Overview of Substance Abuse among Healthcare Providers - Essay Example

Introduction Most of the professionals who are involved in any kind of healthcare services like doctors, nurses, therapists and anesthetists are vulnerable to abuse of drugs. These individuals need attention for themselves. This phenomenon may harm their patients as well. A large number of medical professionals are there who impart a negative influence on the people who they treat because they are dependent on alcohol or drugs. During the course of their career, these individuals work with these kinds of drugs and get dependent on them.

Subsequently it leads to physical or mental illness of the professionals. A nurse who generally acts as a care giver to the patient during the span of treatment are often suspected with these kinds of ailments (Trinkoff and Storr, 1998). In such cases the person would be sent for immediate treatment and would be made to stay away from the patients because the drug might cause harm to the latter. Discussion Several aspects of the abuse of prohibitive substance and drugs may crop up while discussing the issue.

A lot of people who are in this trade have to deal with chemicals and drugs all the time. But all of them may not be the victim of drug abuse. This attacks only some people. However, it is very difficult to detect at a very early stage of their career that who will be addicted and have such dire consequences on their health. There are various ways in which the marginal use of the drugs gets transformed into a high level of consumption leading to addiction. Often the younger students in the medical profession get pressurized by their peers and start consuming more of alcohol due to mere curiosity.

The simple experimentation with the drugs can lead to life taking results. In most of the social gatherings people tend to indulge in alcoholic drinks. They might not have a sense of self control which may result in too much consumption of the products and finally obsession. It creates a very obnoxious environment for the people around and also for the individual himself. An individual may be claimed to be abusing drugs and alcohol when the person becomes dependent on the drug and would feel restless without its consumption.

It would hamper his physical and mental state. The ingestion of drug at times when the circumstances are not conducive would lead to drug abuse (McBeth and Ankel, 2006). The professionals in a healthcare service who are involved in such activities take the drugs while they are interacting with their patients, treating them, undertaking surgeries or are dealing with pathological tests. They have better access to the drugs from the pharmacy since they are into this profession and they get the medicines without showing a proper prescription.

The excessive use of the drug can damage their internal organs and can engulf their entire life. The professionals can also become dependent on a particular drug. There may be several symptoms of this issue. The person might not be able to go to his place of work or college. He would be tempted all the time to use the drugs and even under circumstances where there would be risks of death. The person may face problem with his near and dear ones and he might be feeling guilty from inside but he would not be able to give it up.

The person may become both physically and psychologically dependent on the