Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is basically an overindulgence in or dependence on an addictive substance, such as drugs or alcohol. Statistics for substance abuse and addiction began to skyrocket in the 1980’s when pharmaceutical companies and doctors began over prescribed medications (especially opiates) to patients in order to make more money. If you had an injury that would require you to take a pain reliever, you really would only need four or five pills. But, doctors will sometimes give patients upwards of forty pills. They do this only to have more money in their paychecks, and do not care about what could happen to innocent people. This is how most addiction does start, people will continue to have pain and think, “Oh i still have …show more content…
This rate has tripled in the past 20 years. Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco) to some sort of substance. (“Addiction Statistics - Facts on Drug and Alcohol Addiction.” AddictionCenter, www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/addiction-statistics/) However this is disease cannot be easily accounted for just by the nature of it. Many people do not want anyone to know if they have a problem with substance abuse out of sheer embarrassment, because there is a lot of stigma surrounding it. Addiction can affect any age group, although it is more common in teens and adults rather than babies and young children. But, there have been numerous babies born with addictions to hard drugs as a result of the mother using while pregnant. So it really does affect everybody. Addiction also affects many different ethnic groups, although some will stereotype and say it affects poor regions more. It’s actually quite the opposite; many affluent white areas have high rates of drug abuse, mainly because they have the money for it, and teens think it’s a “cool” or “fun” thing to do for recreation or at …show more content…
Addiction treatment must help the person do the following: stop using drugs, stay drug-free, be productive in the family, at work, and in society. Many facilities created to help people keep their life on track and clean, are funded by taxpayer dollars and lots of controversy has surrounded methadone clinics and the like. People don’t want their money going to places that will let addicts “shoot up safely with no consequences.” People wonder what treatment really does, it works for some, but many relapse. Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. No single treatment is right for everyone; And effective treatment addresses all of the patient’s needs, not just his or her drug use. Counseling and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of treatment. (National Institute on Drug
Substance abuse is basically an overindulgence in or dependence on an addictive substance, such as drugs or alcohol. Statistics for substance abuse and addiction began to skyrocket in the 1980’s when pharmaceutical companies and doctors began over prescribed medications (especially opiates) to patients in order to make more money. If you had an injury that would require you to take a pain reliever, you really would only need four or five pills. But, doctors will sometimes give patients upwards of forty pills. They do this only to have more money in their paychecks, and do not care about what could happen to innocent people. This is how most addiction does start, people will continue to have pain and think, “Oh i still have …show more content…
This rate has tripled in the past 20 years. Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco) to some sort of substance. (“Addiction Statistics - Facts on Drug and Alcohol Addiction.” AddictionCenter, www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/addiction-statistics/) However this is disease cannot be easily accounted for just by the nature of it. Many people do not want anyone to know if they have a problem with substance abuse out of sheer embarrassment, because there is a lot of stigma surrounding it. Addiction can affect any age group, although it is more common in teens and adults rather than babies and young children. But, there have been numerous babies born with addictions to hard drugs as a result of the mother using while pregnant. So it really does affect everybody. Addiction also affects many different ethnic groups, although some will stereotype and say it affects poor regions more. It’s actually quite the opposite; many affluent white areas have high rates of drug abuse, mainly because they have the money for it, and teens think it’s a “cool” or “fun” thing to do for recreation or at …show more content…
Addiction treatment must help the person do the following: stop using drugs, stay drug-free, be productive in the family, at work, and in society. Many facilities created to help people keep their life on track and clean, are funded by taxpayer dollars and lots of controversy has surrounded methadone clinics and the like. People don’t want their money going to places that will let addicts “shoot up safely with no consequences.” People wonder what treatment really does, it works for some, but many relapse. Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. No single treatment is right for everyone; And effective treatment addresses all of the patient’s needs, not just his or her drug use. Counseling and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of treatment. (National Institute on Drug