Drug Abuse Treatment - Term Paper Example

Introduction Drug or substance abuse refers to the consumption of such chemical substances, which can cause greater risk of issues and it makes the consumer of the drug or substance incapable to control the consumption of the substance or drug.  The reason behind why getting one’s life dependent on a particular drug, substance or alcohol is extremely harmful dangerous among the older people is because the consumption of drugs or alcohol can have an extremely adverse impact on the mental and physical health of the older people in comparison with the younger ones. According to Hasin & Grant (1997), the impact which consumption of drugs or alcohol can have on the mental and physical well being of a person, especially the older one includes mental problems, liver and kidney diseases, and wounds from falls. Dependence on drugs or alcohol in the older people also takes place even if they have never had an addiction problem before. The Impact of Drugs If used appropriately, drugs and other chemical substances can be very helpful for one’s mental and physical well being. For instance, if consumed moderately, alcohol possess the substance which may provide cardiac benefits, moreover, it can also be used for the purpose of providing mental and physical relaxation and also for the purpose of diminishing nervousness. The issue in this regard is that the abuse of drugs and medications, whether illegal and legal, including tobacco and alcohol, has become an extensively grave issue in the older population (Hubbard & Racholl, 1989). Many older ones consume various kinds of medications on daily basis, however, by consuming these drugs, they can cause harm to their mental and physical health, and for instance, when consumed with alcohol, drugs can cause some severe health issues. Often it happens that the older ones consider the adverse impacts of drugs abuse as usual symptoms of aging, which in actual are not.  There are various kinds of drugs, which require the body to consume higher doses of that particular drug for the [purpose of realizing the original effect of that particular drug, and once the effect of such drugs are vanished then the consumer may feel withdrawal symptoms. This drug phenomenon is known as drug tolerance, which indicates that the drug forces your body to experience change in these ways. There are some kinds of drugs, which if consumed even in small doses, can generate a hazardous desire for more. Moreover, often it happens that a drug when prescribed, initially was a beneficial drug, but becomes a dangerous drug when consumed with other drugs or even when a person experience change in his health. Several clinical and medical research works have been done on the consequence of drug addiction and substance abuse for the aging population. The complications that primarily occur in this regard are muscle ache, cognitive impairment, frailty etc. They contribute towards adverse interactions for substance abuse and brain damage. Reason for Drug Use in Elderly People The three key reasons behind drug abuse are cultural, economical and emotional. The first among the three reasons is culture; the Baby boomers grew up in a period when one used to have a relatively easy access to illegal drugs. Moreover, the use of such illegal drugs also used to have a certain attraction. The second reason is economic; as recession and its aftermath has increased over the time, hence this have added to their anxiety and worries regarding retirement savings and job safety, and consequently this also led to the utilization of illegal drugs by the baby boomers. And the third reason is emotional, grief and loss issues like death of a close family member or end of one’s career can cause the aging boomers to utilize the illegal drugs so that they can cope with their grief and loss issues (Sobell & Ward, 2013). Almost all the boomers who consume the illegal drugs used to have consume similar kind of substance during their youth, and almost all of these boomers have been consuming the substance on regular basis since they used to be between their 20s and 30s (Hasin & Grant, 1997). Many of the older baby boomers who enabled themselves to function for many years even after consuming heavy amount of the illegal drugs may now be required severe treatment. And the reason behind why they would require such severe treatment is that as their bodies are turning old, so their bodies are now not in the position to stand the symptoms of the drugs which it incurred on them physically and mentally as well. The major reason behind why the consumption of the illegal drugs is common in aged people is because they can experience the impact of long-term drug abuse, right from the point when they consume them, which can be extremely hazardous for their mental and physical wellbeing. Moreover, the effects of the consumption of the illegal drugs on their mental and physical health includes, memory, mood, sleep disorders, pain and as well as cardiovascular and respiratory issues. Identifying the Core Users Among the old age drug addicts, abuse of alcohol or other drugs is certainly one of the most common sources of physical and mental health deterioration, specifically in old age men. Since the last few decades, use of drug has been relatively higher in older people rather than in the young generation. Other substance abuse includes marijuana, narcotics, heroine etc. These are inappropriate for old age users and can certainly have a detrimental impact on their health. In the USA, almost two out of five old adults use painkillers on a regular basis. Almost one in five take drugs that can have a serious impact on their central nervous system. More than 15% are used to taking benzodiazepines and women are the most likely users of consuming this drug compared to men (Sobell & Ward, 2013). Research has shown that several old adults in the United States are used to drug and alcohol abuse. More specifically, men are habitual consumers of drug and alcohol when compared to women. For this reason, drug and alcohol abuse has become a serious issue in the aging population of USA. The usage of drugs and alcohol has been higher in the retiring communities rather than people that are still employed.  The Contribution of Social Workers Social workers can perform a decisive function in this regard by countering the consumption of illegal drug use among the older adults (Skinner, 1982). However, the social workers must accept the fact that there are some older adults who really consume the illegal drugs. They must also be willing to ask about it from them. The reason behind why the Social workers possess a different viewpoint on the consumption of illegal drugs by the older adults is because the social workers are in the field where they work with such individuals. In addition, this puts the social workers in a commanding position to instruct the older adults, their caregivers and their supporters as well, regarding the dedicated services in the community and homemade settings. Moreover, the Social workers can also facilitate various professionals in identifying the fact that the older adults who consume the illegal drugs belong to a diverse group and thus they require diverse services. Conclusion Even though the consumption of illegal drugs can have an extremely adverse impact on the mental and physical health of older adults, however, it is still not so easy to identify that whether the person has been consuming drug or not. It is more difficult in case of the older aged users that whether they have been consuming the illegal drugs or not. One can come across various symptoms of drugs abuse through which one can identify that an older adult is consuming the illegal drugs, and such symptoms are as follows, memory loss, nervousness, annoyance, incontinence, bewilderment. Moreover, it becomes much more difficult to identify that the functioning of the older adults has been impaired by the consumption of the illegal drugs when they do not really stay in touch with the society after their retirement or when their children starts to live separately. An important challenge in this regard is that there are various kinds of measuring tools, which have been designed for diagnosing the consumption of illegal drugs by the younger people, and these measuring tools do not really consider the different experiences of the older adults. References Hasin, D., & Grant, B. F. (1997). The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS): reliability of alcohol and drug modules in a clinical sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 44(2), 133-141. Hubbard, L., & Racholl, V. (1989). Drug Abuse Treatment. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. Sobell, L. C., & Ward, E. (2013). Evaluating Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Effectiveness: Recent advances. New York: Elsevier. Skinner, H. A. (1982). The drug abuse screening test. Addictive Behaviors, 7(4), 363-371.. Read More