...PCN-501: Introduction to Addictions and Substance Use Disorders Grand Canyon University Even the most severely addicted individuals can participate in treatment; in the hopes of reducing their drug and alcohol use. Treatment programs with the higher success rates offer a combination of treatments. I will explore substance abuse prevention programs in this paper. I will summarize their goals, funding, and effectiveness. In the state of Arizona, the Division of Behavioral Health Services oversees A.A sectors. Alcoholics Anonymous’ primary purpose is to help others remain or achieve sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) requires no dues or fees to be a member. The groups that meet in the community are self-supporting. Members pay group expenses by passing a basket around at the meeting for those participating to contribute. There is no government funding, and A.A. accepts no outside contributions from anybody or any organization. It is completely funded by the members themselves. A.A. adopted the Twelve-step method to address a wide range of substance abuse and dependency problems. From a word of mouth marketing perspective, A.A. is a pretty amazing organization. All of this growth has been accomplished through word of mouth marketing. In fact, the organization itself and any individual member are actually prohibited from promoting it (Word Of Mouth Marketing Association, 2013). I think a lot of components that A.A has can be effective...
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...Alcoholics Anonymous is and organized group of people who commonly share the same problem in regard to excessive drinking. AA’s only requirement to enter into the program is that you must want to stop drinking. Of course there are AA membership fees that you will have to pay in order to remain a member. The main goal and purpose of this program is to maintain sobriety without any relapse. This program has proven that it is effective however if the person entering the program is not committed to getting better nine times out of ten he or she will not gain sobriety. (Ragels, 2011) A five percent success rate is nothing more than a spontaneous remission in alcohol addiction. Out of any given group of alcoholics, approximately five percent per year will quit. They get tired of being tired and cannot handle the stress that follows from watching their friends die from the same thing. If one should enter into this program you will learn the twelve steps of Alcohol Anonymous. These steps are the bread and butter for obtaining sobriety in the Alcohol Anonymous 12 Step Program. (Orange, 2011) 1. You must admit that you where powerless and that your life was unmanageable. 2. You believe that that a much higher power greater than your self could restore your sanity. 3. Your will and your life are to be turned over to the care of God. 4. Searching and fearless moral recollection of ourselves. 5. Admit the exact nature of your wrongs. 6. Ready to have all defects...
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...The situation I will be discussing in this paper is dealing with a family member who is an alcoholic. This would be categorized as a problem because all people would agree that alcoholism is dangerous and destructive. If this were an issue, people would have varying points of view on whether or not alcoholism is bad. I have never experienced anyone who disagrees with the problem of alcoholism. I would express this problem as creating a solution to enlighten the family member on the dangers of alcohol, getting them to admit they have a problem, and convincing them to seek treatment. In my experience, I have found that most addicts do not want to see that they are being destructive or that they have a problem. Because of this, I will need to research the causes of and treatments for alcoholism in order to create an effective plan of action. Researching medical journals on the subject should provide me with the biological factors that make someone an alcoholic. It is important to understand the physiology of this addiction in order to acknowledge that alcoholism may not be purely psychological. I would also research psychological studies on the subject to learn why some people turn to self-medication in order to suppress their emotions. Attending local alcoholics’ anonymous meetings would also provide insight into the root causes of alcoholism and the moment of epiphany that causes people to seek help. Once all of my research is complete, I will need to go through it...
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...Why Drugs? I wanted to research on alcoholisms as a disease in this last paper. I have to say I totally disagree with the American Medical Association that in 1956 decided that alcoholism is a disease. I feel alcoholism is not a disease with invasive pathology, nor do I believe that it is a disease of genetics gone awry. Alcoholism has nothing to do with irresistible impulses or uncontrollable urges. Alcoholism is a disease of volition in my opinion. In this paper I will discuss why some people feel this is a disease, and why some people feel this is not a disease, but the choice of the individual. Since the American Medical Association decided that alcoholism is a disease more than 30 years ago, and this issue is still debated. I have to ask the question what does support the concept of alcoholism as a disease. There is an abundance of information out there on this subject. The research I have done says that it is important to know that alcoholism is a illness, and no one asked to become chemically dependent, it is not your fault if you or your loved one is involved in alcoholism. And you should not feel guilty. You would not blame someone for having caner, or diabetes. Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines disease as. “A definite morbid process having a characteristic train of symptoms; it may be the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, an prognosis may be known or unknown...
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...Abstract For years the alcoholic cop was a commonplace fixture around police stations nationwide. Both large and small departments had to contend with the issues surrounding the disease of alcoholism and its progression among members of their forces. While it is common knowledge that the law enforcement profession is not the only occupational group to experience alcoholism among the ranks and the alcoholic officer is not unlike millions of others in the workforce that contend with the disease, how prevalent does the abuse of alcohol among police officers remain? It was 1975 when former law enforcement turned novelist, Joseph Wambaugh, shared The Choirboys with us. Wambaugh’s fictional tale of the shenanigans involving police officers spent a great deal of time discussing the use and abuse of alcohol by the police. Are cops are still turning up the bottle and at an alarming rate? From the Wambaugh’s tales of the after-shift meetings in MacArthur Park to today’s “stress-relief” briefings at various wing houses and sports bars across the country police officers are boozing it up and alcohol abuse among the profession has reached an all-time high. Recent studies indicate that one-quarter of all police officers in the U.S. are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. Not surprisingly, studies have established a significant correlation between occupational stress and increased alcohol use by police officers today. Occupational...
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...Resource Paper 24th day of February PSYC. 308 Introduction The two organizations I have chosen are as followed, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA), and Recovering Couples Anonymous (RCA). Before research, the writer believed all of the categories would fall under a program called Sexual Addictions Anonymous. The writer had no idea there were meetings that specialized for certain addictions. The following paper will be formatted to answer questions regarding the nature, places, purpose, nearest location, and latest news from the organization. Who Attends the Meetings Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA), has two sets of meetings ones that are open, and ones that are closed. An open meeting does not require the person to identify as a sexual compulsive person. The closed meetings require the person to not necessarily identify as a sexual compulsive person but meet the following criteria. “A "closed" meeting allows attendance and participation only by SCA members or those who think they might qualify for membership. Remember, the Third Tradition states that, "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop having compulsive sex.” (SCA Recovery Org.) Recovering Couples Anonymous (RCA), the meeting are open to anyone, however they do require a commitment from both parties in the couple. “The only requirement for membership is a desire to remain committed to each other and to develop new intimacy. Our primary purpose is to stay committed...
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...Outline The overall objective of this research paper is to identify and address those aspects of alcoholism, which contribute to it as a medical disease. True, alcoholism has many ramifications for society as well as the economy, but the focus of this paper shall be, for the most part, on the medical aspects. In the way of background, alcoholism refers to the drinking of alcoholic beverages to such a degree that major aspects of the individual’s life -such as work, school, family relationships or personal SAFETY AND HEALTH, above all, are seriously and repeatedly interfered with. Alcoholism is considered a disease, meaning that it follows a characteristic course with known physical, psychological, and social systems. The alcoholic continues to consume alcohol despite the destructive consequences. Alcoholism is serious, progressive, and irreversible. If not treated, it can be fatal. It is generally thought that once the disease has developed, the alcoholic will not drink normally again. An alcoholic who abstains from drinking, however, can regain control over the aspects of life with which ALCOHOL interfered. The alcoholic is then said to be “recovering” not “cured” of the disease. It is important to note that the particular symptoms and pattern of DRINKING PROBLEMS may vary with the individual. ALCOHOLISM is, therefore, a very complex disorder, and it is this very complexity which has led some recent researchers to question the accuracy of the disease concept of alcoholism...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR RUSH THEO 330 – B02 CHRIS PORTER 29 Jun 2014 The abuse of alcohol is a problem in our society; a social disorder that causes physical and emotional injuries to people and family life. Alcohol is the oldest drug around. It is also the most widely-used and almost 50 percent of people aged 12 and over have consumed alcohol in the United States. Most people are able to consume alcohol responsibly. However, for one reason or another, some people abuse alcohol and develop addictions. Alcohol can destroy persons who depend on its effects to solve their problems. Not only does the use of alcohol create serious health disorders for those who drink heavily during their lifetime, but also causes serious health disorders in children whose mothers drank while pregnant. Individuals who drink alcohol are often responsible for injuring other innocent people. Each year in the United States, nearly 85,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in our country. (NIAAA) Many automobile accidents involve drunk drivers. People who drink endanger themselves and everyone around them. In addition, business and industry suffer financial loss because their employees drink. What might begin as casual drinking can become heavy drinking and alcoholism. Because the abuse of alcohol has a negative effect on men, women, and children, that same abuse on alcohol is a threat in...
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...Whiteking.thaysha@yahoo.com Thaysha King Professor Nora Kabaji Freshman Composition Research Paper 27 March 2013 Alcoholics Anonymous the Truth about Alcoholism Alcoholism is the addiction to consuming alcoholic drinks. Just like any other addiction it is fostered by the regular consumption of alcohol. It is not wrong to have an occasional drink in a social event or to have a little wine with dinner but when it reaches to the point where the individual cannot go a day without alcohol in his system then there is a problem. Alcohol is a drug like any other but it’s the most popular and accepted drug in the entire world. It is legal to citizens above eighteen years to drink alcohol and it is very accessible to even teenagers. Consumption of alcohol is not a new thing, it has been there for centuries and many new brands are being produced every year. However, those many years ago, our fore fathers knew the restrictions when it came to taking alcohol. They did not over do it and they consumed alcohol mainly during social events hence they did not become addicted to it. In our society today, any time is a good time to take alcohol. Teenagers, young adults, adults and even old people are all taking alcohol at an alarming rate. They are doing it oblivious to the fact that they can become addicted. Why are there so many alcoholics in the world today? How does it affect them and the people around them? What can be done to cure our society out of this vice? We answer all these questions...
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...Understanding Early Drug Use and Its Benefits on Future Drug Treatments Laura-Ryan Brooks Argosy University Abstract Drug abuse is a growing problem in the world today. Past studies have been conducted in efforts to recognize similar patterns in addicts’ lives that may have contributed to their behavior. The emerging results from this research suggested that it was due to several maltreatments occurring during the addicted individual’s adolescent years that were behind their early drug use. It is during the critical years of adolescence, when the brains of young adults are still developing, that the youth of today are most susceptible to a number of issues that can lead towards drug addiction, such as problems at home, abuse, and peer-pressure. Exploring these adversities will help shed some light on why adolescents make the decision to use drugs. This paper will address what influences drug use and how this knowledge can help treat addiction. Issues surrounding why addicts began drug use and how this information could be beneficial in treating substance abuse in the future will be explored. . Understanding Early Drug Use and Its Implications on Future Drug Abuse Treatment Addiction has been defined as a “misguided attempt at self-repair” (du Plessis, 2012 para. 53). But who is in danger of becoming addicted or may be feeling the need of some “self-repairing? During a 2013 testing of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), a tool to assess certain...
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...need help. It is suggested that a counselor’s knowledge, theory and ability are only as good as the counselor’s personal qualities (Jevne, 1082). What this means is that therapeutic techniques will help people who are looking for counseling when the counselor’s personality is genuinely helpful (Truax & Mitchell, 1971). In this paper I will try to explain my own personal model of helping. I will use my real life experiences, suggest some useable applications, and cover some of the problems my model may cover. I will also try to address and overcome multicultural issues. Hopefully I will be able to address any limitations as well as the strengths my model may have. I will also identify some types of people my model will be able to help. Not until lately did I even dream my interest in helping others would make me want to be a counselor. I want to help people the way I was helped when I went into rehab for drug addiction. The counselors there were some of the most understanding people I had ever met and they did not judge me. They made sure I realized they were there to help me. I am also a 5 year chip toter of NA (Narcotics Anonymous). My sponsor said I had so much empathy for other members and was such a good listener I should choose counseling as a profession. Back then I did not think I was cut out for it but now I think I would be a great counselor if given the chance in an arena other than NA. A lot of people once they have been a part of NA become sponsors...
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...position on the drug and have legalized marijuana. Knowing this, people around the nation are still hesitant of pro-legalization and the Federal Government is taking little interest in the matter. The legalization of marijuana would increase crop cultivation in America, provide jobs for those in need during this economic downfall, and decrease the amount of criminal activity involved with the use and distribution of marijuana. Before marijuana was made illegal by the FBN and before the roaring twenties, marijuana cultivation produced valuable products such as paper, rope, canvas, and textiles. Canvas is a Dutch word in which its meaning is cannabis, hemp or marijuana. All around the world professionals are finding ways to recycle materials in order to avoid cutting down trees and greenhouse gasses. These professionals are aware of hemp and its increase production, for example; an acre of hemp can produce four times more paper than...
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...Introduction Many questions have been raised about why people start using and abusing drugs and alcohol. Many people have spent time and effort researching these questions and have come up with common answers depending on which way a person is looking at the question. I am looking at this question from both a mental and emotional view. Drug and alcohol abuse has many definitions. Some may say that a person who drinks before noon is an alcoholic or someone who uses “street drugs” is a drug addict, but the truth is that anyone can be a drug addict or alcoholic. In my personal definition; a person who is mentally, emotionally or psychically dependent upon a substance is an addict. It does not matter if the substance is alcohol, “street drugs”, or prescription medication. Addiction can take the form of many different shapes, sizes, and races. The history of drug abuse dates back as far as time itself. The human race has always searched for things to help them feel relaxed, stimulated or increase energy and reduce the amounts of daily stress. Drug abuse history can be traced back to home remedies that people thought would cure these types of aliments. One form of abuse was alcohol and was discovered through farming and fermentation of fruits and grains. Indians and other native people used natural remedies like marijuana and natural hallucinogenic to reach out and speak with their spirit guides. When choosing this topic, I thought carefully about my past experience and the experience...
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...Video Games Annotated Bibliography American Military University SOCI 220 January 29, 2012 Video Games and the Effect on Children The popular culture subtopic I choose that interests me is video games and the effects on children. To start my research I need to find articles, both peer-reviewed and popular source, to gather information. I used both the internet and the online university library and searched terms such as video games and children, popular culture and video games, video game addiction, and video game violence. Listed below are some of the numerous sources I discovered. I choose a small sampling of the sources available, briefly explained their relevance, gave a short overview of the article, completed a quick pro and con review and lastly I completed a compare and contract of the source against two other sources. | Source 1 | 1) Source Title | The Effects of Video Games on Children | 2) APA-formatted citation for source | Gentile, D. A. (2004). The effects of video games on children: What parents need to know? Pediatrics for Parents, 21(6), 23-25. | 3) Source Evaluation | Peer-reviewed journal | 4) Relevance of source to Subtopic | This article shows the effects of gaming and that excessive time spent playing video games can have a negative effect on children. | 5) 3-5 sentence description of source | This article discusses the fact that video games can have both a positive and negative influence on children. It discusses the need for parents...
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...Substance Abuse Prevention in the United States G. Lester Introduction to Addictions and Substance Use Disorders 3/2/2014 There are many substance abuse programs for many different circumstances all across America. Each program caters to individuals who are suffering within the scope of their program. The goals for each program is the same, to help prevent addiction. There are three program that will be discussed in this paper. The D.A.R.E. Program, the Safe Haven, and the Late Night Program. The D.A.R.E. Program The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, which is commonly called D.A.R.E., targets younger generations. It is one of the largest prevention programs directed at school aged children from kindergarten through high school. (West & O'Neal, 2004). Established in 1983, the goals of the D.A.R.E. program is to educate America’s youth in the prevention and dangers of using drugs and alcohol. D.A.R.E. focuses is not only telling children that they should resist the temptation of using drugs but teaches the how to resist the temptations. (Department of Safety & Homeland Security, n.d.). D.A.R.E. has proven to be so successful that it has been implemented into 75% of America’s schools. The officer led classes educate children to “resist peer pressure and live drug and violence free lives” (Department of Safety & Homeland Security, n.d.). Every officer must go through 80 hours in depth training that includes child development, classroom and teaching techniques...
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