Addiction is a mental illness and in my lifetime many people have crossed my path in this community who have struggled with some form of substance issue. Even though I have lived away for many years, I have witnessed a very familiar trend with lower socioeconomic status families where this lower state leads to desperation, and in turn leads to substance abuse. Of course I know this doesn’t apply to every cohort of low income families, I haven’t completed any studies regarding this issue and I am just basing my knowledge on what I have personally witnessed in the area; but I do believe children of these individuals become stuck in the same cycle of their parents because it is what they are accustomed to. How do we break the cycle? How do …show more content…
It is menacing to society, yet the treatment for dealing with it is still under stigma. Addiction is not just an individual problem; it is an issue that affects all of society. The very definition of social work means to serve societal needs, to uphold and defend the rights of humans to be treated fairly and have equal access to proper resources. I feel more time needs to be committed to researching factors and advocating for change in our correctional and rehabilitation services. Perhaps locating the problems with the community structure will shine a brighter light on the bigger issues influencing the drug and substance abuse problems found in our …show more content…
These positions have installed in me a level of professionalism, commitment, dedication and empathy needed to become a successfully qualified social worker. My previous positions involved managing staff, dealing with financial matters, and most importantly providing a personal and professional service to clients. These qualifications, I believe, translate well into the social work profession because the ability to work both individually and in a team environment while keeping client confidence and a level of discretion is always important in gaining the trust of
To begin with, substance and addiction disorder has become an epidemic in society today, affecting family, work ethics, relationships, and values. The family system, broken in many ways and the results can be catastrophic or damaging to a family unit. To clarify, substance and addiction disorder onset crimes against family members/communities, child abuse, sexual misconduct domestic violence, prostitution, minor crimes, and behavior problems difficult for individuals to handle. Another key point, stages of addiction within the family system is denial, home treatment, chaos, and loss of control. “The belief of the family system is that addiction problems are the results of
A substance abuse counselor is a person who helps people that are struggling with alcoholism and/or drug addiction. Substance abuse counselors provide patients with treatment and support while they are working to overcome their addiction and piece their lives back together. In addition, substance abuse counselors help patients’ families cope with their loved one’s disease and subsequent recovery. Finally, substance abuse counselors may work to spread awareness of addiction throughout the community by starting up/working for outreach programs.
There are many contributing factors and political issues that address substance abuse. Throughout the years, many researchers have designed many interventions and social policies designed to treat people who have used, abused, and became addicted to substances. Today, there are many new studies that address substance abuse at the individual, group, family, and community or policy levels. Today, there are many services that are effective for decreasing recidivism in youth who have completed a substance abuse program. A substance abuse treatment program or center is the best way to treat individuals who have abused substances.
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.
Substance abuse can be reduced if we adopt strategies that work. The public should be sensitized on the effect of substance abuse, rehabilitation centers should also be made available for those who have already fallen victims, and treatment should be made available and be focused on abusers and addicts rather than all drug
Teens and Abuse of Prescription Drugs The pressing issue of teenagers abusing prescription drugs has gone unnoticed for far too long now. People have been focused on the diminishment of the usage of medical and recreational marijuana for ages, but no one seems to realize the drugs that are even easier to obtain: prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited.
Addiction and Medicine Everyone is addicted to something, somewhere. The type of addiction usually missed by people is the one related to prescription drugs. The main question here is Why and How to people get addicted to these medicines. Is there any way to cure it? Stress and personal problems are the main reasons for addiction.
When people hear the word addiction, most people picture an alcoholic that spends hours a night at the bar, or meth addict that sleeps in the streets and prostitutes herself out to obtain money for another hit, but what various people refuse to realize is that addiction has become an epidemic in the United States. Addiction is everywhere from the UPS man that takes smoke breaks every few delivery’s, to your best friend 's dad whose appears to have everything put together but spends his evenings at the casino. In my opinion, it 's essential to share your story, I’m restless to tell you experience with addiction.
Substance abuse disorders are common in our society. It is a disorder that each one of us will most likely experience through a family member, friend, or our self. I felt very drawn to this topic due to the fact that I have a family that has background of substance abuse and I myself have battle the demon. Not until I struggled with my own addiction did I become more tolerable and understanding to those that have a substance abuse disorder. Substance abuse is not something anyone wants to have; it is a disorder that takes control of a person’s life. It is a beast that tears a person apart; from their being to the lives of their loved ones. This disorder is not biased in anyway; rich or poor, male or female, employed or unemployed, young or old, and any race or ethnicity” (E Not Alone).
My reasons for wanting to become a Social worker are quite varied, the main one being to assist people in realising their potential and helping them reach their goals, and at this stage of my life I believe the experiences I have gained are extremely transferable in terms of working with the general public; but overall I can now offer the Social work profession and its clients a committed and caring attitude. I am a people’s person. I am passionately interested in listening to people’s problems and finding strategies to help solve them.
Dependency and addiction are words that carry negative connotations, especially when applied to individuals who are physically reliant upon drugs and alcohol. The terms “abuse”, “dependency” and “addition” are often used interchangeably, yet when substance abuse and addiction professionals use these terms they are describing different conditions, behavioral patterns, and physiological characters. Both substance abuse and addiction have numerous risk factors that affect individuals mentally, emotionally, psycho-socially, physically, and spiritually. Fortunately, there are ways to manage substance-related and addictive disorders, such as group meetings. To differentiate between substance related and addiction disorders, first you have to understand
Drug abuse dates as far back as the Biblical era, so it is not a new phenomenon. “The emotional and social damage and the devastation linked to drugs and their use is immeasurable.” The ripple of subversive and detrimental consequences from alcoholism, drug addictions, and addictive behavior is appalling. Among the long list of effects is lost productivity, anxiety, depression, increased crime rate, probable incarceration, frequent illness, and premature death. The limitless consequences include the destruction to personal development, relationships, and families (Henderson 1-2). “Understandably, Americans consider drug abuse to be one of the most serious problems” in the fabric of society. And although “addiction is the result of voluntary drug use, addiction is no longer voluntary behavior, it’s uncontrollable behavior,” says Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Torr 12-13).
Social work practice has become a vital part of our society. They are found in almost every aspect of our community as well as our schools. Social workers are problem solvers that help people deal with daily issues that may become problems that affect them. As our society becomes more challenging, social workers help bridge the gaps for people who face extraordinary challenges in their lives. The social worker’s scope of practice may contain helping at risk or overwhelmed individuals find resources, develop new coping strategies, resolve problems and conflicts, and secure opportunities to improve their quality of life. (Flynn, 2013) Although the scope of practice is basically the same, there are various types of social workers with various levels of education. It doesn’t matter if you are a medical, clinical, school, military, psychiatric or community social worker, the goal is
Substance abuse is a challenging battle that cannot be won over night it takes a lot of hard work and dedication from every one. Local government agencies, national, and global evolvement needs to be present to overcome substance abuse. It is important to try and overcome substance abuse due to the negative impact that it is having on society, financially and
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.