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Jennifer Scott, an employee at Roper Hospital System in Charleston, South Carolina, admitted in December of 2009 to diverting the controlled substances Darvocet and Lortab from the hospital for her own personal use. She was diagnosed with opiate and alcohol abuse and dependency and completed the Cornerstone of Recovery program on April 29, 2010. Her nursing license was placed on probation for at least one year and open for reinstatement as long as she agreed to comply with the following terms: the Board must sign off on the location she continues practice; she must remain under the observation of a registered nurse at all times; she will not have access to any controlled substances for at least one year after reinstatement; her coworkers must submit four written reports each to the Board for at least one year regarding her professional ethics and adherence to said guidelines; she must remain completely drug free, including alcohol, unless it is prescribed for a serious medical reason; she will be required to take random blood or urine drug tests; she must have proof of a written contract with the Recovering Professional Program; she is to pay a fine of $500 to the Board; and she must regularly attend Board approved classes on ethics and medication administration.
Addiction to an illegal substance is not so much a social or moral problem as it is a disease of the brain that leads to changes in its structure and function. Over time, the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. The cause of these intense changes is the neurotransmitters being negatively affected. The main pathway involved th...
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Kalant, H. (2008). Addiction: Concepts and definitions. In P. Korsmeyer & H. R. Kranzler (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol and Addictive Behavior, Vol. 1. (3rd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from Nursing Resource Center via Gale: http://0-find.galegroup.com.library.lander.edu/nrcx/start.do?prodId=NRC Lawrence, R., Smith, M., & Saisan, J. (2013). Drug abuse & addiction. HELPGUIDE.org. Retrieved November 24, 2013 from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm.
Sternberg, B., Willingham, E., Asenjo, B., Wells, K., & Alic, M. (2011). Addiction. In L. J. Fundukian (Ed.), Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Vol. 1. (4th ed.). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved November 24, 2013 from NRCX via Gale: http://0-find.galegroup.comlibrary.lander.edu/nrcx/start.do?prodId=NRC
Fortinash, K. M., & Holoday Worret, P. A. (Eds.). (2012). Substance-related disorders and addictive behaviors. Psychiatric mental health nursing (5th ed., pp. 319-362). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Fisher, G. L. & Harrison, T. C. (2009). Substance abuse: Information for school counselors, social workers, therapists, and counselors (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson - Allyn and Bacon.
...y, H. (2008). Drug use and abuse: a comprehensive introduction (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Koob, G. F., & Simon, E. J. (2009). The Neurobiology of Addiction: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going. NCBI, 115-132. Retrieved APRIL 26, 2014, from www.ncbi.nih.nlm.go/pmc/articles/PMC2901107
McGovern, M. P., Xie, H., Segal, S. R., Siembab, L., & Drake, R. E. (2006). Addiction treatment
If we can use an integrated approach to the study of addiction we should develop a more exact image of the difficulties that are created by addiction and what is required to be addressed in a particular treatment program. The biopsychosocial approach to the comprehension of addiction can also be used to good effect when looking at many different issues. For example, an examination of; early school leaving or the development of a healthy eating lifestyle can also be examined through the multidimensional views of the biopsychosocial approach.
It was the late 19th century when a lot of conflict for families from the Industrial Revolution and illegal drugs had easy access to anyone in the United Sates. These illegal drugs like morphine, cocaine, and alcohol were available through manufacture, delivery, and selling. It was proved that the over use of alcohol and violence in families’ homes were linked together around the 1850’s and that women and children were being abused by the father and husband from the letters and journals that were wrote. These were times when women were stay at home mothers and it was the man’s responsibility to be the provider for the wife and children. Because of the abuse in the household it led up to the temperance movement. The purpose
Addiction is a dependence on a substance where the individual who is affected feels defenseless and unable to stop the obsession to use a substance or prevent a particular behavior. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as obsessive gambling. Pharmacotherapy is a treatment process in which a counselor can use a particular drug to counter act an addictive drug or behavior. Not all counselors agree with this type of treatment. However in order to provide a client with an ethical treatment and unbiased opinions they should be made aware of all scientific evidence of different treatment options. “Thus, attention to addiction pharmacotherapy is an ethical mandate no matter what prejudices a counselor may have” (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008, p. 196). Some particular pharmacotherapy’s a counselor may use for the treatment of addiction are Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Disulfiram (Antabuse), Naltrexone (ReVia, Depade), Methadone (Dolophine), and Buprenorphine (Temgesic, Suboxone).
Drugs seem to cause surges in dopamine neurotransmitters and other pleasure brain messengers. However, the brain quickly adapts and these circuits desensitize, which allows for withdrawal symptoms to occur (3). Drug addiction works on some of the same neurobiological mechanisms that aid in learning and memories (3). "This new view of dopamine as an aid to learning rather than a pleasure mediator may help explain why many addictive drugs, which unleash massive surges of the neurotransmitter in the brain, can drive continued use without producing pleasure-as when cocaine addicts continue to take hits long after the euphoric effects of the drug have worn off or when smokers smoke after cigarettes become distasteful." (4)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009). NIDA InfoFacts: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction . Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/treatmeth.html
Silverman, K., Roll, J., & Higgins, S. (2008). Introduction to the Special Issue on the Behavior Analysis and Treatment of Drug Addiction. Journal of Applied behavior Analysis, 41(4), 471-480. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from the proquest.com.navigator-ship.passhe.edu database.
The repeated use of drugs often causes both physical and psychological dependence, as mentioned in an article by the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (“Drug Dependence”). In order for an individual to truly be set free from their addiction, seeking treatment is necessary. Rehab centers are a great place with scientifically proven methods to cure those addicted to drugs. It is important to try to end drug use in our country, rather than allowing it to continue longer than it already has. While funding for rehabilitation facilities could become an issue, drug users may continue their addiction without proper treatment, and therefore those arrested for drug use should be sent to a rehabilitation center instead of prison.
New Diagnostic guidelines redefine addiction: changes may lead to earlier interventions, better prognoses. (2012). Mind, Mood & Memory, 8(10), 6.
Toates, F. (2010) ‘The nature of addictions: scientific evidence and personal accounts’ in SDK228 The science of the mind: investigating mental health, Book 3, Addictions, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-30.
Leshner, A. (2011) Addiction Is a Brain Disease, and it Matters. Frontiers in Neuroscience: The Science of Substance Abuse.