Maté is a physician who practices in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, often referred to as the drug capital of Canada. He estimates that the addict population in Vancouver is around 3,000 to 5,000 individuals. Maté uses scientific research to identify the biological essence of the “high”, which is a condition under the influence of drugs. He explains how the drugs interact with the brains chemistry to give the user pleasure. In particular, he confirms opiates can develop a “high” excitement, which can induce users to temporarily escape from depressions and to feel better (273).…
Addicts live in a world full of self-hatred and shame, and a multitude of these individuals do not want anyone to know the truth about their pain. Our textbook states that “ninety-five percent of untreated alcoholics die of alcoholism an average of 26 years early even if their death certificate might read they died of heart disease, cancer, or something else to protect the family, but the real reason they died is due to addiction” (Perkinson, 2012, p. 2). An individual’s repeated drug use causes long-lasting changes in their brain which causes long-lasting changes in their brain which causes the addict to lose voluntary control. The individual’s addiction is their only way of feeling normal which makes them feel hopeless, powerless, helpless,…
Franks, Eric 7/27/16 WST 320 Gender, Drugs and Alcohol Arizona State University Professor Herson Putting People first: Substance use treatment and public health How do we put people first when dealing with substance use and treatment, how does this effect public health, and where do people who use fit into these as it relates to gender? How do these converge into a public health option? One such treatment option to mitigate public health risks is a Needle Exchange Program, also referred to as a Needle Syringe ¬¬¬¬¬Program (NSP). What is the current medical approach to this health option? It is not a uniform practice in the US, this being, a directly federally funded and nationally implemented option, and is…
Over 20 million Americans above the age of 12 have an addiction, and 90% of those with an addiction began drinking, smoking, or using illicit drugs before the age of 18. Many of these addictions are products of peer pressure and students attempting to be the life of the party. In Cole Meyers “Addiction” he shows us how the continued use of drugs can give one a short term gains to increase his or her social status; however, in the long term, addiction strips the individual of his or her identity.…
The effect of addiction have consumed billions of individuals all over the world, not only consume but also killed. Individuals have relied on drugs to fill the void in their life that is missing. The addict is not only hurting themselves from the drug use but their families, friends, and their community. In this paper, it will give a description of a 21-year-old male named Anthony. Anthony started using marijuana at the age of 20, trying to hide the pain from the death of his sister. Eventually, marijuana was not enough to get Anthony the extra high he wanted which Anthony made the choice to try another drug and eventually it became the love of his life.…
Drug abuse and addiction.” Pamphlet by: National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2007Retrieved from; Gale virtual reference library…
Although people have been using and abusing substances for as long as these substances have existed, the study of of addictions with the exception of alcoholism did not really emerge until the 1960's-1970's. Through out the last decade multiple changes to how addiction is viewed have occurred. Due to advances in the medical field and a better understanding of the chemistry of the brain addiction is now viewed as a disease instead of just a lack of morals. Because of the prevalence of wide spread usage of opiods, cocaine, and marijuana in the 60's and 70's more comprehensive research was deemed necessary to not only treat but effectively prevent drug addiction and alcoholism. It was also during this time frame that different classes of substances were created and we see a shift in how drug offenders were handled from the once harsher punishments to required treatment programs.…
When I first heard about the Needle Exchange Program (NEP) several years ago, my thoughts were about how it was wrong to help people use drugs by providing a means for them to obtain clean needles. I struggled with morality and ethical principles that were at play in this program. Helping individuals who are addicted to drugs and who choose to put others at risk by using and reusing needles to inject substances is a tough thing to justify. Initially, this seemed to be promoting the very behavior that is looked down upon. How could we help these individuals by supplying them with the needed tools to continue their dysfunctional behaviors? Upon further thought, I realize that by collecting used needles, we can control whether or not they are re-used, and provide a way to prevent the spread of disease. Perhaps my struggle is that I knew only the surface elements of the NEP and I didn’t have a complete understanding on how and why this program was organized and the details that were involved in making it successful. There are different names for these programs such as Syringe Exchange and Needle Exchange. For this paper, I will refer to them as Needle Exchange Programs.…
Drug addiction and drug abuse. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition [serial on the Internet]. (2013, Sep), [cited April 7, 2014]; 1-4. Available from: EBSCO MegaFILE.…
here has been an ever present threat within the United States that continues to grow at an alarming rate by the day; that threat is substance addiction. Nearly 38,000 deaths were linked to overdoses in 2009; that exceeds the total number of traffic violations for that year (“U.S Heroin Crisis”). Citizens and politicians continue to name it the number one “growing public health crisis” (“U.S Heroin Crisis”), but how do these users get addicted and what is the U.S doing to stop this so called “growing threat”? The U.S has recently deployed the overdose antidote Naloxone into the U.S, which has been a large area of debate between users and nonusers. This drug is a good way to get addicts on the road to recovery and a great way to train the average…
Painkillers fuel growth in drug addiction: Opioid overdoses now kill more people than cocaine or heroin. (2011). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 27(7), 4-5. Retrieved on October 1, 2011 from…
In the 1930s, sociologist Robert K. Merton generated what came to be referred to as the…
Each year, there are more deaths and disabilities in the U.S. from substance abuse than from any other cause. In the United States alone, it is reported that roughly 18 million Americans have alcohol problems; 5 to 6 million have drug problems, and more than 9 million children live with a parent addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs. Drug addiction continues to be a growing concern, prompting medical and scientific research on a global scale into the possible causes of addiction and the various levels to which people become drug-dependent. This global issue continues to grow, prompting a rush to determine the cause in an effort to find a cure. Through research, doctors are learning of a link between the repeated uses of an addictive substance and how the human brain experiences pleasure, leading to further and more frequent use.…
People don’t use drugs simply for the fact to get high, but also to cope with problems in their lives. When someone uses drugs to deal with the stresses of the everyday life it is easier to develop an addiction to the drug. “A study based on a sample of 20,291 individuals drawn from the community at large found that more than half of those who met the medical criteria for diagnosis as drug abusers also suffered from one or more mental disorders at some point during their lifetime. This included 28% with anxiety disorders, 26% with mood disorders (depression), 18% with antisocial…
Greaves, Lorraine (2002) High Culture: Reflections on Addiction and Modernity. edited by Anna Alexander and Mark S. Roberts. State University of New York Press. ISBN 079145553X…