Issue of Substance Addiction - Research Paper Example

Substance Addiction Substance Addiction In the field of psychology, there is a range of disorders that comprise the day-to-day lives of individuals. One of the most common of these disorders is substance addiction. This is the type that a person becomes a habitual user of a certain or certain substance in an effort to satisfy their physical or emotional needs. Substance addiction is most common in individuals that engage into activities with fellow peers and thus the behavioral characteristics in the particular group develop instantaneously. Psychologists have deeply employed their science in an effort to understand the issue and the results have been outstanding. In the optimal review of substance addiction, various aspects of knowledge come in as of primal importance. The most important factor to identify is the symptoms that are associated with substance addiction. In the contemporary world, people abuse many substances. The two main substances abused are alcohol and drugs. These two substances have very similar characteristics in terms of symptoms and thus the resolution of the issue tends to rhyme. Focusing on alcohol first, the symptoms of addiction are the continuous consumption of the substance even when the person has reached the optimal personal level. The personal level gains recognition when a person loses control of his mental state and begins behaving irrationally in a manner that affects the comfort of other people (Rapaka, 2011, 219). Paying attention to the substance addiction in relation to drugs, the symptoms in this category vary due to the vast number of drugs circulating the society. However, some symptoms gain attribute from all the drugs at large. The most common of the symptoms is the urge to take the substance as often as possible. The frequency may range depending on the level of addiction and this may in terms of daily doses or even several times in a day. Another addiction symptom is that the person may find it hard to fail in the attempts of reducing the usage of the drugs. The person may also get to a mental state that drives him to look for ways to maintain a steady supply of the drugs despite the financial incapability he may be facing. Many causes and theories draw attention to the issue of substance addiction. In terms of addiction to alcohol, one of the theories is the genetic theory. This theory tends to prove that the addiction characteristics observed in some of the alcoholics comes from inheriting it from the parents. Many psychologists do not agree to this theory and state that it is biased as not all parents of alcoholics were or are alcoholics. However, to some extent, for children who are born by alcoholics, the likelihood of addiction is much greater and hence the theory is admissible to some extent (Miller, 2010, 115). In terms of the abuse of drugs as a substance of addiction, there are more theories that support this. The first theory is the exposure theory. This is the theory that explains the causative of addiction to drugs is the environment and the association that the person has. In the clarification of this, the person tends to observe the characteristics that various people have and for example drug peddlers may be along the route that a person uses when headed somewhere. It is most likely that the peddler may advocate the drugs to the person and subsequently and despite the deep moral characteristics, a person may give in. Another theory that explains the cause of substance addiction is the Adaptation theory. This theory states that for a person living in an environment or associating with people of immoral behavior, the likelihood of abusing drugs is very high. The person may begin to use the drugs in an effort to adapt to the environment and in the long run end up abusing it. This is one of the major causatives of addiction in major towns in contemporary times. It is important to note that the American Psychologists Association takes this as the best theory in explaining the cause of substance addiction. Substance addiction is a psychological disorder easily resolved through various ways. One of the best ways to resolve substance addiction is by the use of rehabilitation centers. These are centers well equipped with both the material and human resources to ensure that the person who walks into the center comes out fully reformed (Rapaka, 2011, 231). The process of rehabilitation involves the prescription of various pills by the practitioners in the centers and this assists very much in that the pills are health friendly and serve to reduce the amount of tension observed in most of the withdrawing addicts. There is also therapy that may involve group or individual therapy where a certified practitioner reviews the causes and the effects of the substance in an effort to curb the need for the drugs. Statistics show that as of now 45% of people aged above 18years has alcohol as one of their daily routines. Further precise statistics show that around 14 million Americans have proceeded to a point where they can receive the term addicts. In terms of drug abuse as an aspect of substance addiction, it is stated that around 21 million Americans abuse a certain type of drug per month. This analysis leads to a general average of around 18million Americans at a point in their life are addicted to a particular substance (Shani, 2009, 143). With the current trend in substance addiction, it is estimated that the number of people abusing drugs is bound to increase. The approximate number of people to suffer from this disorder is around 55% of the total population in the next five years. This is very important in the determination of ways and means to curb this behavior. Most of the speculated addicts are male and this is from previous studies that show the male sex having a high affinity to the substance. The reason as to why most males will become addicts is due to the high amount of societal notion regarding the sex. Males have the description of people with low social value and respect as compared to women. As much as the fact may get considerable criticism from men, the statistics and the reasons go further to prove it. One of the factors that may affect the severity of the disorder is the amount of personal effort applied towards resistance. Personal effort is the most appealing portrayal of effort and means through which the substance addiction can be controlled. Many are times that people find it hard to avoid the addiction to these substances but the environmental conditions and peer pressure do not support. It is up to self-control to take up the task of resistance. Another factor is the support of friends and family. For users who are not yet addicts, it is possible for the full recovery from the usage, however, when family and friends neglect them, the rate of substance addiction increases in society (Floyd, 2010, 106). Very many treatment options can be suggested for people with the disorder. As stated before, the use of rehabilitation centers is one very common one as the person has no exposure to the substance but rather has the support of a very caring team. Another treatment for substance addiction is by the use of psychotherapy. This is the best manner in which the co-morbid factors of depression and anxiety are resolved. When a person attends psychotherapy, an evaluation of the condition in which the person lives and the concepts that the drugs bring and affect the friends and family assist in the resolution of the problem. Another advisable treatment for substance addiction is by controlling. Many psychologists do not advocate for this method as they claim it is easy for a person to slip back to addiction. However, the control of the amount of substance that the person takes can lead personal usage of the substance controllably. After a person has the ability to control the amount of drugs that he consumes, it is then much easier to go a step further and quite the usage as a whole (Lowinson, 2008, 71). Home treatment comes in as one of the most successful means of treating the condition. The attribute to this goes to the fact that many of the addicts come up from getting neglected by family members upon the start of using. However, when the family comes together and decides to assist the victim to quit the abuse of the substance, a milestone of effort is portrayed on the victim’s side. The patient at this point tries his best to please the family members by avoiding the influence of friends that may mislead him or advice him in the wrong manner. Through this, the subsequent result is the sober state of the person. Home treatment of substance addiction comes in handy at the point where the patient may not open up his problems to a psychologist but rather feels safe talking to family members (Floyd, 2010, 113). Substance addiction is one of the well-recognized psychological disorders in society. The effects of this disorder not only affect the patient alone but also the friends and members of the family. Despite the statistics that show likelihood in increase of the disorder in coming years, with support and personal motivation, people can reduce the spread of the disorder and lead very eligible lives. References Floyd, M. (2010). Substance Abuse: A Patient Centered Approach. New York: Cengage Learning. Lowinson, J. (2008). Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers. Miller, G. (2010). Learning the Language of Addiction Counseling. Massachusetts: Taylor & Francis. Rapaka, R. (2011). Drug Addiction: From Basic Research to Therapy. New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press. Shani, E. (2009). Factors and Drug Abuse Statistics. Journal of Substance Use, 14(1), 113- 167 Read More