Archive for the ‘Define Drug Abuse’ Category

To get a better understanding of what addiction evaluation really means, let’s get to know the definition of the two words. Addiction is defined historically as the physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, tobacco, heroin and other drugs, which temporarily alter the chemical conditions of the brain.

It can be viewed as a continued use of a substance despite the negative consequences associated with it. Evaluation on the other hand is defined as the systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something, someone or action using criteria against a set of standards. Addiction Evaluation therefore is the systematic determination of the dependence of an individual on certain substance or activity that temporarily impairs the brain that can eventually bring negative consequences.

There are many types of addiction but drug and alcohol addiction are among the top 10 addictions that people of all gender and ages get addicted to. Drug and alcohol addiction drain the person involved financially and emotionally. Emotional impact is far more damaging because it involves not only the addict but people around them. Relationships are strained due to the difficulty living and interacting with a drug addict or alcohol dependent since they exhibit mood swings and other kinds of behavior that are way beyond normal.

The addicts are beyond their normal thinking that they continue their negative habits without consideration if they are already hurting other people. There are times that they think of their addiction but are powerless on their own to do anything about it.

Addicts manifest significant psychological symptoms that should be given attention. Addiction evaluation plays an important role to determine the success of recovery of an addict. It is worthy to know that drug and alcohol addictions as well as other types of addiction can be treated by personalized programs in treatments centers such as the Big Island Rehab at Hawaii Island Recovery.

There are many tools to screen the addiction of an individual and the three most commonly used Self Reporting Tests are the CAGE, the MAST, and the SASSI.

The CAGE

This is probably the simplest screening tool which is originally used to determine alcohol problems but may be modified to accommodate a range of substance abuse problems. This tool, which is an acronym for four questions and has become a cornerstone in addiction evaluation, was developed by Ewing and Rouse.

C – Have you ever felt the needs to CUT down on your drinking?

A – Have you ever felt ANNOYED by someone criticizing your drinking?

G – Have you ever felt GUILTY about your drinking?

E – Have you ever had to drink in the morning to quiet your nerves or relieve a hangover? (EYEOPENER)

An affirmative response to at least two of these questions will indicate an alcohol problem and can be useful for an expert evaluation of a certified addictions counselor or social worker.

The MAST

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is a 24 item test that can easily be administered in written or oral form. Each question can be scored by , 1, 2, or 5, where  indicates a non-drinking response, 1 and 2 indicate a typical social or moderate drinking response, and 5 indicates an alcoholic drinking characteristic.

An overall score of -4 suggest a no problem alcohol drinker, 5-6 would indicate an alcohol problem, 7-9 reveals an alcoholic, 10-20 manifests a moderate alcoholic, and 20 or more score will categorize a severe alcoholic. The questions, however, were deemed leaning to a determination of alcohol problem that Jacobsen recommended a cut-off score of 12 instead of 7 to considerably yield a lower rate of false positives. The false negative results were still sufficiently high that professionals were prompted to rely more on training and instinct over the resultant scores and formula of the MAST.

The SASSI

The SASSI inventory tool, authored by Glen Miller, is designed to scale the subtle attributes inherent in the substance addict by asking questions seemingly not related to an addiction problem. Kerr, one of the critics of the tool, commends that the test is doing a good job in identifying the chemically dependent persons, and is slightly giving psychometrically sound results in identifying chemically dependent persons.

The above mentioned Self Reporting Tests are useful as a determining factor in addiction evaluation, but it is important that a complete evaluation be taken by a qualified counselor. The first big step towards recovery is an honest conversation between the client and a professional health care.

The client must be willing to cooperate and open up so that a treatment specifically designed to a particular problem may be developed. Each addiction case is different and each case must be determined so that the best course of treatment such as the Hawaii Island Recovery’s Big Island Recovery Rehab can be offered to the client.

Like any program that is geared towards bringing the client to learn new ways of coping, it is the honesty at what the problem is and how insidious it is, that becomes the cornerstone of any successful program. Addiction Evaluation is an honest assessment of the client’s capacity to recognize the problem and becomes the first step of recovery. Client’s cooperation will determine the success or failure of any addiction evaluation.

Since most addicted people are unable to face the negative impacts of substance abuse by themselves, an addiction treatment center is the best place for the addict to get support, assistance and guidance. To start your recovery or a member of your family or a loved one, call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

First, we define drug abuse as a complex disorder characterized by an intense and compulsive craving, taking and seeking for drugs, which eventually lead to significant problems. The complexity of the disease roots from the effect of drug intake which when exposed to the brain for a prolonged time, the addiction itself becomes the disease and this affects multiple brain circuits including those involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior.

Before knowing the effects of drugs, it would be more appropriate to be familiar first with the common drugs used for abuse.  When we define drug abuse, there are actually two drugs involved in this definition – the illegal drugs and the prescription drugs. In addition to the two, even if they are not in the form of drugs, certain substances are also included since they still give the user the euphoric or high feeling if used. A common example of this is the household cleaner.

What are the common drugs used for abuse?

One of the commonly used and abused substances is nicotine which can be found in cigarettes. This is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs and is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death.

Another group of illegal drugs is the cannabinoids and this includes marijuana wherein this drug is the most commonly used illegal drug in the US. The Opiates which includes heroine and codeine are called narcotics and they are known to decrease the functioning of the nervous system.

Another known illegal drug is cocaine and they can be taken through snorting or can also be injected directly in the body if in liquid form. Drugs usually used in clubs are MDMA or more commonly known as ecstasy. Other names of this drug are XTC or the love drug.

Aside from illegal drugs, drug abuse can involve prescription medication. These kinds of prescription medications give the user a high feeling. There are depressants like barbiturates and benzodiazepines to reduce the pain and anxiety felt by the user.

In contrary to depressants, stimulants like amphetamine are used to give the person an increased mental alertness. The amphetamine drug group comes in many forms and may actually be either prescription drugs like Ritalin and Adderall or can actually be in form of illegal ones too like meth. Anabolic steroid, which is usually used by athletes, doesn’t create intoxication effects but is still dangerous to use because of terrible psychological effects like aggression and paranoia.

To fully define drug abuse, now that we know the substances used for drug abuse, its effects on the person physiologically and psychologically shall be discussed. When a person gets involved in drugs, the body part mostly affected is the brain. No matter what drug is used by the person, the substance affects the executive functioning areas of the brain. Because of this, the person’s ability to plan, organize, act out something and the ability to prevent one’s self to do something becomes impaired and this impairment is usually the culprit in making the user aggressive and be involved in crimes.

Since the physiological effect of the drug attacks the brain, it also has a significant psychological effect on the user as well. Regardless of the drug used, a substance abused could result to something devastating. It can either give the person a euphoria feeling or make the person severely depressed or suicidal. This just shows that drug abuse encompasses a whole lot more drugs than what’s commonly known.

Aside from the personal effects experienced by the user, drug abuse also creates a big impact in a larger scale like in the country’s economy, society and laws. If an economist would define drug abuse, the economist would probably tell you how much money is spent by the government because of this issue. According to NIDA, $67 billion per year is spent on the drug abuse problem and this includes the cost of law enforcement, incarceration, treatment, traffic injuries etc.

As mentioned earlier, it is not enough to define drug abuse or to know its effects. Once this information about drug abuse and effects are known, steps must also be made to treat the patient or the substance abuser. Contrary to popular myth, overcoming addiction is not simply a matter of willpower. Since this affects the brain, treating addiction involves a series of steps and it really takes time for the patient to be healed and restored.

There is a Hawaii Addiction Treatment Center called Hawaii Island Recovery which aims to help clients transform their lives back to who they were before drug abuse took over. Hawaii Island Recovery is a Big Island Drug rehab which provides a beautiful therapeutic living facility . With the help of the highly trained and experienced professional staff, the beautiful scenery and treatment therapy that works, clients have a higher rate of recovery. Hawaii Island Recovery is the ideal Big Island Recovery facility to help clients gain back their lives stolen by substance and drug abuse.

Drug abuse may also be summed up in one word: death. It is a progressive disease. The addict may not be physically dead but because of the drugs’ effects, the life of the addict is slowly taken away by being a slave to these harmful substances. Families are affected by drug abuse and so does society. Drug abuse has tentacles and is very insidious. Addiction treatment and the road to recovery is not easy, but with commitment and lots of family and therapeutic support, it can be done. Habits can be unlearned. There are many successes that prove this.

If you or a family member is suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.