Chapter 15D (Addiction) Flashcards
3 Elements of Addiction
- Physiological craving
- An intense feeling of need and prolonged desire; yearning for the substance or behavior - Withdrawal symptoms
- Show negative emotional responses / discomfort when attempting to cut down the substance or stop the behaviour - Tolerance
- Increasing amounts of the substance or the frequency of behavior to maintain same level of satisfaction
2 Types of Addiction
- Substance
- Drug (drug addiction)
- Alcohol (alcohol abuse)
- Tobacco (smoking) - Behavioural
- Pathological Gambling
- Compulsive Buying
- Internet Addiction
- Workaholism
4 Reasons for Addictions
- Community
the higher the availability of a substance in the community and higher cultural acceptance of social use of the substance - Family
- persistent family conflicts and problems
- parents’ influence - Peer
- peer pressure - Individual
physical:
- with psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression or anxiety)
mental:
- with poor impulse control or low stress tolerance
- poor problem-solving skills
Personal history / experience
- from disrupted homes or have been abused
- has the initial experience of changing his/her mood with a substance
Impacts on health and social care systems
Health Care System:
- Physical and psychological illnesses – Increase the burden of health care system
Social Care System:
- Behavioural and Social Problems – Increase the burden of social care system
Problems Associated with Addictions
Physical:
- Harmful to body systems (e.g. central nervous system, renal system, respiratory system, digestive system)
- Reduce physical coordination, distort the senses or impair memory, attention and judgment
- Inadequate physical exercises = over-weight / reduce body immunity
Mental:
- Long-term psychological problems or ongoing stressors
- Mental health problems (e.g. anxiety, depression, suicidal feelings and behaviours, insomnia)
Social:
- Predominate over all other social activity, leading to loss of hobbies and interests
- Lead to the breakdown of family relationships and friendships, unemployment, difficulties in work or school, telling lies, debts and criminal activity
Different addiction’s Impacts on Health Care System
Drug addiction:
- develop tuberculosis, kidney and liver problems and other infections including AIDS
- develop mental illnesses like psychosis, depressive illness and anxiety disorders
Alcohol Abuse / Alcoholism:
- lead to cirrhosis, neurological, gastrointestinal, hepatic and cardiovascular complications
- lead to loss of control over one’s behaviour, increased risk of accidents and neurological & respiratory diseases
- damage the nervous system and result in tremor, seizures, memory loss and confusion
Smoking:
- lung cancer
- respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, digestive disorders, oral diseases
Pathological Gambling:
- putting off meals or sleep may induce malnutrition / reduce body immunity
Internet Addiction:
- lack of physical activities increases risk of obesity
- photo-sensitive epilepsy, repetitive strain injuries and peripheral neuropathy due to excessive play
Diffent Addiction’s Impacts on Social Care System
Drug addiction:
- affects the personality of the individual
- may indulge in petty crimes, like stealing, shoplifting, commercial sex or other socially unacceptable behaviors
- gradually drift away from his friends and family members moving in a circle of other addicts
- unemployment
Alcohol Abuse / Alcoholism:
- aggressive behaviours such as spouse abuse and child abuse
- increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and sexual assault because of impaired judgment
Pathological Gambling:
- alienating family and friends
- engage in illegal acts to finance the gambling
- suicidal thoughts and attempts, divorce, alcohol and/or other drug abuse
Internet Addiction:
- Excessive use of the Internet affects daily lives by increasing social alienation,
leading to conflicts between friends and family members, and lack of trust due
to the behaviours to conceal the excessive use
Possible Means and Solutions through (Medication)
- Reducing craving
- replacing one drug (e.g. heroin) with another (e.g. methadone)
- blocking the effect of a certain drug
- causing unpleasant reactions when the addicted drug is used
- improving one’s psychological health
Possible Means and Solutions throgh (Behavioural therapy)
- Building skills to resist addictive activity
- Replacing addictive activity with constructive and rewarding ones
- Improving problem-solving abilities
Possible Means and Solutions through (Treatment provided by health care professionals)
- Clinic
- In-patient Service
- Community Service
- Rehabilitation
Possible Means and Solutions through (Support services provided by social care professionals)
- Counselling
- Talks and Workshops
- Health ambassadors
- Support Network
Aim of Therapy
To facilitate
- interpersonal relationships and
- the individual’s ability to function in the family and community
Rehabilitation services examples
- residential drug treatment and rehabilitation services
- counselling centres for psychotropic substance abusers
- centres for drug counselling
