Homework Assignment: Drug Addiction

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. Shortly before this documentary was filmed, Travis was hospitalized with a meth binge causing permanent damage to his heart. His legs went numb, he felt like he was having a heart attack. Travis has a 3-year-old daughter who lives with …show more content…
He lives in New England under the same roof as his parents. Every night his family including his mother, father, and grandmother eat dinner and question him. He has been an addict for two years, which is hurting all of his family members dearly including a sister who tries to help him. During a drug transaction at the start of his addiction, Matt got two of his front teeth knocked out and now has fake ones that replace them. He was stolen over 15,000 dollars worth of items from his house to support his drug addiction. First, both of the subject’s stories include biological based risk factors from their genetic, neurological, and biochemical make ups. Travis displays difficulty screening out unwanted or bothersome outside stimuli. He does this when he walks into the intervention room while he was high and claims “This is overwhelming” and storms out. After his girlfriend runs after him he screams at her and refuses to go back in the …show more content…
This theory states that their surroundings or events that happen around them cause stress or strain that causes them to break the law. In this case, many events and pressures have caused these two men to be at so much distress that decided to start using. Both of these men deviated from a life they once had. The book states social disorganization is described as a rapid social change previously and this is exactly what Travis went through at a young age. Before, Travis was a young motivated teen who was on the path to success in the music industry. Then he felt the pressure of living up to his high expectations put on him by his family, record label, and fans that caused him to start using drugs. The change of lifestyle was too quick and he was unable to adapt and overcome the weight on his shoulders. Matt also had lots of weight on his shoulder and decided the best way to get rid of it was using cocaine. When he was younger he was involved with his schoolwork, sports, and his work. This overwhelmed him and he needed something ease his stress. Both of these subjects felt like they were being strained by their surroundings, which caused them to start using drugs in order to feel less of that