People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers. The biggest argument is that addiction is a choice not a disease. For those on the other side of the argument they claim just the opposite. According to a source on the Internet entitled Alcohol and Drug Treatment: The Disease Concept Of Substance Abuse and Addiction, the idea of drugs and alcohol being a disease is a “very controversial and debated topic.” For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic. According to a Website entitled “Saint Jude Retreat House,” alcoholism and drug addiction are not diseases because those types of behaviors can be avoided and there is help available to change these behaviors. Although it has been found true that drug and alcohol dependency can be passed down through hereditary there is no concrete evidence I have found that proves that this is a disease. In a book entitled Treating Substance Abuse, Theory and Technique 2nd edition, says “This first and probably least controversial of the disease models can be termed the “medical consequences model.” (Page 11). This statement seems to be saying that because this topic is so controversial and not enough medical proof is available it has been given a generic name. It is true that drugs and alcohol can cause diseases, but does that make the addiction problem a disease? Perhaps this topic is so controversial because of the lack of knowledge or understanding of drug addiction. On a Website entitled “Addiction is a Chronic Disease,” the source was comparing diabetes and cancer to support their idea that drug addiction to is a chronic disease. The Website did not give any additional support and provided no examples.
Sally Satel, author of “Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate? Wrong,” leads us down a harrowing path of the causes and effects that lead people to addiction. It can be a choice, possibly subconscious, or a condition that leads a person left fighting a lifelong battle they did not intend to sign up for. Mental and emotional health/conditions, personality traits, attitudes, values, behaviors, choices, and perceived rewards are just a few of the supposed causes of becoming an addict.
The focus of health care is and has always been, practicing good hygiene, living a healthy lifestyle, and having a positive attitude reduces the chance of getting ill. Although there is not much prevention we can take for some of the diseases but we can certainly practice good hand hygiene to prevent infection and its ill effects. Research proves that hand washing is surely the most easy and effective way to prevent infection in health care. The question for this research: Is Hand washing an effective way to prevent infection in health care? It led to the conclusion that due to the high acuity, high patient: staff ratio, and lack of re evaluation certain units in the health care facilities cannot adhere to correct hand washing guidelines. Hand
George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction is normally thought of as drug abuse and alcoholism but people can also be addicted to things such as gambling and sex as well. The controversy on if addiction is a disease or a choice is a continuous debate. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, one side believes it’s a disease, while the other believes it is a choice. Although addiction has been assumed to be a lack of willpower and a weakness, addiction is actually a complex disease that changes the wiring of the brain. Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior (Leshner.) Both devolping
A big challenge that I will face is deciding which side I will take on a big debate in substance abuse counseling. Some people say that addiction is purely physical, while others disagree and believe that addiction is mostly psychological. Those who believe that it is psychological believe that it usually stems from abuse or as Jane Adams (2003) thinks an over dependence on parents. This side also says that addiction is operant conditioning and that cycle has to be broken (Silverman, Roll, & Higgins, 2008, p. 472). The other physical side of addi...
Applying theory into today’s nursing practice takes place when the nurse can understand and appreciate the theory's value (Health Compliance Passport, 2014). The nurse is educated and precise in their ability to apply the skills and knowledge into practice. The nurse’s ability to organize principles, evaluate the patient, develop a plan of care and implement the theory into the healing process (Health Compliance Passport, 2014). All theories are different, but very similar in their own way once broken down. The nurse must critically think and apply her knowledge base of nursing practice and nursing theory.
It is not uncommon to view drug addiction as a problem that is created and maintained by the drug addicts. Most of
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism writes this article to inform the world that alcohol is a brain disease that affects the body and mind. The article states that alcoholism is a type of addiction, which therefore means it is a complex disease. It affects the health and well-being of the person. Alcoholism was defined as a disease by the American Medical Association in 1956. David Rosenbloom, PhD, states, “They can’t stop because their brain has been changed.” Neurotransmitters in the brain such as, dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and glutamate, are disrupted by abused substances such as alcohol. This article will be helpful to me because it has specific examples and situation that explains that alcoholism is a disease.
When people hear the word "drug," they usually think of an illegal substance such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or any other drug that can be found on the street. Most people never consider the fact that consuming alcohol can be just as harmful as illegal drugs, not only on the body, but on the mind and spirit as well (#1). If constantly abused, alcohol can be even worse for one than taking illegal drugs (#5) Irresponsible drinking can destroy a person's life as well as the lives of those around them. When people become both physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, they become an alcoholic and suffer from a disease called alcoholism. One denotation of this term is "a diseased condition of the system, brought about by the continued use of alcoholic liquors" (Webster's Dictionary, 37). Another definition of this term, given to me by my English professor, Janet Gould who is in fact, a recovering alcoholic, is that alcoholism is a mental dependence and a physical allergy (#3). Alcoholism somehow affects us all through a parent, sibling, friend, or even personal encounters with a stranger. In fact "alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, quiet and withdrawn, or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. They then seek relief by drinking more" (Gitlow 175).
There are several different ways to describe substance abuse. So many people think that substance abuse only pertains to alcoholism. There is several other substances that may cause someone to be diagnosed with substance abuse disorder. Some of those things include: marijuana, alcohol, stimulants(cocaine and amphetamines), Hallucinogens, Inhalants, sedatives, and even nicotine. Even though some people may not see some of these things as things that may become addicting they are. More and more people are becoming addicted to the smallest things such as alcohol. For hundreds and thousands of American citizens alcoholism is become far too common. Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.
Throughout nursing history, theories have paved the way for the nursing practice and profession. Theory is a proven explanation of events that guide actions (McEwen, 2011). Before nursing theory, nursing was grouped with medicine and wasn’t considered its own profession (McEwen, 2011).
Humans are environmentally and genetically predisposed to developing motivated addictive behavior. Addiction is a brain disease and a behavior disorder. All behaviors are choices. Choices that adolescences make at a young age directly affect the outcomes of their futures. Many factors contribute to an adolescence, becoming an addict or exhibiting drug seeking behavior.
In addition, healthcare workers’ handwashing technique differs from the one you use at home. It is “important that all surfaces of the hands are cleaned thoroughly to dislodge and wash away pathogens” (Burton & Ludwig, 2015, pg. 261). The spread of pathogens in a healthcare setting happens with high likelihood. Therefore, it is imperative to wash one’s hands in the following situations. First, upon entering the patient’s room, secondly, anytime your hands are visibly dirty, third, between caring for two patients in the same room, forth, immediately after removing your gloves, and finally after touching body fluids, secretions, excretions, or contaminated
Nursing theory is the foundation in which the nursing profession stands on. Nurses learn about nursing theories and determine which theory or theories is a best fit. Those theories guide their profession, and nurses study to put those theories into practice. Doing so ensures the welfare of the patients, and the integrity of the profession is protected as well.
Handwashing offers many beneficial effects. One such benefit is that it helps prevent disease. According to the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, illnesses such as “influenza, streptococcus, syncytial virus, and the common cold can be avoided after coughing, sneezing, and shaking hands.” Often by not washing one’s hands, illnesses such as these are passed around unconsciously because little thought is put into what germs could be residing on a person’s hand. This person’s hand could be the hand that fixed lunch for a group of individuals at ...