Introduction
Dealing with substance misuse is typically accompanied by additional difficulties due to patients’ lack of desire and the stigma attached to the particular condition. Understanding the causes and effects of drug dependency is crucial for developing empathy for those struggling with drug abuse. The high rates of drug addiction among the population also support the need for immediate action to address the problem of drug usage.
Marijuana vaping has increased from 19.1% to 22.1% in the U.S. alone from 2019 to 2020 (Yerby, 2021). Surprisingly, substance abuse victims, notably drug abuse, have aged dramatically. Drug abuse must be prevented, which can be done by teaching groups at risk. This is necessary because drug usage alters the way neurological pathways in the human brain operate, which worsens physical and mental health.
The distinction between biological and social elements must be made to analyze the factors that lead to drug abuse. The former is limited to genetic susceptibility to developing a drug dependency, but the latter may also include peer pressure and social influence. Typically, societal factors play a role in most drug abuse situations (Wakeman & Rich, 2018). Therefore, it is essential to foster young people’s critical thinking who are part of at-risk groups so they can prevent the emergence of drug addiction. However, it is also likely that genetics, particularly a parent’s tendency for drug abuse, will significantly impact how drug addiction develops.
Physical Impact
As a result, changes in how the human body—particularly the nervous system—functions are often similar across all circumstances, even though the impact of drug misuse on a person’s physical and mental health may vary to some extent depending on the substance consumed. When people misuse drugs, particular disruptions, particularly in the transmission of neurons throughout the human brain’s neural pathways, are seen. Because of this, the brain cannot process information correctly, resulting in hallucinations, cognitive deficits, memory loss, early-onset dementia, and even schizophrenia and other mental health disorders (Wakeman & Rich, 2018).
Similar to how drug abuse affects the brain, the rest of the body’s systems also degrade quickly, but more slowly than the brain. Notably, the risks of a stroke and seizures appear as a result of the changes to the brain. Additionally, due to the changes in blood pressure brought on by the disruptions in the brain’s neurological functions, problems with the heart and lungs may also develop.
Last but not least, those who have drug abuse disorders continue to face a severe AIDS threat (Yerby, 2021). As a result, the identified health concern has a wide range of related health issues. Drug use must be avoided at all costs since it has a seriously negative impact on how neurotransmitters in the human brain function, impairing responses and leading to a decline in both physical and mental functioning.
The education of vulnerable groups and populations at risk and the provision of free counseling and support to the targeted demographic are examples of potential interventions. Legal penalties for drug abuse should also be eased so that more people would actively seek help and so that the stigma associated with drug addiction can be eliminated. With no fear of drug abuse, a healthier community may be created.
Impact on Families
Everyone around a person with a substance use disorder is impacted by addiction, in addition to that person. A child may feel ignored and unsafe if exposed to a drug-using family at a young age. They could thus develop increased mental and emotional instability.
Children who witness their parents using drugs or alcohol may experience severe remorse and self-blame. As they age, they could feel unworthy or form unhealthy attachments. Children may be taken from their homes and placed in foster care in extreme circumstances. Teenagers may feel overwhelmed by addictive substances and tense family dynamics, and wish to leave their homes.
Parents’ anxiety may seem to drive troublesome teenagers to turn to drugs as an escape. Teens who run away from home are more susceptible to emotional, financial, and sexual abuse. Substance-abusing teenagers are more likely to deal with SUDs throughout college.
Teenagers exposed to drugs early often develop a tolerance and addiction by the time they are in college. Many people will not stop partying and abusing illegal substances because they find it challenging to calm down. On college campuses, there are frequent reports of violence, property damage, and sexual assault that are all directly related to alcohol misuse.
Addiction Recovery Services
Depending on the patient’s needs, addiction treatment may not be the same for everyone. The doctor can choose the course of treatment that works best for each patient based on the substance they are misusing, the level of care needed, their psychological needs, or what medical options they can afford (Wakeman & Rich, 2018). Even though punishment does not worsen drug usage or related problems, drug addiction continues to be punished.
According to one study, there is no appreciable correlation between state drug detention rates and the state’s three indicators of drug addiction—self-described pharmaceutical usage, overdose deaths, and drug arrests. The patient can detox using a variety of medicines in a safe environment with a healthy detox. Since it may result in horrible or even dangerous side effects, this is helpful for substance withdrawal.
Detox is frequently used in conjunction with other treatments because it does not address the hidden behavioral causes of the obsession. CBT can be used in conjunction with other restorative techniques to increase the effectiveness of the therapy. A compelling approach combines an evidence-based clinical practice guideline-based design with a profoundly spiritual program that is fully integrated.
The spiritual component must be integrated with other clinical programs, such as clinical gatherings, relapse prevention, and individualized clinical meetings. These initiatives include a weekly community outside of church and a Bible report (Beraldo et al., 2019). The medicine and drug misuse recovery program is a Christian-based initiative, and each component emphasizes spiritual values and a connection to God.
Body, mind, and soul are the three components that make up an effective addiction treatment program. The physical body is treated throughout the therapy, especially during detoxification. Then, individual and group counseling and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are used to treat the mind (CBT). The behavioral therapists may suggest that a patient with a history of trauma or other efforts enroll in one of the targeted rehabilitation programs throughout this process. This increases the likelihood of recovery by effectively managing their trauma (Beraldo et al., 2019).
Lastly, spiritual uplifting or bolstering religious principles as a form of therapy might help patients find their sense of self and reason. Additionally, it offers the chance to improve, correct, reestablish, or revive one’s relationship with the Higher Power. Developing a relationship with someone’s spirit or religion could catalyze the healing of the personal injuries that led to their addiction issue.
Ethical Issues
The harm reduction program treats the population’s decreasing health, which is typically economically underprivileged or homeless. Using intravenous drugs in public places like parks, tunnels, and urinals is dangerous. Safe injection locations are also known as controlled injection sites, overdose prevention centers, and drug intake rooms. Locations for safe or supervised injection can act as a transition to therapy.
It is hoped that the medical attention provided in these settings may prevent more overdoses and enable more drug users who need help to receive it. Safe injection facilities can both save lives and aid people with addiction. Additionally, the personnel build relationships with visitors (Costello et al., 2020).
It can help enroll these people in various treatment programs. When customers are ready for assistance, employees at these locations are best equipped to provide it. The most crucial thing is that they offer sterile injection tools, including syringes, clean plates, filters, and tourniquets. Since the team is prepared to handle an unforeseen overdose, clients are given drugs or given them via injection along with life-saving support.
The most frequent criticism of harm reduction strategies is that they are comparable to maintaining addiction. Many drug users know that harm reduction initiatives give them particular safety measures. They are aware that drug usage is still mostly tolerated in these facilities. These systems may appear to impose implicit punishments on substance abuse since they make it easier for active addicts to feed their ailments (Costello et al., 2020).
Maintaining methadone, for instance, aims to progressively lower the dosage to help a person wean off the medicine. However, this would need years of consistent clinic visits to reduce physical urges without addressing the psychological issues that underlie addiction. With psychological dependence, risks and effects include deepening addiction, bodily and mental decline, family disintegration, and generational drug use continues to surface.
Understanding safe injection sites’ overall advantages and potential long-term repercussions is vital. Their availability of a relatively safe environment, clean syringes, and lack of legal consequences may improve hygienic conditions in the poorest levels of society. From this perspective, it is also crucial to highlight figures from the World Health Organization and various blogs about the decline in HIV patients and instances of safe injection facility employees saving lives from overdose (Volkov & Boyle, 2018).
The legality of these facilities is still up in the air, and they have a general psychological impact on the populace. The professionals at the centers can provide any necessary treatment and potential psychological support. As a result, these facilities can attract drug abusers who can acquire their free doses on demand.
Overall, the harm reduction idea is still in its infancy, and its long-term effects are difficult to anticipate. It encourages drug and sex education and aids in the decline of street drug addiction. On the other hand, it is too soon to pass judgment on this complex matter.
Recovery
Adopting the best techniques by the counselor and observing established moral and legal guidelines are essential to safe and effective care provision and achieving favorable outcomes for those seeking addiction treatment. To improve the professional practice of addiction therapy, groups such as the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) and the Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (CCAPP) have produced specific criteria. The resources, support, and judgment-free encouragement offered by counselors in this sector help addicts and persons with behavioral problems rehabilitate and return to regular lives. These medical practitioners adhere to moral and legal rules that specify acceptable behavior and direct decision-making (Costello et al., 2020).
For instance, the moral law forbids a therapist from having sex with a current or former client, shielding the former from circumstances impairing their neutrality. Likewise, best practices outline the most sensible and practical action path, ensuring higher results. Even though the ethical and legal norms set forth the expected professional conduct of counselors, adherence to them safeguards clients’ rights, lessens the harm, and fosters long-term healing.
The guidelines for making decisions that a professional group develops are known as ethical standards. They define the standards of behavior and the expected behavior of the organization’s members. The counselors’ code of ethics offers detailed rules for ensuring the professionals’ and clients’ welfare. For instance, the principle of autonomy affirms the inviolability of the patient’s right to decision-making while acknowledging the ability of counselors to influence their patients.
Therapists are expected to support their clients’ independence and self-determination, especially concerning their freedom of thought and action (Volkov & Boyle, 2018). Professional bodies sanction counselors who break the rules and decide on the appropriate punishments, including license suspension or cancellation. As a result, ethical principles serve as a foundation for counselors’ clinical practice.
Legal Criteria
Any violation of these legal criteria is a crime subject to fines or imprisonment under the relevant federal or state laws. Best practices in addiction treatment are the strategies or methods widely acknowledged as preferable to other options. They include principles, ideas, and concepts that are the most sensible or practical course of action because they provide top-notch outcomes.
According to this viewpoint, best practices are rules created to give counselors goals they can strive for (Nutt & Nestor, 2018). Due to their motivational nature and the fact that regulatory or professional entities cannot enforce them, they differ significantly from ethical and legal standards. For instance, the likelihood of successful patient outcomes is increased dramatically when current evidence-based insights are carefully and wisely incorporated into clinical decision-making. As a result, counselors are merely urged to apply this knowledge; there are no consequences for not doing so.
The basis upon which addiction treatment is constructed comprises ethical and legal principles and best practices. While the federal or state governments establish the regulatory principles, the ethical standards lack a legal foundation (Nutt & Nestor, 2018). The best practices, on the other hand, are aspirational principles that are universally acknowledged as the best options. This suggests that regulatory agencies or professional organizations cannot enforce them.
One of the critical health-related issues in the American healthcare system continues to be the use of illegal substances and the resulting development of addiction. Overall, it indicates that Americans abuse drugs more frequently, a dangerous trend that must be stopped. In addition to considering the health-related element, one must also consider the social one to devise a workable solution to the drug addiction problem among Americans (Nutt & Nestor, 2018). In particular, it is vital to consider the possibility that a drug dealer will pressure a person to continue abusing drugs even after a successful intervention. Because of this, a program designed to help people with drug abuse issues must offer social protection and, in particular, the chance to limit their access to a drug dealer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the profound legal implications of drug use and possession must be addressed appropriately. Severe legal repercussions for drug possession may discourage people from getting help. It is imperative to adjust the legal system to focus more on behavior modification and the potential for treatment rather than criminalizing those with drug addiction problems.
In the United States, the issue of illegal drug usage continues to be a severe health concern. The case, as mentioned above, must be dealt with at the state policy level and by creating suitable public health programs because it affects thousands of individuals. As a result, one can develop an efficient plan for preventing drug abuse and motivate those who have abused drugs to seek treatment.
References
Beraldo, L., Gil, F., Ventriglio, A., de Andrade, A. G., da Silva, A. G., Torales, J.,… & Castaldelli-Maia, J. M. (2019). Spirituality, religiosity, and addiction recovery: Current perspectives. Current Drug Research Reviews Formerly: Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 11(1), 26-32. Web.
Costello, M. J., Sousa, S., Ropp, C., & Rush, B. (2020). How to measure addiction recovery? Incorporating perspectives of individuals with lived experience. International Journal of Mental health and addiction, 18, 599–612. Web.
Nutt, D. J., & Nestor, L. J. (2018). Addiction. Oxford University Press.
Volkow, N. D., & Boyle, M. (2018). Neuroscience of addiction: relevance to prevention and treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(8), 729-740. Web.
Wakeman, S. E., & Rich, J. D. (2018). Barriers to medications for addiction treatment: How stigma kills. Substance use & misuse, 53(2), 330-333. Web.
Yerby, N. (2021). Addiction Statistics – Facts on Drug and Alcohol Addiction. AddictionCenter. Web.