Chemical Dependency

Question 1

Are we able to ascertain accurate and complete information on the percentage of people who use drugs and those who don’t?

Answer 1

No, it’s not easy.

Hard to get accurate numbers on drug users, how much of an illicit drug is imported/sold, and usage of legal drugs.

Question 2

What is drug dependence?

Answer 2

A vicious cycle in which drug-taking behaviour fosters more drug-taking behaviour, in a spiraling pattern that can be extremely difficult to break.

Question 3

What is drug abuse?

Answer 3

Substance use in a manner, an amount, or in situations such that it causes social, occupational, psychological, or physical problems.

Question 4

What is a drug?

Answer 4

Any substance, natural or artificial, other than food, that by its chemical nature, alters the structure or function in a living organism.

Question 5

What drugs are kids getting into?

Answer 5

Alcohol was number one, then caffeinated energy drinks, and now cannabis.

Question 6

What are the gender differences in drug use?

Answer 6

Men use more drugs than women.

Question 7

What is a “gateway drug”?

Answer 7

A “minor” drug that may lead to the use of more serious drugs, such as tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol.

Question 8

What is tolerance?

Answer 8

Needing more of the substance (increased dose) in order to get the same amount of “high”.

Question 9

What is withdrawal?

Answer 9

Symptoms that occur when an individual no longer takes the drug.

Question 10

How have drug laws evolved over time?

Answer 10

Changed from a laissez-faire attitude in the 1800's to one of tight drug restrictions. 
3 main concerns:
- Toxicity
- Dependence
- Crime

Question 11

What are the stages of change?

Answer 11

1) Pre-contemplation
2) Contemplation
3) Preparation
4) Action/commitment
5) Maintenance

Question 12

What is the pre-contemplation stage?

Answer 12

Not aware of the problem.

No interest in change.

Question 13

What is the contemplation stage?

Answer 13

Weighing the pros/cons of changing the behaviour.

Question 14

What is the preparation stage?

Answer 14

Leaning towards taking action.

Action may have been attempted.

Question 15

What is the action/commitment stage?

Answer 15

Taking action and setting required goals.

Question 16

What is the maintenance stage?

Answer 16

Using behaviour changes & activities for as long as several years after action stage.

Question 17

What is the DSM 5?

Answer 17

Criteria for substance use disorder:

• Taking substance in larger amounts for longer than you should.
• Spending lots of time getting, using, or recovering from substance use.
• Craving and urges.
• Not managing to do what you should at work, home, or shcool.
• Continuing to use even when causing problems in relationships.

Question 18

What is addiction?

Answer 18

• Engaging in behaviour to achieve appetitive effects
• Preoccupation with the behaviour
• Temporary satisfaction
• Loss of control
• Suffering negative consequences

Question 19

How did Carl Jung define alcoholism?

Answer 19

Alcoholism is something evil.
One of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, wrote a letter to Carl Jung, thanking him for helping spark the fire that was to become AA.
Only chance to recover from alcoholism was a “spiritual or religious experience”.

Question 20

What are self-help groups?

Answer 20

Developed in response to hostility to healthcare that undermines the individual and lacks sensitivity.
Going to the group helps make people feel less marginalized.

Question 21

What are the 12 steps?

Answer 21

1) Admit that we’re powerless
2) Believe a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity
3) Make a decision to turn our will & lives over to the care of God.
4) Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
5) Admit to God, ourselves, and others, of our wrongdoings
6) Ready to have God remove all these defects of character
7) Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings
8) Make a list of all the persons we’ve harmed and become willing to make amends with them
9) Make direct amends
10) Continue to take personal inventory
11) Seek prayer and meditation to improve contact with God
12) Spiritual awakening - carry the message to other alcoholics, and practice these principles

Question 22

How does AA define the characteristics of an alcoholic?

Answer 22

• Physical dependence is key
• Progressive disease
• Incurable
• Mental obsession/compulsion

Question 23

What are the 5 major models of the causes of substance-use disorders?

Answer 23

• Moral
• American disease
• Biological
• Social learning
• Sociocultural

Question 24

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 24

Combines the disciplines of biological/psychological/social/environmental into one perspective.

Question 25

What is a stepped care approach?

Answer 25

Treatment should be least intrusive.
Need to consider the physical effects on the clients and the client’s lifestyle and resources.
Intensive treatments should be reserved for more severe problems.

Question 26

What is Antabuse?

Answer 26

Disulfiram.
Interferes with the metabolism of alcohol.
A common drug used to treat alcohol dependence. However, research has shown that it’s fallen short of being the answer to alcohol treatment.

Question 27

What are the 3 A’s in assessing treatment centers?

Answer 27

Acceptability (do people like it?)
Availability (is it nearby/around?)
Accessibility (can you get to it?)

Question 28

What is harm reduction treatment?

Answer 28

Clients have individual agency.
Clients determine the goal and direction of treatment.
Reduce the problems caused by drug use.

Question 29

What is the psychoanalytic theory of addiction?

Answer 29

Addictive behaviour is the manifestation of unconscious conflicts or tendencies of which the individual is unaware.
Drug use is a defense mechanism for some repressed unconscious conflict.

Question 30

How do the social determinants of health affect addiction?

Answer 30

Addictive behaviour is a function of cultural and situational determinants (outside of the individual).

Question 31

What are the success rates in addictions treatment?

Answer 31

20-30%.

Anything higher than that is wrong.

Question 32

What is an addictive personality?

Answer 32

A model that says that addictive behaviour results from a specific personality profile.
No evidence for this.

Question 33

What is a professional assessment?

Answer 33

The first step towards professional help.

A good assessment -> Good treatment.

Question 34

What does it mean if a person is using drugs instrumentally?

Answer 34

Referring to the motivation of taking a drug for a specific purpose other than recreational use.
i.e. Recovering from illness.

Question 35

What does it mean if a person is using drugs recreationally?

Answer 35

Referring to the motivation of taking the drug only to get ‘high” or achieve some pleasurable effect.

Question 36

What are risk factors?

Answer 36

Factors in an individual’s life that increases the likelihood of involvement with drugs.

Question 37

What are protective factors?

Answer 37

Factors in an individual’s life that decrease the likelihood o involvement with drugs and reduce the impact that any risk factor might have.

Question 38

What is the CADMUS?

Answer 38

The Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey.

Provides an understanding of drug use patterns and related problems that exist.

Question 39

How does drug dependency affect family?

Answer 39

Reinforces destructive “coping skills” and undermines self-worth, destroying social supports.