Essay On Substance Abuse

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Recommended: Drug abuse affects on society

Substance abuse is all too common within most populations, especially in a lower economic class. According to the text, drugs are the new fashion craze (Aguliera, 1998). Designer drugs are now grabbing young adult’s attention and more attention in the older adult population as well (Aguliera, 1998). Some of the people that you may see on the streets would probably be your typical user, but there are some drugs that are being used by your everyday “girl or boy next door” types. When it comes to helping individuals that are abusing drugs, nurses can be the front line in aiding their care. Nurse can help these individuals with finding resources to help them, educate them about stopping the abuse of drugs, and how the government can help these individuals, as well. Nurses that are not familiar with individuals with substance abuse problems can be educated by laws, policies, what their role is in the care of these individuals, and by trying to get what the community itself provides, or what the state that they live in provides. Expound on the Problem Substance abuse is defined as a maladaptive pattern of substance that is manifested by recurrence over a 12-month period (Mauer, 2009). According to Mauer (2009), approximately more than fifty seven million people older than 12 years of age are addicted to some type of addictive substance. The main scope of the problem is that it cannot be targeted to one group; substance abuse can be any age group, race, gender, culture, or social class (Mauer, Smith, 2009). Many people are under the impression that substance abuse is easy to overcome, when in fact for many substance abuse is a disease that is hard to cure. There are steps that an individual will go through before becoming addicted to a... ... middle of paper ... ...would need to do my research to make sure that I have the right health promotion plan, the right educational interventions, and I would have to make sure that I find the most appropriate resources for them. All of these criteria’s are essential to help this individuals get back to a “normal” life. Conclusion Throughout this paper, I try to touch upon a bit of each subject that would be part of aiding a person on substance abuse. These individuals are people that need guidance from those especially community nurses to help them be educated, help them find resources, and teach them about the laws and policies that have to do with substance abuse. The patient must also know that they need to be self –efficient when it comes to their care as well. Substance abuse is clarify as a disease that not only needs medical intervention, but the power of the individual to stop.

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