Addiction-Focused Literature Review

Improved Essays
Trudging the landscape of addiction-focused literature can leave both professionals and potential service users disheartened by the surplus of approaches and ideologies discussing how addictions emerge and how they are best treated. Despite the so-called evidence, dropout rates for clients struggling with addiction averages nearly 50% and the research shows that professionals struggle to perceive when certain cases are at risk of disengaging. Common perception is that lack of motivation, denial or the stigma associated with seeking support is keeping people out of mental health services but service users cite the cost and lack of confidence in the treatment to keep them disengaged.

With mental health diagnoses and addiction statistics on

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    James Mccay, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center on the Continuum of Care in the Addictions states that “typically, what people have been told to do is go to a lot of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics meetings… the usual line is 90 meetings in 90 days, and once-a-week group counseling...” which is in fact something that many, if not all, patients are told at one point or another. The only problem with this statement is that without someone acting upon this and guiding the patient on how to find these sort of meetings and counseling groups this becomes just another saying to the patient and not an actual resource. Ray Tamasi, president and chief executive of Gosnold on Cape Cod, another addiction treatment organization, gives her input on people's perspective of how rehabilitation for alcohol addiction and substance abuse is supposed to be some kind of miraculous success, when in reality the transitioning between outpatient and inpatient is abysmal. The reason Tamasi believes that the transitioning is extremely difficult is because patients are not given the tools necessary for their own success. Another reason why patients do not receive the appropriate after care is that “insurance didn’t used to cover anything post-discharge” (Madly Chalk) which led to many unwanted expenses.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The gaming industry tailor games to people preferences and interest for replay value of the game. Adding difficulty levels, over-powered weapons, downloadable content and anything that could bring the player back to their favorite game. In Brave New World, what brings a person back to their own happy world is a drug called soma. It brings about a feeling of relaxation and happiness, negative emotions disappearing while hallucinations occur to escape the unhappiness of the world. Soma and video games are examples of escaping the real world because of the feeling being satisfied and belonging.…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    12 Step Recovery

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Though addiction has created beliefs in and of its own, a client may find that the meld of both new and old belief systems will determine what support may be most effective based on what the client identifies…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In October of 2002, The Psychiatric Times published the article “Addiction is a Choice” by Jeffrey A. Schaler, PhD. In the article he asserts that addiction as a disease is empirically unsupported by science, an addict can monitor and control his or her use, and the therapy used to treat such affliction only leads patients to believe that they cannot control their behavior because of the belief that they have a disease. He contends that the idea of addiction in not a disease, rather a choice, because it is merely foolish and self-destructive behavior. Schaler’s first point that science does not support the disease philosophy of addiction continues on to state that because of the lack of scientific backing, addiction is more a behavior and…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homework Assignment #1 Addiction, an often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking. The definition just stated perfectly describes the two young men in the show Intervention. Travis and Matt are both struggling with the disease of addiction that is ruining their relationships, personality, and even their life. Travis who is a 22 year old and he is addicted an illicit drug called crystal meth. At the age of 16 he became a music sensation overnight causing him to fall into this drug problem.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mindfulness has been practiced to alleviate the psychological suffering of human beings for more than 2,500 years, and although Western psychology is relatively new, there are correlations between them. For instance, both highlight the importance of cultivating concentration, empathy and compassion, therapeutic presence and relationship, openness and acceptance, and self-insight. Although more research on MM is needed in general, recent literature on the subject has been encouraging for patients of SUD’s, and their therapists alike. Currently, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of SUD’s along with an increase in methods becoming available to treat them. This insidious disease is chronic, progressive, and potentially…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is a letter to you to help you get off of your drug addiction. You have started to drift away from your family and friends, so I wrote this letter to try and persuade you to stop. I was reading an article called The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction it believes that “people addicted to drugs are roughly twice as likely to suffer from mood and anxiety.” The articles point is that people like you will develop different attitudes and bad feelings, like always being nervous about something. For you, this means that you will not be able to interact with other people because you are trying to avoid them.…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Heroin Addiction Addiction reaches epidemic levels Heroin use in the United States has skyrocketed. Over the past 11 years use has gone up nearly 63%. From 2002 to 2013 the number of heroin related deaths has nearly quadrupled. Those addicted to pain medication are replacing their pills for a more accessible, cheaper and longer lasting high from the drug that is heroin. The question in place is how do we stop this epidemic that is taking the United States by storm?…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The psychological aspect of an addiction is an interesting part of the puzzle that has many keys to beating an addiction. For one an addiction can be due to a physical dependence at which point the substance is a must because of the rabbit hole the user has dug. Depression often has to deal with many addictions such as alcohol, and marijuana. Stress, and addiction can transcend species, “Monkeys, too, developed a taste for alcohol when stressed by permanent separation from their mother at birth.” (Small 2002) Substances can be similar to a coping mechanism in order to deal with psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, etc.…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The various theories on substance use disorders and addiction include the addictive disease model, behavioral/environmental model, academic model, and diathesis-stress theory of addiction. These theories explain possible reasons for why individuals become, look to, or keep using dangerous substances. The addictive disease model can often be referred to as the medical model and refers to addiction as a chronic and progressive problem that can potentially cause fatality when activated by abused drugs and the genetic irregularities in the brain chemistry and anatomy that can generally be of consequence. An interesting piece of evidence is that according to the text, (Inaba & Cohen, 2015, p# .2.36) 40-60% of influence is placed on genetics, while…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Despite the changing views towards addiction, there are still many stereotypes as well as blame being placed. Although treatment is not a fix all, many concerns are addressed by seeking help. By making treatment more readily available, we will reduce the crime rate, make huge financial savings in health care as well as taxes, and increase drug intervention. Although today’s society often views addicts as criminals, by offering help, we are making treatment less intimidating to addicts. Too often, people avoid treatment because of the stigma our society gives it.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Addictions: A Short Story

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The clean air, the pristine mountain views and the hipster cafes. It was impeccable, I quickly felt an attachment to the scenic beauty, the atmosphere, and the wet winters. How else could life get any better in Vancouver? I constantly explored in and out of the city for the first few weeks, but little did I know not everything was painted out to be as it was in the travel brochures and cheesy commercials… “Mom, turn off the radio please,” I nonchalantly asked as I was attempting to take a nap. “Allison, wake up you need to look at this!”…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Behaviors Of Addiction

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Psychology 2301 – 56001, Summer 2015 Abstract Addiction can have many negative behaviors that a person may take to an extreme that can be harmful to them both mentally and physically. When it comes to being addicted to working, it can be far more severe than most people realize. Although the research behind workaholism is underdeveloped, it is estimated that twenty-five to thirty percent of the U.S population is affected by this situation. A person who suffers from workaholism not only reduces the quality of life of him or herself, but also the quality of life of their family members.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Today I will be speaking about the 3 main approaches to the treatment of addiction: independent therapy, inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation, and public self help groups. II. Often the first step people take is to seek help through one on one sessions with a mental health provider, such as a therapist,…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Addiction Potential Scale vs Addiction Severity Index The Addiction Potential Scale (APS) and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) are both used to measure substance abuse. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, but they both work together to determine not only who has the potential to become addicted to alcohol and drugs, but also the severity of the addiction. Both are critical to assessing a person’s addiction, or likeliness to develop an addiction, so that the individual can be treated properly or informed on how to prevent the addiction from occurring in the first place. What is the Addiction Potential Scale?…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays