Chapter 8 - Addictions Flashcards
Addictions
psychological and/or physiological need for a drug to maintain a sense of well-being and avoid withdrawal symptoms
Abuse
excessive or inappropriate use of a drug that results in some form of physical, mental, or social impairment
Perceptions about Use
about the consequences of drug use can diverge, eg. cannabis vs alcohol.
Alcohol Use
70% of youth age 15–24 and 80% of adults age 25+ reported consuming alcohol in 2012, making it the leading psychoactive substance used by Canadians by a wide margin
An estimated 3.2% of the Cdn pop age 15 + abused or were dependent on alcohol in 2012
substantially higher for men (4.7%) than for women (1.7%)
Tabaco Use
toxic, dependency-producing psychoactive drug “more addictive than heroin”; a stimulant
use has declined since 2000
~ 23% men, 17% women 15+ smoked in 2011 (StatsCan 2012 cited in Kendall, 165)
Consequences: kills 37,000 people/year = 5 x the number of deaths from car accidents, murder, suicides, and alcohol abuse combined (Health Canada 2009, cited in Kendall, 165)
Marijuana Use
Marijuana is the most extensively used illicit drug in Canada.
Bill C-45 (April 2017) will create a new Cannabis Control Act that will legalize and regulate cannabis for adult useMajor health risks: (CAMH 2015; Cdn Centre on Substance Use and Addiction 2017)
Motor vehicle accidents: 4-12% of motor vehicle deaths or injuries occurred under the influence of cannabis.
Cannabis abuse or dependence was estimated to affect 380,000 Canadians; 1.3% of Canadian adults aged 15 + could be considered to be dependent on or to misuse cannabis in 2012.
research findings now available on cannabis and cognitive functioning including psychosis, maternal use during pregnancy, driving, respiratory effects including lung cancer, as well as effects on some medical conditions
Medical Use Marijuana
Individuals must receive a prescription from a medical practitioner to be able to use marijuana for medical purposes.
quantities, period of time, form of product, and source is controlled (and continues to change in response to court cases)
129,876 patients are registered with licensed producers of medical marijuana (cited in Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 2017)
It has not undergone clinical testing, so doctors don’t have sufficient info about indications, dosage, strains, contraindications, adverse reactions, or interactions with other meds or medical conditions
“The body of evidence is not currently at the level deemed acceptable to Canada’s medical colleges.” (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, 2017, p. 6)
Illegal Use and Abuse
Misuse or recreational use = use by people other than those to whom the medication is prescribed or use in a manner or for a purpose contrary to what is intended
Borrowing or stealing medications, deliberately using higher-than-recommended doses, hoarding medications, tampering, altering the route of delivery, using opioids together with alcohol or other medications, “double doctoring”, prescription fraud and forgery, theft, street drug markets
The Fentanyl Crisis
an opioid, prescription-grade fentanyl is up to 100 times more toxic than morphine
may be absorbed through the skin, or inhaled when airborne
illegal to import without a licence or permit, but online suppliers conceal the drugs and ship in packages under the 30-gram threshold
anyone can buy and sell fentanyl; 1 kg sells on the street for $20-million
Public Health Agency of Canada report = at least 2,458 Canadians died from apparent opioid-related overdoses in 2016
Solutions to Addictions
National Anti-Drug Strategy (launched in 2007)
primary, secondary, tertiary prevention for different groups of users
treatment and rehabilitation reflects the medicalization of addiction for which individuals have to take responsibility
neglect of social factors and root causes, eg. poverty, exclusion, abuse, government revenues from alcohol sales, international drug trade
private trouble or public issue?
Functionalism
legal use of drugs is functional in societies
abuse was kept in check by traditional mechanisms of social control
now law enforcement is the mechanism of regulation, enforcement, criminalization
Conflict Theory
illicit drug users are economically disempowered, and the drug trade is controlled by the economically powerful
it serves corporate interests, eg. alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, gaming industries big profits
Interactionsim
addiction is learned behaviour
reinforced through social interaction with people who use or abuse drugs
drug sub-cultures
Feminism
different reasons for drug use among men and women
women’s vulnerability, disadvantage, abuse
they are more likely to use legal drugs
increases risk of drug abuse for this class of drug
Drug
any substance other than food or water that, when taken into the body, alters its functioning in some way
Recreational Drug use
occurs when a person takes a drug for no other purpose than achieving some pleasurable felling or psychological state
Alcohol and Tabacco
Licit drugs that are used for recreational purposes
Illicit Drugs
heroin or cocaine
are socially defined as deviant and therefore a social problem
Drug Abuse
the excessive or inappropriate use of a drug that results in some form of physical, mental, or social impairment
Objective Component
the physical, psychological, or social evidence that harm has been done to individuals, families, communities, or the entire society by the use of the drug.
Subjective Component
the belief that marijuana is harmful
the subjective belief about alcohol is that is it harmless
Drug Addiction
refers to a psychological and physiological need for a drug to maintain a sense of well being and avoid withdrawal symptoms
Tolerance
occurs when larger doses of a drug are required over time to produce the same physical or psychological effect that was originally achieved by a smaller dose
it is a matter of degree
Withdrawal
refers to a variety of physical and/or psychological symptoms that habitutat drug users experience when they discontinue drug use
Drug Abuse
Is the excessive or inappropriate use of a drug that results in some form of physical, mental, or social impairment
Objective componenet
Physical, psychological, or social evidence that harm has been done to individuals, families, communities or the entire society by the use of a drug.
Subjective Componenet
The perception of consequences overrides the objective component
Ex. Consider our society’s objective or subjective components underlying our society’s view of the use of marijuana
Subjective is the belief that marijuana is detrimental to health
Subjective component of alcohol is that it is generally acceptable
Drug addiction
Refers to a psychological and or physiological need for a drug to maintain a sense of well being and avoid withdrawal symptoms
Tolerance
Occurs when larger does of a drug are required over time to produce the same physiological effect that was originally achieved by a mallet dose
Withdrawal
Refers to a variety of physical and or psychological symptoms that habitual drug users experience when they discontinue drug use
Alcohol use and Abuse
Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey (CADUMS)
National Poulation Health Survey (NPHS) - in depth interviewing of 17000 Canadians
Alcohol is considered a dominance part of our culture
Beer 3-6 percent
Distilled spirits -40% (80 proof) 50% (100 proof)
Alcohol is a depressant
Heavy drinkers
Are more frequent drinkers who typically consume greater quantities of alcohol when they drink and are more likely to become intoxicated
Acute Alcoholics
Have trouble controlling their use of alcohol and plan their schedule around drinking
Chronic Alcoholics
Have lost control over their drinking and tend to engage in compulsive behaviour such as hiding liquor bottles
High alcohol consumption
90% of Canadians have drank alcohol
Binge Drinking 5+ drinks in one sitting
Low risk drinking - no more than 10 drinks for women, 2 drinks a day
Men 15 drinks a week,3 drinks a day
These are not arbitrary but standard in relation to liver disease
A higher rate of men in the acute and chronic alcohol catagory
Cardiovascular Prolems
Such as inflammation and enlargement of the heart muscle, poor blood circulation, reduced heart contractions, fatty accumulation in the heart and arteries, high blood pressure and cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke
Alcohol Cirrhosis
Chronic alcohol contributes to irreversible changes in the liver a progressive development of scar tissue in the liver tat chokes off blood vessels and destroys liver cells by interfering with their use of oxygen
Canadian Addiction Study (2004)
CADMUS did not survey harms done by ones own or others drinking. The researchers surveyed harms done only for drug taking behaviour
Likely safe to assume that much harm was committed as a resul of problem drinking
