Substance abuse prescription drugs

Abuse. We have all heard the terms substance abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, cocaine abuse, and so on. In one sense, any illicit use of a substance is abuse. For example, from the legal point of view, whenever someone smokes crack (even if it is the only time), (s)he has broken the law and abused cocaine. Likewise, if you borrow a prescription sedative or pain reliever from a friend, then you have similarly abused that medication. That is an appropriate use of the term in many cases, but this is not customarily the way that mental health specialists use the term. From our perspective, substance abuse involves a pattern of repeated use over time that results in problems in one or more areas. These include compromised physical health and well-being, legal proceedings, job status, and relationships as well as overall day-to-day functioning. 

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Women under the Influence. Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. Focused on substance abuse among girls and women, this book includes a chapter on illicit use of prescription drugs. The research reported in the volume compares the addiction and abuse of women to that of men. Although women abuse drugs less than men, the problem remains a significant one. Women tend to become addicted more quickly than men and benefit from different types of treatments. 

One of the biggest substance abuse problems in recent years has involved prescription drugs that have legitimate medical applications but are being used for nonmedical reasons (that is, are being abused). 

Summary Provides detailed information about the composition, history, effect, uses and abuses of common drugs, including illegal drugs and addictive substances, as well as commonly abused classes of prescription drugs. 

In 2000, California voters approved a ballot measure that allows state courts to sentence first- and secondtime drug use offenders to rehabilitative treatment rather than jail or prison. The measure, Proposition 36 (Prop. 36), also known as the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, took effect July 1, 2001. As of March 1, 2002, more than 15,000 individuals had been referred to treatment under Prop. 36. The law mandates probation and drug abuse treatment for offenders instead of jail time. Persons sentenced under Prop. 36 are required to spend up to a year in a state-approved treatment regimen. Treatment can include outpatient care, inpatient treatment at a halfway house, psychotherapy, and drug education and prevention classes. The law applies to persons convicted of possession of amyl nitrite without a prescription. 

As part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program, prescription medications may help recovering substance abusers with persistent mental health needs. For example, anti-anxiety medications such as diazepam (Valium) and antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol (Haldol) may address acute needs. 

Nitrous oxide is difficult to categorize. Technically, it is an inhalant, yet there are several characteristics that set the drug apart from the typical volatile substances that inhalant abusers favor. First, N20 is not as readily accessible as hair spray, glue, household cleaners, and other off-the-shelf huffing chemicals of choice. Secondly, since nitrous oxide is an actual prescription anesthetic, it may have more perceived prestige among users who would look down at most volatile substance abuse as kid s stuff. ... 

Prescription opioids are often the drugs of choice for physicians and other health care professionals who become substance abusers. Their jobs often grant them easy access... 

The 2004 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), conducted by Partnership for a Drug-Free America, showed that prescription drug abuse is higher than or on par with most other illicit substances (Figure 1.2). PATS data indicates that one in five teenagers has abused Vicodin , and one in ten has abused OxyContin (a pain medication) or a stimulant such as Ritalin (a medication to control attention-deficit/hyperac-tivity disorder, or ADHD). 

Before leaving the discussion on prescription-drug misuse and abuse, we should note that a variety of over-the-counter substances with psychoactivc properties are also subject to abuse. Examples are nonprescription hypnotics that contain antihistamines, nonprescription cold and allcrg) products, laxatives, nonprescription stimulants, and diet pills. These arc described in more detail in Chapter 14. 

Because many of the medications used to treat anxiety are addictive, it is essential to screen the client for potential substance abuse. It should come as no surprise to social workers that many people who suffer from anxiety often seek relief by using drugs or alcohol. Similar to the medications used to treat anxiety, alcohol and some of the recreational street drugs can stimulate the release of certain neurochemicals in the brain that inhibit anxiety. Subjectively, the result of this biochemical process is social ease, experienced as pleasure, that seduces the users of chemical intoxicants to continue despite the side effects slurred speech, slowed thoughts, memory failure, poor motor control, and the possibility of addiction (Marshall. 1994, p. 152). If a history of substance abuse or a tendency to abuse prescription medication is noted, it is important to flag this potential problem. 

A 28-year-old woman presents with symptoms of major depression that are unrelated to a general medical condition, bereavement, or substance abuse. She is not currently taking any prescription or over-the-counter medications. Drug treatment is to be initiated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. In your information to the patient, you would NOT tell her that... 

The nonmedical use of prescription drugs has evolved toward a severe health issue worldwide. To date, prescription drugs are the second of abused substances after marijuana in teens in the United States (White House ONDCP, 2014) and include pain killers (opioids), stimulants (ADHD medication), and antidepressants. 

Worker impairment caused by mood-altering substances is not new. For several decades, alcohol has topped the hst of drugs that can adversely impact an employee s health however, use of over-the-counter medications, as well as abuse of prescription drugs, poses an increasingly large problem in the workplace. In addition to alcohol, the common types of drugs that may be encountered in toda/s workplace include ... 

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