. Opium, heroin, and morphine are derived from the poppy. Opium had been used by Drs. in the United States for many years prior to the Civil War. When morphine was discovered Drs. switched to using morphine instead of opium for pain, mainly because the hypodermic needle had been invented and morphine could be injected and pain could be better controlled. Heroin was derived from a chemical process discovered by Felix Hoffman in 1874. Heroin was initially distributed as a pain killer, and cough suppressant by Bayer Company in 1898. Drs. initially thought that heroin could replace morphine because they thought heroin did not possess the addictive qualities of morphine. In fact Drs. used heroin to get their patient’s off morphine. They thought...
Words: 1554 - Pages: 7
...Alcohol and Drug Addiction Liberty University Abstract This paper is a reflection of addiction in the United States and the statistics that prove addiction is a major issue within the country. Discussed in the paper will be first the primary causes of addiction and risk factors that may lead to an addiction in an individual. Going further into the problem, the cycle of addiction and how to break free of the cycle and an individual’s addiction is talked about. Since there are different drugs that can cause addiction, a breakdown of certain drugs is given. These drugs include alcohol, prescription drugs, heroin, and marijuana. Next, the side effects of drug addiction to the drugs chosen are described in depth as well as the signs that can be viewed in screening for drug addiction. Resources available to drug addiction are touched on and treatment options to explore what can be done if an individual does suffer from drug addiction. Finally, what human service professionals are doing to assist individuals who are addicted and how they can improve on training to ensure that addiction can be caught early enough to make a difference? Introduction to Drug Addiction Addiction is a chronic disease of brain reward, motivation and memory in individuals who submit to any number of different drugs available to them. Such chronic need for the drugs leads to manifestations biologically, psychologically, spiritually and even socially in any given individual (ASAM, 2014). These, however...
Words: 3725 - Pages: 15
...Reference Database: “Addiction” by Nancy A. Piotrowski, Ph.D Addiction is when the human body becomes dependent on a substance. Prolonged use of any psychoactive drug will determine a persons dependency. The addiction can affect a person psychologically and physiologically; this will show in an addicts tolerance and withdrawal symptoms from a drug. Tolerance will involve the biological system such as the human body, changes in the body after a drug is present, and environmental or behavioral conditioning. The way the human body processes a drug is by absorbing a drug through the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream it will be delivered to different organs and they will metabolize the drug and eliminate it from the body. After frequent use of a drug, the way the body processes a drug may change. When this occurs the body is able to rid itself of the drug more efficiently. This leads to reduced effects from the drug than when it was initially consumed. When this happens an increase to the dose will be required to get the desired effect. Many changes will occur in the body once a drug is present. It will change the sensitivity in specific areas of the body where the drug has an impact. For instance, there may be a direct or indirect impact on different areas of the brain. A direct impact may lead to a change in the brains receptors. When there is an indirect impact it will show in tissue tolerance and functional tolerance. Environmental and behavioral conditioning...
Words: 2696 - Pages: 11
...Baltimore: A Community in Crisis Since the 19th century, the illicit drug, heroin, has been a part of American society. When heroin was first discovered it was thought to be a wonder drug because of the euphoric feeling a person is said to feel after using it. However, once the debilitating effects of this highly addictive drug was realized the anti-drug law, the Harrison Narcotics Act, was enacted that restricted its use to medicinal purposes only. In 1920, heroin was banned altogether through the Dangerous Drug Act (Habal, 2011). Heroin for the most part was thought to have gone underground until the Vietnam War. In 1971, two congressmen returned from visiting U. S. servicemen serving in Vietnam with an alarming revelation that “15 percent of U.S. servicemen in Vietnam… were actively addicted to heroin” (Spiegel, 2012, para. 3). The idea that American servicemen were addicted to such a horrible drug disgusted much of the American public. “It was thought to be the most addictive substance ever produced, a narcotic so powerful that once addiction claimed you, it was nearly impossible to escape” (Spiegel, 2012, para. 4). President Richard Nixon took swift action by creating, The Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention which concentrated primarily on prevention and rehabilitation. In the late 70s and early 80s the use of heroin reached its peak when it seemed to take a backseat to the reappearance of cocaine and the subsequent crack epidemic that overwhelmed much...
Words: 3488 - Pages: 14
...Understanding Early Drug Use and Its Benefits on Future Drug Treatments Laura-Ryan Brooks Argosy University Abstract Drug abuse is a growing problem in the world today. Past studies have been conducted in efforts to recognize similar patterns in addicts’ lives that may have contributed to their behavior. The emerging results from this research suggested that it was due to several maltreatments occurring during the addicted individual’s adolescent years that were behind their early drug use. It is during the critical years of adolescence, when the brains of young adults are still developing, that the youth of today are most susceptible to a number of issues that can lead towards drug addiction, such as problems at home, abuse, and peer-pressure. Exploring these adversities will help shed some light on why adolescents make the decision to use drugs. This paper will address what influences drug use and how this knowledge can help treat addiction. Issues surrounding why addicts began drug use and how this information could be beneficial in treating substance abuse in the future will be explored. . Understanding Early Drug Use and Its Implications on Future Drug Abuse Treatment Addiction has been defined as a “misguided attempt at self-repair” (du Plessis, 2012 para. 53). But who is in danger of becoming addicted or may be feeling the need of some “self-repairing? During a 2013 testing of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), a tool to assess certain...
Words: 2725 - Pages: 11
