Assignment: Substance Abuse Discussion

Assignment: Substance Abuse Discussion
Assignment: Substance Abuse Discussion
Instructions:
1. Please respond to one (1) of the following discussion prompts below:
a. Select a research nursing article that addresses the effects of substance abuse on the individual, the family, or the community. Post a brief summary of the article.
b. Choose one commonly abused substance and present a summary of the prevalence of the problem and the local resources for individuals, families or the community
Complete answer(s) to prompt(s) using standard English grammar and spelling; APA format, double space, at least 200-250 words; length of post complies with directions; and references are cited as per directions.
Drug abuse, according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-4), is defined as “a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically substantial impairment or distress.”
The effects of drug misuse vary depending on the type of drug, any other substances in use, and a person’s medical history.
We will cover the effects of drug misuse and how to treat drug addiction in this article.
Effects in the short term
A person in recovery from drug misuse may benefit from group therapy.
Chemical molecules that impact the mind and body are known as drugs.
The specific effects differ from person to person and are also dependent on the medicine, dose, and route of administration.
Any medicine, even when used in moderation or as directed by a physician, might have short-term consequences.
One or two servings of alcohol, for example, can cause mild drunkenness.
A person may feel unconstrained, relaxed, or drowsy.
Cigarettes and other tobacco products include nicotine, which boosts blood pressure and increases alertness.
While following a doctor’s instructions for using a prescription opioid can help relieve moderate-to-severe pain, opioids can also cause sleepiness, shallow breathing, and constipation.
Other short-term repercussions of abusing a substance or misusing a prescription medication include:
alterations in appetite
Insomnia or sleeplessness
a faster heartbeat
speech that is slurred
alterations in cognitive abilities
a feeling of euphoria that lasts for a short period of time
Coordination problems
Beyond physical health, drug misuse can have a negative impact on a person’s life.
People who have a substance use disorder, for example, may have the following symptoms:
the inability to stop using a medicine
difficulties in relationships
bad performance at employment or in school
Personal hygiene is difficult to maintain
severe weight loss, for example, might cause obvious changes in appearance.
Impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors have grown.
Loss of enthusiasm for previously pleasurable activities
Long-term consequences
Drug usage, especially over a lengthy period of time, can have a variety of long-term health consequences.
Use of drugs on a long-term basis
Trusted Source may change the structure and function of a person’s brain, resulting in long-term psychological repercussions like:
depression
anxiety
panic attacks
a rise in aggression
paranoia
hallucinations
Memory, learning, and focus can all be harmed by long-term drug use.
Substance use has different long-term bodily impacts depending on the type of drug and how long it is used.
Experts, on the other hand, have connected prolonged drug use to the following health problems:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a condition that affect
Cocaine and methamphetamines are stimulants that can harm the heart and blood vessels.
Long-term usage of these medications can result in coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, and a heart attack.
issues with the lungs
Smoking or inhaling drugs can harm the respiratory system, resulting in persistent respiratory infections and illnesses.
By attaching to certain receptors in the central nervous system that regulate respiration, opioids restrict a person’s breathing.
These medicines can cause sluggish breathing or excessive snoring by depressing a person’s respiratory.
If you take a significant amount of an opioid or combine it with other medicines like sleep aids or alcohol, you could stop breathing completely.
Damage to the kidneys
Excess minerals and waste materials are removed from the blood by the kidneys.
Kidney damage or failure can be caused by heroin, ketamine, and synthetic cannabinoids.
Hepatitis is a disease of the liver.
Chronic drug and alcohol abuse can harm liver cells, causing inflammation, scarring, and even death.
Overdose
An overdose can occur when a person takes too much of a drug or many drugs at the same time.
Drug overdose claimed the lives of 67,367 people in the United States in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Opioids were responsible for roughly 70% of these deaths.
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Misuse, abuse, and addiction are all forms of misuse.
Although no universal definition exists, many experts feel that substance misuse occurs when it begins to harm or obstruct areas of a person’s daily life, such as job or parenting.
Drug misuse is defined as the “intended therapeutic use of a drug product in an inappropriate way,” according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source.
Prescription medications are among the most regularly mishandled drugs in the United States.
Overdoses caused by opioids have risen in the last decade.
Prescription opioid usage accounted for 32 percent of all opioid overdose deaths in 2018, according to the CDC.
Addiction can develop as a result of drug overuse or misuse.
When a person no longer feels in control of their need to use a substance and becomes dependent on it, it is called substance use disorder.
Assignment: Substance Abuse Discussion
It’s crucial to remember that not everyone who abuses or misuses a drug develops a substance use disorder.