Most of the time one hears about those who are researching how to prevent addiction; however, that does not really assist those who are already actively addicted. Addiction does not vanish with the snap of ones fingers, nor ceases when it is no longer fed. This cycle is brutal, and in some cases, as in my cousin’s, it can only get worse for the victim before the healing begins. My cousin Josh was a drug addict, his addiction started genetically and then his environment growing up, along with other factors, began to feed his addiction even more. Long story short, his addiction drove him to robbing a Walgreens in order to steal prescription drugs from the pharmacist. As one might have guessed Josh is currently in prison for this addiction driven …show more content…
Prison is not a center for rehabilitation or a place that will intentionally assist one in turning their life around; however, there are centers and services that their soul purpose is to help those who are addicted Celebrate Recovery, Recovery Village, Foundations, and the list goes on and on. For instance, Therapeutic/Recreation Therapists work to maintain or improve the quality of life for people with special needs through intervention, leisure education, and recreation. They work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, local government agencies, at-risk youth programs as well as other settings (40). Addictions are difficult to recognize early, and treatment is often complicated by psychiatric or medical illness, the presence or lack of support systems, and negative social attitudes (Summon). However, with the help of these services, fighting addiction is …show more content…
However, in my opinion, adolescence is where addiction can grab a hold of one’s existence and run. High school and the first few years of college is when we see the majority of those who do drugs and socially drink increase their amounts of recreation. Whether it is to impress their friends, or prove to themselves they can control their actions, addiction is sneaking up on the individuals slowly yet surely. During adolescence, peer pressure is a huge issue; the struggle to be “the cool kid” at school or to impress that girl or guy who you have your eye on is all to real when it comes to doing the “cutting-edge” thing. What kids in adolescence refuse to recognize is, though the temporary buzz or high that comes with drinking and smoking might be worth the hangover or the morning after, this behavior is all to risky for more than just their future. I personally, have chosen not to partake in drinking or recreational drugs because I second handedly have experienced this through my family. Their addiction not only corrupted their life as individuals, but it took their father away from their children, their spouse away from their wife, and their mother’s sons away from her. I feel as though if their environment in adolescence was more supportive and attentive that their addiction would not have grown to where it has them
It has been said that addiction is the plague of the 21st century. In an age of unprecedented life expectancy and medical breakthroughs, people are dying from both disease and overdose that are self inflicted and the cure is currently out of reach. Implementing progressive ideas such as safe injection sites have been a battle, both for caring social workers and front line emergency workers looking to minimize the health risks associated with risk taking behaviors that inevitably occur with intravenous drug use. While the addicted population currently uses considerable government funding by way of shelter services as well as prison and jail time, safe injection sites are a necessary step in the battle against drug abuse as is a major prevention
Almost everybody on Long Island, and probably all around the world, has been prescribed a drug by a doctor before— whether it was to knock out a nasty virus, or relieve pain post injury or surgery. However, what many people don’t realize is that these drugs can have highly addictive qualities, and more and more people are becoming hooked, specifically teenagers. But when does harmlessly taking a prescription drug to alleviate pain take the turn into the downward spiral of abuse? The answer to that question would be when the user begins taking the drug for the “high” or good feelings brought along with it—certainly not what it was prescribed for (1). The amount of teens that abuse prescription medications has been rapidly increasing in recent
Substance abuse treatments are offered in a variety of ways. Some treatments can be done on an outpatient basis, while others may require a stay in a hospital or other facility. The two types of treatments are similar in nature. The main difference is that outpatient treatment is offered to those addicts that have circumstances or situations that will not allow them to get treatment in an inpatient rehabilitation program. Outpatient programs provide patients with more freedom of movement which allows them to maintain a regular commitment to family, work, and educational responsibilities. (Gifford, 2015). This service is also used for those that have already been a part of an inpatient rehabilitation program, yet still require some further support so they do not relapse. Both treatment types first seek to help the individual with their physical addiction and get them rehabilitated, and then focuses on the underlying causes of their addiction and help them deal with it to help prevent and avoid any relapse. Choosing which type of treatment is needed and which would best benefit the individual would need to be decided between the addict and their doctor or counselor. It is not a decision to be made lightly especially for those that need the extra care that an inpatient facility would
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.
Watching anyone struggle with addiction is indeed difficult, and being connected personally may be even more so. Loosing family or loved ones, and friends to addiction and eventually jail or possibly death can be devastating. The effects are wide spread and touch many lives often felt very deeply for a long time, some for a lifetime. What can be done to help these people, to assist the families and society is ever evolving. This group of addicted offenders should be targeted for intensive and rigorous treatment. Courts and prosecutors have increasingly been making an effort to identify such addicts, and to induce them to enter into criminal justice based treatment.
To begin discussing the need for treatment of addiction for correctional inmates the first thing that needs to be addressed is what is addiction and why should it be treated. In psychological circles addiction is classified as a brain disease. It is as much as a disease as cancer or asthma. Some opponents say that it is not a disease because a person has the choice to take drugs. The simple answer to that argument is that a person with asthma also has the cho...
“Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) is a more severe pattern of drinking that includes the problems of alcohol abuse plus persistent drinking in spite of obvious physical, mental, and social problems caused by alcohol” (Ringold, M. S.). Alcoholism is a major social problem in today’s world. People can agree that alcoholism threatens the lives of the person and the people they care about. Alcohol is one of the drugs that have caused serious problems for the younger generation. Alcoholism is greatly influenced by peer pressure. To get stress out, sometimes an alcoholic will drink heavily. Alcohol consumption is associated with your health. Drinking heavily can be the cause for liver cancer. Also, you can be intoxicated and could be driving drunk
Most people know at least one person, either a friend or family member, or even a friend of a friend who has, or is suffering from drug addiction. The word “addiction” actually comes from a Latin term that means “enslaved by” or “bound to.” (“Understanding Addiction”, 2014) If you’ve ever tried to help someone to overcome a drug addiction, then you’ll understand why this is so.
Recently drug addiction in the United States is at an all-time high, especially among teens. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teens who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times more likely to use marijuana, and twelve to twenty times more likely to use illegal street drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and cocaine than teens who do not abuse prescription drugs. Forty five percent of drug overdose deaths, in teens are attributed to the abuse of prescription drugs. The illegal abuse of prescription drugs starts at home in a teen’s own bathroom. Most teens get the prescription drugs from their own medicine cabinet or their unknowing parents. With such alarming facts
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the dangers of prescription drugs when not taken as prescribed by your physician or pharmacist.
Everyday around the world alcoholics attempt to defeat their alcohol vice, only to succumb to addiction once more. Alcohol addiction can plague one’s life, leading to a wide array of negative consequences. When alcoholics do attempt to quit drinking alcohol, they go through various withdrawal symptoms that dramatically complicates the road to sobriety. Quitting alcohol is far from a simple process and will require much initiative and perseverance on behalf of the individual. Although many alcoholics attempt to quit alcohol by simply by going “cold turkey,” there are more steps that people should follow in order to successfully quit drinking alcohol. For those struggling with alcohol abuse, sobriety from alcohol is a difficult process that will prohibitively improve the life of the addict.
For many years, people have suffered many devastations about addiction. It has become a common killer in the United States just like murder. Addiction has affected over 23 million people from the age 12 and older. These addictions are wide ranging, they can include alcohol, drugs, sex, video games, food, pornography, and gambling. People like to keep quite because they view this disease as morally wrong. Addicts sometimes shut out their family member because they are afraid of the reaction if anyone knew their problem. The Nation Institute of Drug Abuse states Addiction is as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.Today in 2016 addiction is spreading across
Tobacco and alcohol are two kind of drug are used and abuse in United States. Both of the drugs are legal in United States but that doesn’t a necessary mean that tobacco and alcohol is better for health. More than 500,000 people died from tobacco every year in United States, while more than 75,000 people died from alcohol every year in United States. Minimum age to buy tobacco is 18 year and to buy alcohol is 21. 75% or more people died from tobacco than alcohol but still in United States the tobacco. Both of them tobacco and alcohol drugs are bad for heath and it can lead to death. Lot of people is drive while drinking or smoking, even though it is against the law. Most of them are young people who are between 21 to 25 age year old, they thinking that drinking or smoking while driving is cool but they don’t realizes that it is not good for themselves.
A person with an addiction puts the drug first, ahead of what is to be important for them for example, their career, school, even their own health, security and happiness. The most common substance that a teenager can get their hands on tends to be alcohol. In the book, CLEARING THE HAZE Helping Families Face teen Addiction by Christina Thurstone, MD, and Christine Tatum it states, “Nearly 69 percent of high school senior, or seven out of every ten, said they had tried alcohol in an amount “more than just a few sips.” More than half of senior, 52%, reported they had been drunk at least once in their life time. Meanwhile back in middle school, about three out of ten, or 28%, of students they had used alcohol by 8th grade—and 12 percent said they’d be drunk atlas once. Among college students surveyed, 35% said they had consumed at least 5 alcoholic drinks in a row in the previous two weeks. Researches noted what they called” particularly worrisome” rates of “extreme binge
Drug addiction is a very big problem in today’s society. Many people have had their lives ruined due to drug addiction. The people that use the drugs don’t even realize that they have an addiction. They continue to use the drug not even realizing that their whole world is crashing down around them. Drug addicts normally lose their family and friends due to drug addiction.