




Facts
Since the early 1990s, doctors' prescriptions for opioid medications -- such as codeine and morphine -- have greatly increased. That increase can be attributed to an aging population and a greater prevalence of chronic pain. Other drugs in this class include oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), meperidine (Demerol), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and propoxyphene (Darvon). When they're taken as prescribed, opioids and other painkillers manage pain quite effectively. They can improve quality of life for people with chronic pain. In fact, using opioids for the short-term or under a doctor's cautious supervision rarely leads to addiction or dependence. However, when used long-term, opioids may lead to pain medication abuse with physical dependence and/or addiction. Opioids can also be life threatening. When they are taken with substances that depress the central nervous system -- including alcohol, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Valium -- there is a greatly increased risk of respiratory depression, even death. Opioids induce a euphoric feeling that's usually mild. However, opioids such as OxyContin (nicknamed hillbilly heroin) are sometimes inappropriately snorted or injected to increase the euphoric effects. Alcohol's involvement in work-related accidents varies greatly by type of industry, but the proportion of those testing positive for blood alcohol following a work-related accident is considerably lower than for other kinds of injuries, particularly in the United States, since drinking on the job is not a widespread or regular activity. Among work-related fatalities, an estimated 15 percent has been found positive for blood alcohol, and a range of 1 to 16 percent has been estimated for nonfatal injuries, according to Giesbrecht et al. (1989). Drug intervention was designed as a system to confront denial. People with drug addictions believe they do not require help; they often think their behavior is normal. They may think other people are 'out to get them' or they accuse people of lying in order to avoid the reality of their addiction. Getting people to accept that they have a drug addiction is the goal of drug abuse intervention. People with addiction issues don't want to deal with them; they want to continue with the lifestyle that permits them to use the drug. Drug intervention directly tackles the perception people with drug addictions have of their own behavior. Drug intervention provides a forum where important people in the life of the individual who needs help can describe how the addiction affects them. Drug intervention helps speed up the process of acceptance. Sometimes people only accept that they have a drug problem when one final horrifying event occurs. Drug intervention may come on the heels of surviving an overdose, seriously injuring someone else, committing a devastating crime or having become homeless. These are a few examples of the extremes of suffering caused by drug addiction that often occur before people are able to realize that they have a problem. Drug abuse intervention serves to facilitate the realization that there is a problem BEFORE these types of horrifying events occur. To accomplish this, people from various segments of the addict's life are gathered together to make a better impact. Drug intervention teams are usually comprised of family members, caring friends, the family doctor, teachers, spiritual advisors, special work colleagues or anyone else that is deemed to hold an influential and compassionate role in the person's life. It is important to make sure that the intervention is handled with as much compassion and care as possible in order to avoid making it seem like an attack. Telling someone in denial that they have a problem is a delicate issue and it needs to be perceived from people they trust, not people they argue with or have negative feelings toward. The addict must be sober for this event in order to internalize and examine the reality of their behavior. Drug intervention facilitators manage and maintain the interaction between all members of the drug abuse intervention team. While its purpose is to break the pattern of denial, the style of interaction still must remain focused on the addictive behavior patterns. The drug intervention specialist plans the event with the intervention team, scripts what kind of language is appropriate to meet the goal and coaches the team to share information that will help break down the denial pattern. A study prepared by The Lewin Group for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated the total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse to be $245.7 billion for 1992. Of this cost, $97.7 billion* was due to drug abuse. This estimate includes substance abuse treatment and prevention costs as well as other healthcare costs, costs associated with reduced job productivity or lost earnings, and other costs to society such as crime and social welfare. The study also determined that these costs are borne primarily by governments (46 percent), followed by those who abuse drugs and members of their households (44 percent). |
Tolerance
Tolerance to a drug takes place when an individual is exposed to the same drug repeatedly and begins to build up an resistance to the drugs effects. The body then adapts and develops a tolerance for the drug. The addiction that is produced is so powerful that it creates cravings in the user. These cravings for the drug are the result of its impact on the individual's memory with feelings of pleasantness and euphoria which the individual has come to associate with the taking of the drug.
Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment is needed when an individual finds that they have developed a drug or alcohol addiction which they are not able to successful end on their own. With the help of addiction treatment, addicted individual can get help to control their drug taking behavior and live happy and successful lives. There are several addiction treatment options available for drug and alcohol addiction. Some of these options include self-help groups, counseling, drug rehabilitation programs (in and out-patient), and residential treatment facilities. Each of these differ
in their aims and outcomes and elements of these addiction treatment options are often
combined.
Withdrawal
Withdrawal is what happens when a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol discontinues use. There are numerous symptoms that take place both physically and emotionally when an addicted individual stops using. Withdrawal can last a few days to a few weeks and may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Keep in mind; this only occurs if a person has regular, heavy use of a drug or alcohol. Withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable without professional help. Treatment for withdrawal from alcohol or drugs may require a medical professional to be present. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is often the best way to overcome withdrawal and its symptoms as well as recovery from drug addiction.
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is defined as the chronic or habitual use of any chemical substance to alter states of body or mind for other than medically warranted purposes. Drug abuse is a problem which has an effect on people of all income levels,
ages, and stations in life. Quite often the last person to see that there is a
problem is the drug abuser them self. Every year, more and more people become
drug addicts in their pursuit to get "high".
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
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