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Effects of parental drug abuse on children and families research article
Effect parental drug abuse has on children
Effects of parental drug abuse on children and families research article
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In the book, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through his Son’s Addiction, the narrator, David, talks about his son, Nic, and his struggle of his methamphetamine addiction. Nic began to use pot, booze, and then LSD at the very young age of eleven. He then moved on to a bigger drug: methamphetamine. According to his father, Nic was a sweet, smart, beautiful boy who became a thief, a street person, a liar, and elusive. He was on a quick, downward spiral. David took much of the blame himself and thought if he made certain decisions in the past, Nic would have been a different person than he turned out to be. Nic and his father both knew that in order for Nic to be a better person, he would have to break the cycle of addiction. Nic refused. Nic would often break into his father and step-mother’s house and steal valuable objects and often write out checks to himself. David knew that something serious had to happen for Nic to clean up his act. He claimed he had to be desolate and desperate, but Nic had been banned there had been no change. No matter how methamphetamine is taken, it enters into the bloodstream and goes straight to the brain. Methamphetamine increases the …show more content…
He was at risk for binge drinking due to the fact that men are more susceptible than women. Another factor for his binge drinking behavior might have been how Nic was getting the alcohol. He was also more at risk for conditions such as liver damage, brain damage, and heart damage. Nic was influenced by the society around him and he was peer pressured by others. The society he grew up in aspired to be adults a lot quicker than the usual. Nic grew up a lot faster for his age than the ordinary child/teenager. Binge drinking also creates a greater risk for dependence. In the future, this can lead to becoming dependent on other substances such as
The book I chose to read for this assignment is called “Stay Close: A Mother’s Story of Her Son’s Addiction”. The target audience can be parents, adolescents, recovering addicts, college students and mental health professionals.
The author uses his knowledge of the human brain to emphasize the importance of “Endorphins” when growing up and how the lack of the chemicals “in infancy and early childhood,[creates a greater need] for external sources” (289) such as drugs. Along with his scientific evidence, Mate also uses many of his patients traumatic childhood experiences such as having “dishwashing liquid poured down his throat . . . and was tied to a chair in a dark room to control to his hyperactivity” (289). These patients help create an image for the readers to be able to understand the feelings and the pain addict 's often face in their childhood, that leaves them feeling abandoned and neglected from the rest of the world. Mate even analysis the fact that addict 's can come from home where there is no abuse and the parents try their best to provide a loving and nurturing home. The problem in families like this is often a parent is the one who faced traumatic experience as a child and are not able to transmit the proper love to their child, because they lack the feeling themselves. The author uses the strategy of looking at both the child and the parent experiences to show that the root problem originates from the same outcome, wanting to feel “unconditionally [loved and be] fully accepted even when most ornery”
In David Sheff’s book “Beautiful Boy” he utilizes descriptive diction, allusions to other works, and vivid imagery to recreate the experiences he’s gone through during his son’s addiction, times in recovery, and relapses.
Cameron Douglas’s case could be a turning point in the US of the endless war on drugs. The 33 year old, son of the famous actor Michael Douglas has been serving a 5 year sentence with the court for the distribution and the possession of drugs. He had an additional 4.5 year term for the possession of Suboxone which it’s substances contains both combinations of buprenorphine (an opioid medication) and naloxone while being imprisoned. Though Douglas had never received any rehabilitation treatments for his addiction towards heroin during his imprisonment, the court judges still saw his continuing drug use during incarceration was his defiance. Addiction experts said to TIME magazine that drug addiction is often developed and built up by mental
In the book Nic would hang out with another addict named Gack who would take things apart such as a stereo or Nic taking apart his computer, but not being able to put it back together. I remember speaking about this in class, its called getting “hung up” in which they have repetitive thoughts and do something for hours on end. Throughout the story Nic was constantly hung up, whether it was having sex with Lauren or Zelda for hours as he described or having the same thoughts of how he’s not good enough to be with Zelda, or his family, or even his friend Spencer. He constantly worried about people liking him and didn’t take the time to actually like himself. All the characters throughout this book that were addicts were constantly paranoid, irritable, self-conscious and always suspicious of other people or police. For instance, Zelda went into a psychosis from taking meth and would attack Nic and yell at him thinking that he was hiding drugs. In class we learned that this kind of behavior happens when drugs are taken in high doses all the time. Also, I learned from class that people who are depressed they use stimulants instead of anti-depressants and anyone that is reading this story can definitely tell early on that Nic is depressed. He has a lot of issues with himself, his family, and relationships with people throughout the book. Towards the end of the book when Nic was in the Safe Passage Center rehab in Arizona he felt bugs crawling all over him as he lay in his bed and at first I thought they were real insects crawling on him. Then I remembered from class when we were talking about “Cocaine Bugs” and how an addict will think there are bugs on them but there isn’t anything actually there. Being that Nic was taking a lot of different
Speed is an upper as it enhances the mind and body. Methamphetamine (speed) releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, that ...
Methamphetamine affects the central nervous system, and it causes the user to be more active, more talkative, euphoric (high), and also causes the user to lose their appetite. Methamphetamine came into existence in the early 20th century from the drug called amphetamine. Its earliest uses were as a nasal decongestant and as a bronchial inhaler. Methamphetamine is different from amphetamine in the fact th...
Watanabe-Galloway, S., Ryan, S., Hansen, K., Hullsiek, B., Muli, V., & Malone, A. (2009). Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse Beyond Individual Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 41(3), 241-248. Retrieved February 8, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
When Jeanna became addicted so young she disrupted the normal development of the part of the brain that handles the abilities to plan ahead, handle complex tasks, and inhibit inappropriate behavior (Buzzed intro and Brain basics ppt slide 22). Jeanna showed the positive incentive theory of addiction. The hedonic value she gets from the methamphetamine does not equal the anticipated feeling. She expects the meth to make her feel numb, but she continuously has to take more and more of the drug to feel the same effect. As stated in our addiction powerpoint, “In chronic addicts, positive-incentive value of drug is out of proportion with pleasure actually derived from it” (Addiction ppt slide 9). This is important pertaining to the class because she is feeding her addiction more as she gains tolerance to the dosage of drug she initially took. The episode did not explain how severe her withdrawal was when Jeanna stopped using, but they did emphasize that she was using because of the pain of losing her son. I find this important because there is an emotional aspect to her drug abuse. She is numbing her emotional pain and this drives her to take more and more of the drug in order to reach the initial feeling she felt when she took meth the first time after her son
...nantly negative effect on the outcome of the life of this young boy. Although he attempted to turn it around on his own, later, the pressures of finances and children took a hefty toll, which pushed him back into the reliable business of dealing drugs.
Beautiful Boy was released in 2008 and approximately at the same time another book Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines was published. The second book is written by Nic Sheff, the addicted son who gives reader different perspective on the same events that were described by his father. These two books are unique in their own way, since they give two different perspectives on the same, very widespread and so difficult issue - the struggle with substance abuse.
Watanabe-Galloway, S., Ryan, S., M.D., Hansen, K., M.P.H., Wullsiek B., B.A., Muli, V., M.P.A., & Malone, A.C. (2009). Effect of Methamphetamine abuse beyond individual users Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 4131, 241-8.Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207970885?accountid=41057
Even though they may want to other factors are usually at play. It takes a team in this instant to work through and accomplish the goal of sobriety. This novel has aided me in understanding the world of an addict better. It gave the insight that only a person in the addiction can give you. It helped me to see that whatever the driving force is in an addict, it can sometimes consume you. Some people can fight the urge to use, while others give in to the temptation. The most important task in addiction is to surround yourself with positive people and positive activity. Correspondingly, loss or drastic change should always be handled with caution. The divorce of his parents and going between his dad and mom’s house was upsetting. Nic not feeling like a part of his dad’s new family was depressing
David Sheff’s memoir, Beautiful Boy, revolves around addiction, the people affected by addiction, and the results of addiction. When we think of the word addiction, we usually associate it with drugs or alcohol. By definition, addiction is an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something (“Addiction”). All throughout the memoir, we are forced to decide if David Sheff is a worried father who is fearful that his son, Nic Sheff’s, addiction will kill him or if he is addicted to his son’s addiction. Although many parents would be worried that their son is an addict, David Sheff goes above and beyond to become involved in his son’s life and relationship with methamphetamine, making him an addict to his son’s addiction.
Spencer helped Nic getting into rehab to help him off his addiction. It worked for the most part until his long lost love, Zelda, came back into the picture. Spencer would repeatedly tell him,“You don’t love her, Nic. You love the idea of her” (Sheff 216). Zelda had dragged him back down to where he had started off. She was more unstable than he ever was. But soon enough, Nic had realized he couldn’t go down that path again. He would disappoint the ones who actually loved and cared for him but more importantly, himself. Nic now has his old life to look on, being a drug addict. He no longer uses and has made better of himself. His recovery from his addiction had impacted his life greatly because he could have been dead with the path he was going