It is a matter of luck for many that some may drink alcohol and never become addicted. For many it is a matter of a genetic predisposition. Some can simply put down a drink and never have one again without any physical symptoms. Others while not physically addicted can become mentally addicted through habit and the ability to walk away is likened to walking away from a bad habit. When we see individuals, physically addicted or not, drink, we still can determine if one drink is too much or not. One does not need to be addicted to misuse a drug, but for some, when can we truly state it is an addiction?
What separates a fun night out from addictive behavior? Please also review our Addiction Counseling Training Program
Like a computer game, or gambling, drugs can be addictive to our behavior, beyond just the physical addiction. One out of habit needs to drink. Whether its always after work, or to go to a night club, if one cannot abstain from a drink, then it is a sign of some dependency, either physically, mentally, or out of bad habit. For some it takes less time, but those who face greater addictions, it can be a big issue.
Hence defining what is an addiction for one and not the other can be difficult. Many people exist in the state of need but only need in certain situations. This still can pose an issue, even if it is only here and there. It is also an issue, if one is not enough.
The article, “Alcohol Use: When is it an Addiction?” from the South Florida Reporter states,
“The problem starts when we’re unable to control our urge to drink, even if it doesn’t present a threat to our social life, work, or health status. This is where we need to make a clear distinction between alcohol use, abuse, and alcoholism, which are related but not the same issues. Alcohol abuse is a disorder when a person can’t stop drinking even if it causes problems at home or at work. Alcohol abusers are prone to drinking and driving, even if they are aware of the dangers of such behavior.”
While there are so many clear cut definitions of alcohol abuse and addiction, it is sometimes the more subtle ones that tilt between social norm and addiction. To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review our Addiction Counseling Training Program. The online and independent study program and help train professionals to help others face substance abuse and addictive behavior.
A big issue is the lost work hours due to addiction. Many individuals miss work or lose their job due to addiction and drugs. Those who do make it to work end up lagging or lowering productivity. Some may even harm themselves because of the increase of accident.
Addiction and substance abuse can creep into every aspect of one’s life, career included. Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling training program
These issues can create a dangerous or less productive work environment. Employers deal with employees who miss work or arrive late on a consistent basis nationwide. This leads to financial damage to both parties. It is imperative to prevent addiction from harming one’s job or career. Some employers offer addiction counseling services. Others have to seek help on their own.
Others may function with addiction. This in no way means that the addiction is not destroying the qualify of life. High functioning addicts are damaging themselves long term even if the short term damage is not as present.
The article, “The Relationship Between Addiction and Job Problems”from Addiction Center states,
“A person suffering from a substance use disorder is not only affecting their own lives, they are impacting their family, friends, co-workers, and managers. If your drug or alcohol use is affecting your job negatively in any way and you continue to use, you may be suffering from a serious addiction”
Addiction is a serious issue not only to job and career, but also to family, social life and health. If addiction is destroying one’s career and job, it is critical to re-assess one’s life and find the help one needs. Substance Abuse Counselors may be licensed professional counselors or merely trained in the area of substance abuse. They can offer guidance and help. If one is interested in becoming certified in Substance Abuse Counseling, then please review the program and see if it matches one’s professional and academic goals.
Opioids are a rising problem within the United States. Lower income families see their teens receive less help and the recovery they need to overcome the pill epidemic. Many teens become addicted at a younger age and continue down the dangerous path of addiction to these types of drugs.
Teen substance abuse and lack of recovery programs that help are a big issue especially with opioids. Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling Program
The article, “After opioid overdose, poor teens rarely get addiction treatment” by Lisa Rapaport looks at the struggles for teens from these families. She states,
“Less than one third of teens and young adults who overdose on opioids receive addiction treatment afterward, and the few who do get help receive counseling instead of medication to combat substance misuse, a U.S. study suggests”
Substance Abuse continues to be an issue. It may be an issue as old as time, but it can be curbed and it is important that teens receive the help they need to avoid addictions. Recovery and help play key roles into keeping teens from becoming addicted or fatally over dosing.
Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and is open to qualified professionals seeking this certification through online education.
Substance abuse counselors need to have a successful system in place for any program to help the addicted overcome substance abuse. Most systems or plans have four components that are necessary.
Good recovery programs are necessary for individuals. Please also review our Substance Abuse Practitioner Program
The article, “4 KEY COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECOVERY PROGRAM” by Jennifer Thew lists these important aspects. She states,
‘Educating the nurses and physicians on how to utilize the Peer Recovery Specialists’ services as well as teaching them the clinical aspects of substance abuse disorder is another component of the program.”
To read the entire article and identify the four components, please click here
Helping others overcome addiction involves a good program with the necessary components to ensure success. Substance Abuse Practitioners need to understand the best ways to help their patients and clients. Please also review our Substance Abuse Practitioner program
Substance Abuse Recovery is more than just mental toughness and hard work but for many, faith plays a key role in recovering. Faith can help one overcome many obstacles and give someone a constant to hold onto.
Faith can play a key role in substance abuse recovery. Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling Certification program to see if it meets your needs
The article, “Faith: an overlooked tool in substance abuse prevention and recovery” by Brian Grim discusses the role of faith in a tool in overcoming substance abuse. He states,
“One of the most effective tools to prevent and/or recover from addiction is often overlooked—faith. And when it comes to prevention, particularly among youth, faith is a driving force, according to a new report I co-authored with my daughter, Melissa, which was published in the Journal of Religion and Health.”
Good article on how addiction and the brain works. The process of addiction and how it alters the brain is a complex process. Drugs themselves inhibit the ability of neurotransmitters to work properly. It also negatively affects dopamine outputs. Through rehab and new coping strategies these things can be reversed but addiction in the brain is a powerful thing to overcome.
Addiction can alter brain chemistry. Please also review our Substance Abuse Practitioner program
The article, “Addicted Brain: Dopamine and Substance Abuse” by Eric Hamilton states,
“People suffering from addiction are not always eager to go to rehab centers to treat their addiction. They may feel insecure, scared of judgments or just not motivated enough. Naturally, it’s hard to admit that their problem is that serious.”
Substance Abuse is a national crisis. The use of drugs ranging from merely recreational to more mind altering is affecting all ages and destroying families and lives. In the recent year of 2017, 19.7 million Americans ranging from 12 years and older suffered from addiction. Regarding alcohol, of those addicted, 74 percent dealt with misuse, while 38 percent dealt with illicit drug use. In all, 740 billion was spent or lost on the issue. From workplace hours lost, healthcare expenses and criminal related costs, the amount of money, time and effort to curb this type of abuse is staggering. (1)
What causes substance abuse and addiction?
The national crisis continues in both 2018 and 2019 to show similar trends. Whether it is basic addiction with beer and liquor, or through the darker use of heroin, cocaine, or meth, addiction is tearing the fabric of the nation apart. So what is the source of this problem? What is the underlying issues that are tearing apart so many lives? It is important to understand addiction and what causes it to fight the root of this social epidemic.
Addiction
Addiction can be mental or physical. In essence, it is a dependence upon other substances or habits to escape a reality or replace something loss. The dependence can very in extremes. Obviously physical addictions can be the most dangerous. Physical addictions enslave the person to the necessity of a foreign substance to properly function. Mental addictions can also entrap someone into habits that can become very hard to escape. These habits can be substances or also things or functions such as gaming or gambling.
While smoking, drinking and illicit drugs are the most common form of addictions one first thinks of, one must also be aware that addiction can involve other habits, ranging from gaming and gambling to even sex. The addiction is the outlet or inappropriate escape from a reality. Addiction to a substance can itself can be genetic and nearly 40 to 60 percent of Americans can fall prey to this, but many forms of addiction are due to lack of contentment.
All human beings look to find happiness in this life. Some have an easier time and are blessed with family life, love, a home and hobbies, but many are constantly searching for happiness. Happiness is something that can never be complete in temporal reality. So individuals who seek to find happiness in material things only will be greatly disappointed when those things break or are stolen. Others who place their whole stock of happiness in others can also find despair and loss. People break relationships, or even worst, our most loved ones eventually die. So while love is far more noble than possessions, even the happiness afforded from love can be lost in this world.
The lack of a strong spiritual and moral compass is a big problem for despair and while spiritual people tend to cope better, it does not mean spiritual and religious people are immune to drug use and addictive behaviors. Spiritual people can lose faith and suffer break downs.
Ultimately, it is how one copes with loss and despair. How well can one cope will determine how healthy their reactions are to grief and loss. Support and other environmental issues are obviously important in determining how well individuals cope as well. While some individuals may be strong and able to handle adversity, many are not. Bad family life at a young age, trauma, mental issues, and other financial issues limit some to the ability to cope with adversity.
This opens many to the lure of addictions. The need to escape reality and cope through illicit means to smother the pain and the loss. It is because of this that many individuals find themselves in the vicious cycle of addiction. The new illusion of happiness leads them down dark paths that they are unaware of. Instead of killing the pain, the addictions only break the individual further down.
Individuals look for foreign substances to cope against real life issues
Substance abuse is a way individuals look to cope. This unfortunate fact leads to the national crisis now faced. Here are some sobering facts. 4 percent of the adolescent population faces some sort of addiction problem. That is 1 in every 25 teenagers. 3.4 million young adults, aged between 18 and 25 suffer from addiction. That is around 10 percent of the young adult population. 2,5 million are involved with illicit drug use. For ages 26 and older, there were over 13 million cases of substance abuse in 2017. 4.3 million involved illicit drug use. Ages of 65 and older reported around 1 million suffering from substance abuse. (2)
The largest drug abused obviously is alcohol. As a legal drug, anyone over 21 may purchase which leaves it open to almost everyone to encounter with minimal penalties. 14.5 million individuals in 2017 accounted for alcohol related addiction statistics. An estimated 88, 000 people died in 2017 due to alcohol related deaths and the health issues related to drinking are even higher. While drinking may seem to be a normal thing, it is also one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States, ranking third. (3)
In regards to other uses of drugs, marijuana contributed to 4.1 million people. With many states looking to legalize marijuana, the illegal nature of it will no longer be an issue, but like any addiction, whether legal or illegal, it still can have its consequences. Marijuana is a gateway drug to many other dangerous drugs and opens the mind to exploring different forms of ways to cope with stress, trauma and depression. (3)
Experimentation with prescription drugs, in particular pain relievers is on the rise. 1.7 million people misused pain relievers in 2017, leading to multiple stricter laws in the use of them within the medical field. This attempt to curb misuse has led to less effective pain management strategies for individuals who really need the pain relief. The biggest issue is how to balance need against risk of addiction. In addition to prescription pills, 2017 saw 652,00 cases of Heroin use. The deadly reality of Heroin is that 25 percent of its users become physically addicted. Cocaine also saw 966,00 cases of addiction. (4)
Addiction can be found in a multitude of different drugs. Some more dangerous than others. Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling Certification
These figures towards more dangerous and addicting drugs and the emergence of Meth show a big problem in America with regards to substance abuse. If one adds, smoking, vaping, and other addictions ranging from gambling and gaming to sex, one can see a true problem in emerging in how Americans cope with stress, trauma, depression and loss. Counseling is a big first step not only to help individuals cope with addiction and the cause of it, but also preventative counseling in forms of stress, anger, and grief counseling.
Substance Abuse Counseling Certification
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals offers a Substance Abuse Counseling Certification for qualified professionals who seek to help others deal with addiction and properly cope with real life issues. The program is online and independent study. The certification for Substance Abuse Counseling lasts four years and can be renewed.
Licensed counselors and those who have the necessary education and work in addiction facilities are eligible to become certified in Substance Abuse Counseling. If you are interested and would like to help curb this problem in America, then please consider the Substance Abuse Counseling Certification from AIHCP and see if it meets your academic and professional needs.
Pharmacies and pharmacists are not immune to substance abuse. With the access they have and the professional livelihood at risk, it is important for ethical use of their position. Not only with themselves but with how drugs are dispensed.
Pharmacies must have high standards. Please also review our Substance Abuse Counseling Training program and see if it marches your needs
The article, “Substance Abuse Poses Challenges in Pharmacies” by Ned Milenkovich states,
“A state pharmacy board generally does not allow a pharmacist to resume practicing if evidence shows that the individual in question has been involved in substance abuse. ”
Drugs do not only affect one physically but also mentally. One’s overall mental health is affected in various different ways with different types of drugs.
Drugs cause multiple mental health issues beyond the physical. Please also review our Substance Abuse Practitioner Program
The article, “How alcohol and drugs affect your mental health” lists a variety of drugs and how they differently affect one’s mental health. Rob Crossan states,
“Most studies of alcohol’s effect on mental health have focused on the most severe addicts, who had almost completely dropped out of society. However, research revealed in the British Medical Journal in 2017 is genuinely game-changing”
Often, mental illness and drug addiction go hand in hand. This is because when people use drugs, it is typically due to an underlying mental issue, such as depression and anxiety. Also, using drugs can trigger various types of mental disorders. Therefore, it is important to take a comprehensive approach when treating patients in order to determine if they have a mental disorder that needs to be addressed along with their treatment for addiction. The following information will provide a closer look at ways you can help patients who are suffering from both conditions in order to ensure a full and lasting recovery:
Develop an Integrated Treatment Plan
An integrated treatment plan will help to effectively address both the mental illness and the addiction. Examples of helpful methods include starting off with a medical detox when necessary. This will allow the patient to come off of the drugs or alcohol in a safe way. Once this is completed, the patient should be thoroughly evaluated in order to determine a proper diagnosis as well as a proper recovery plan. From here, it can be helpful to provide the patient with various types of therapy, such as one-on-one sessions and group sessions. This will allow them to work through their underlying issues that lead to addiction in the first place and can also give them the opportunity to relate to and empathize with others in a similar situation, which will show them that they are not alone and that they can work through their problems with others, which can help to achieve more meaningful and lasting results. Overall, a dual diagnosis treatment program can allow the patient to focus on healing from both their mental illness as well as their addiction and develop effective coping mechanisms for both issues.
Create an Aftercare Plan
Both mental illness and addiction can be an ongoing issue. Therefore, you will need to ensure that you provide patients with the proper tools they need to succeed beyond just the recovery phase. It can be helpful to encourage patients to continue attending therapy sessions during their transition back into normal life. It can also be beneficial to ensure that the patient is able to build a strong support system and is able to successfully navigate conflict. By building a support system, this will ensure that they have people who are there to help them during difficult times, and learning to effectively navigate conflict will ensure that they don’t become too overwhelmed when things go wrong, which will ensure they are able to fight the temptation to use again.
Overall, dealing with both addiction and mental illness can be a difficult process. There are likely many underlying issues that will need to be addressed and worked through. The aforementioned information makes a great starting point in order to ensure that patients are able to fully recover and go on to live normal healthy lives. Reintegrating back into society can often be difficult. So, it is important that you take the proper steps to ensure that patients are well-prepared to return to independent living and that they have the proper tools and knowledge needed to be successful.
Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Practitioner Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. The program in online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking.
