Addiction Flashcards
What is the deffinition of a drug?
any chemical substance that: has a direct effect on the user’s physical, psychological, and/or intellectual functioning.
What is the definition of drug abuse?
using a drug in ways it was not intended; no longer being responsible or in control of thoughts, feelings or behavior leading to harm to self or others.
How is addiction defined?
Addiction is the compulsive uncontrolled use of habit forming drugs.
Define Addictive behaviors or “Process Addictions”.
Give some examples of adictive behaviors.
Process Addictions are the addiction to certain mood-altering behaviors.
- Gambling, Sexual behaviors, Internet use, Video game behavior, Stealing, Compulsive buying, Eating, Exercising/running
When do most people become addicted to adictive drugs?
Most new cases of drug dependence develop during adolescence.
What are the short term risks associated with weed use?
–Anxiety and panic in new users
–Paranoia and psychosis in high doses
–Impaired motor coordination interfering with driving skills
–Impaired short term memory making learning difficult
What are the longterm risks assocated with weed use?
–Addiction
–Alterations in brain development
–Poor educational outcome and increased likelihood of dropping out
–Cognitive impairment
–Symptoms of chronic bronchitis
–Increased risk of psychosis disorders in those who are predisposed
What diseases can weed treat?
–Glaucoma
–Nausea
–AIDS-associated anorexia and wasting
–Chronic pain
–Inflammation
–Multiple sclerosis
–Epilepsy
Who abuses alcohol the most?
Which populaions are at greatest risk for alcohol dependence?
Is alcohol use assocated with mental illness?
- White adolescents and adults more likely to abuse alcohol than African Americans
- Binge & heavy use drinking lowest among Asian Americans
- Alcohol dependence highest among Native Americans and Hispanics
- 21.3% of those with alcohol abuse or dependence also have at least 1 mental disorder
- e.g. personality, mood, or anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia
What are the 3 C’s of drug abuse?
Control
- Early social/recreational use
- Eventual loss of control
- Cognitive distortions (“denial”)
Compulsion
- Drug-seeking activities
- Continued use despite adverse consequences
Chronicity
- Natural history of multiple relapses preceding stable recovery
- Possible relapse after years of sobriety
What is stage 1 of drug use?
Curiosity, person considers using the drug, but does not try/acquire it.
What is stage 2 of drug use?
Experimentation (learn about drug effect)
Factors that increase the likelyhood the drug will be tried
- Adolescence
- Opportunity and social circumstances
Early experience with drug effect
- Dose/response, person learns how to take the drug and what to do to achieve optimal effect
- Some like it, some don’t
What is stage 3 of drug use?
Frequent use
- User spends more time securing and using the drug
- use is recreational or self-therapeutic (less about experimenting)
- Regular weekend or weekday user
- Use begins to affect function
- Regular weekend or weekday user
What is stage 4 of drug use?
Habitual Use (user becomes preoccupied with drug effect)
- main priority in life is aquiring the drug and using it
- Function is severely affected
- truancy/work absenteeism, failing at family and social relationships, stealing, lying, dealing
- Increasing symptoms of psychopathology
What is stage 5 of drug use?
Chronic or Burnout (drug use is apart of identity)
- Using drugs to feel normal
- Little identity beyond user
- Some organic brain changes and developmental disability
Describe the addition cycle.
DSM-V criteria for drug abuse
- Use of drug in larger amounts and over longer period than intended.
- Persistent desire to reduce use
- **Obtaining **drug becomes main priority in life
- Strong craving for the substance.
- **Affects life at ** work, school or home.
- Priorities drug use over important social, occupational, recreational activities .
- use of drug despite high risk for physical damage
- use despite awareness of physical or psychological problems.
- Tolerance- need for increased amounts to achieve desired effect
- Risk of withdrawal if use is discontinued
What are the 3 levels of drug abuse defined by the DSM-V?
How many criteria are needed to make diagnosis?
- 2-3 (mild)
- 4-5 (moderate)
- 6+ (severe)
How does the medical model treat drug abuse?
How is it viewed?
What are its prefered treatments?
Addiction is a disease of brain manifesting abnormal neurotransmitter function.
- Conforms to disease model: Agent, Vector, Host
- based on the notion that there is a genetic basis for addiciotn
- By keeping the drug from the host they canot use it
treatment
- Use drugs to block the abused drug’s effect
How does the psychological model of drug abuse view addiction?
How does it treat drug addiction?
Drug abusers use drugs to treat underlying psychological problems
- Drug use is a maladaptive psychological coping strategy
- Drug abusers self medicate
Treatment for drug abuse
- Recovery demands that users need to resolve internal conflict
According to the social model what is the cause of drug addiction?
Drug use is learned behavior
- People use because it is modeled by other people
- Peer influence is active in decision to use
Drug abuse is stopped by having pts change their environment and remove those who influence their drug abuse
What is the moral (criminal) model of drug abuse?
- Addicts are weak and can overcome compulsion to use with will power
- They choose to use drugs which are evil
- They are anti-social and merit punishment
What are some common Characteristics of Addicts?
- Unemployment
- Multiple criminal justice contacts
- Difficulty coping with stress or anger
- Tendency to act violently
- Emotional and psychological difficulties
- Family problems and difficulty sustaining long-term relationships
- Educational and vocational deficits
What are the most common risk factors for drug abuse?
- Genetics
- Young Age of Onset
- Childhood Trauma (violent, sexual)
- Learning Disorders (ADD/ADHD)
- Mental Illness
