Addiction in the Media

Addiction in the Media – Music

Media in general is a very influential source, especially for adolescents. On average, American teenagers listen to music and watch music videos for 4-5 hours each day (Substance Use). According to this study done by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 45% of music videos have drugs or alcohol appear either visually or verbally. The study included 258 music videos that varied in genre. The results of this study suggest that illicit drugs appear more often in the lyrics than in the video, and vice versa for alcohol (Substance Abuse).

While drugs and alcohol appear in many music videos, the portrayal of the substances varies. Some promote the use of it such as Liquor Store Blues by Bruno Mars, stating that alcohol is good for getting rid of “pain” and “sorrow” and that it won’t affect the user’s future. Other songs such as Cocaine by Jackson Brown, depict the physical and psychological changes that come with addiction. Similarly, Jack Daniels and Jesus by Chase Rice portrays the social consequences of alcoholism.

The influence that music has on adolescents can go either way. The media as a source for information on drugs could lead kids to believe that it is cool normal to use and abuse them. On the other hand, it could inform them about the problems that accompany drug abuse, making them see that drugs are harmful and dangerous. A big part of this is the view of the musical artist. If a famous musician sings about using drugs and alcohol, it gives them a positive connotation. The artist is probably well off and well known, and they accomplished this while living with substance abuse.

MusiCares is a foundation specifically for musicians living with addiction. It has been growing and expanding at a rapid rate, providing services for treatment as well as help getting back on the right track (The Fix). This is very beneficial because a big problem with recovering from addiction is getting back out into the real world, paying bills, getting a job, and supporting oneself and others. Providing services for these problems will help prevent relapse into substance abuse.

This foundation as a whole is a great idea and is something to learn from. It gives the client a sense of belonging and understanding that caters to an important part of their life. By creating more foundations such as this one, addicts will have more options for treatment and recovery that could be based off of their way of life (The Fix). In order to be eligible for assistance the foundation requires 5 years of documented, professional work in the music industry (The Fix). 

References

McGuiness, K. (2011, October 28). How the music industry helps its addicts. Retrieved from http://www.thefix.com/content/behind-music6126

Substance use in popular music videos. (2002, June). Retrieved from http://www.scenesmoking.org/research/SubstanceUseIinMusic.pdf

Habit Summary

Habit Summary

The habit I chose to change in the beginning of the semester was nail biting. This is a horrid habit that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Time and time again I tried to stop biting my nails but I was never successful in the long run. I would stop for a week or two and then cave in. The longest I had ever gone was probably a month. When we were presented with the challenge of changing a behavior in this class nail biting was the first thing that came to my mind. I had other options to choose from such as eating junk food, but nail biting was the only one I really wanted to change. In the beginning it was pretty easy to stop the habit. I had done it before for a couple of weeks so I knew I could do that again. The hard part came when I got to about a month. I would notice myself picking at my nails a lot or friends would catch me as I was about to start biting my nails. So far I had a few techniques for changing the behavior. I used a lot of nail polish and this stuff called NO BITE that tastes really bad. One of my roommates put sticky notes all over our room saying “stop biting your nails” and they both did their best to keep an eye out for the nail biting.

Having the support of my friends and family definitely helped. One of my biggest problems was that I rarely ever noticed when I was biting my nails. I have been doing it for so long and I didn't even think about it. Having my friends point out when they saw me doing it was a huge help. After the first month I was able to notice it a little more since I had gone so long without doing it but that was also the most difficult time so it was harder to stop myself. In accepting this challenge and attempting to change a behavior, I learned a lot about myself. I have the dedication and determination needed to stop a habit. The biggest problem is the motivation to start. Nail biting is something I have always wanted to stop so the motivation to try was there. However, if I had chosen to give up eating junk food I would not have been even slightly successful. It is not something I want to give up even though I know it is bad for me so the motivation to stat would not have been present.

While going through this process there were many ways in which I was able to connect my habit to an addiction based on what we learned in class. In order to treat an addiction the person must know they have a problem and be willing to make a change. I was able to connect to this because nail biting was something I have always wanted to stop. To make it possible to quit an addiction you must have a support group. This could be people in a 12 step meeting, a sponsor, friends, or family members. In my case it was friends. Without them I would not have been nearly as successful as I was. The most difficult part to overcome was the triggers. The worst one for me was more along the line of feelings than people, places, or things.  I was most tempted to bite my nails when I was nervous, anxious, or frustrated. In class we learned that the best way to handle these things is to avoid them; find new people to hang out with, don’t go to the places that remind you of it, and don’t do the things that trigger the addiction.

Getting past this part of the behavior change was difficult because I can’t avoid feelings or the things that cause them. The stress, anxiety, and frustration mostly came from school or soccer. These are not things that I can just stop. I can now understand how difficult it could be for someone who can’t afford to move away from the problem, or can’t get away from their bad group of friends easily. In my opinion habits can definitely be broken; however, I don’t think that addictions can be cured. If you work on it long enough a behavior can be changed, almost like forming a new habit of not doing whatever the bad habit was before. Depending on the habit or behavior it may take a very long time but I believe it can be done. On the other hand I do not believe that an addiction can be cured. It can be treated on a day by day basis but it will never fully go away. There is a reason that 12 step meetings require you to introduce yourself as an addict every time you join the discussion. The addiction never goes away, it will always be there but it can be treated one day at a time.

Article Summary

Gender Differences Among In- and Out-of-Treatment Opioid-Addicted Individuals

Article Summary:

This article covers a study done to detect differences among both genders and treatment options for drugs addicts. The sample used for this test had 355 participants; 154 (43%) women and 201 (57%) men. About 69% of the participants were entering into treatment, 43% women and 57% men. That leaves 111 participants left that were not entering into treatment. Of the total number of participants, 74% were African American/ other, and 24% were married. The average age was 41 years old and the average amount of education completed was 11 years.

                Of the total women participants, those that were in-treatment women were more likely to be African American and more educated than those that were out-off-treatment women. Other factors such as age, marital status, etc. did not affect this sample. Compared to in-treatment women, out-of treatment women used their drug of choice more, were involved in more illegal ways of earning money, and almost doubled the amount spent on drugs in the 30 days leading up to the study.

                Not many factors affected the differences between out-of-treatment men and women; however, women were significantly younger than the men. Out-of-treatment women used their substance of choice more times in the 30 days leading up to the study than out-of-treatment men did. There were no significant findings for differences between in-treatment men and in-treatment women.

                This study also looked at the number of days worked in the 30 days leading up to the study. Major differences were found between men and women. Women work much less in those 30 days than men did. No difference was found between in-treatment women and out-of-treatment women.

          

Connection to Reading:    

One reason that the number of men entering treatment was higher than women could be due to obligation of children. Fear of losing their child or inability to receive help raising the child may lead women away from treatment options. Another reason may be that substance using women are more likely to have a substance using partner than substance using men are. If this is the case than they may not see that they have a problem if they don’t think their partner does.

                According to the study, the majority of in-treatment women were African American. In our book it states that African American women are much better at abstaining from drugs than African American males or White women. This holds true in the study because African American women were more likely to receive treatment.

               

Reflection:

  Overall I think this study covers many of the critical gender differences that arise with addiction. If it is this obvious that women are much less likely to receive treatment than something must be done about it. Efforts are being made to make treatment options available to pregnant or parenting women but that is not enough. All possible reasons for women’s lower treatment rates must be taken into consideration when planning treatment options to cater towards them.

References 

Kelly, S. M., Schwartz, R. P., O'Grady, K. E., Mitchell, S., Reisinger, H., Peterson, J. A., & ... Brown, B. S.    (2009). Gender Differences Among In- and Out-of-Treatment Opioid-Addicted Individuals.         American Journal Of Drug & Alcohol Abuse, 35(1), 38-42. doi:10.1080/00952990802342915

Van Wormer, K. Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective.

Asian Americans

Tobacco use and dependence in Asian Americans: A review of the literature

Culture, race, and ethnic groups strongly contribute to differences in substance use and dependence. Research on addiction in certain groups, however, needs to be improved. The group I researched was Asian Americans. The source I looked at mostly discussed the amount of information that currently exists for this specific group of people and how accurate the existing research is. A detailed search was done to find literature from various years that relates to the topic being studied (Asian Americans and specific subgroups). Results showed that, although the amount of research being done on addiction in Asian Americans has increased over the past 30 years, most of the studies were done on males. There was also a biased towards which subgroups had more research. Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans have been the main focus of existing research and studies, leaving groups such as Filipino, Pakistani, and Thai Americans under reported. Even worse is the gender bias. While men are understudied in select subgroups of Asian Americans, women are understudied in all of them (Kim).  

This article strongly relates to our reading because the book specifically mentions the difficulties that exist with research for this group and why these problems exist. Research cannot be done on just Asians as a whole because that group encompasses way too many different cultures that are truly very different from each other. In total there are 30 different Asian ethnic groups and on top of that there are 21 different Pacific Islander ethnic groups. Each group comes from a different origin and therefore each subgroup is affected by addiction in different ways. When it comes to these groups being under researched the book agrees with the article I found on many points (Van Wormer). Some of the main reasons for the lack of information on substance dependence among these groups include

·         These groups have been ignored and overlooked when studies were being completed.

·         Services are not directed towards these cultures, which leads to lack of treatment.

·         Research that has been conducted on these groups may be inaccurate.

·         Assumptions are often made without and support or evidence regarding drug use by Asian Americans.

-(Van Wormer)

References

Kim, S. S., Ziedonis, D., & Chen, K. W. (2007). Tobacco use and dependence in Asian Americans: A review of the literature. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 9(2), 169-184. doi:10.1080/14622200601080323

Van Wormer, Katherine. Addiction Treatment: a Strengths Perspective.

In the Movies

In the Movies: Confessions of a Shopaholic

There are many movies containing characters suffering from an addiction. They portray the addictions is many different ways and can be either accurate or inaccurate. The movie I recently saw was Confessions of a Shopaholic starring Isla Fisher. I chose to watch this movie because I am in no way a shopaholic. Shopping is not one of my many hobbies so I find it very difficult to understand such a behavioral addiction. By the time the movie ended I had gained much more insight to the addiction, both positive and negative.

Confessions of a Shopaholic was released in 2009. It is a comedy/ romance movie. This made it very entertaining for me to watch but it also lacked the seriousness of having a behavioral addiction. Isla Fisher plays the role of Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist currently switching jobs with high hopes of obtaining her dream job. She ends up picking up a job for a finance magazine in which she has a column advising readers on how to save money. This is ironic because she is a shopaholic and is horrible at saving her money. She is 1000s of dollars in debt and is avoiding the debt collector. She has support from her friend/roommate, but other than that she keeps her problem from everyone else.

I think the movie did a good job of portraying the triggers for addiction, however they didn't focus much on the treatment and recovery which made it seem fairly simple compared to what I have learned in class. Throughout the movie I felt both anger and sympathy towards Rebecca Bloomwood. When the debt collector was trying to get a hold of her and when buying a bridesmaid dress seemed difficult I had a lot of sympathy for her. This is when she was in the guilt/ shame stage. You could see that she knew there was a problem but she was also trying to deny it. She was lying to herself. However, since shopping isn't my area of expertise, I found it hard not to get angry when she made horrible choices (either buying something she couldn't afford or buying what she wanted and not what she needed). This feeling of anger is exactly the lack of support than many addicts experience. It comes from a lack of knowledge and understanding of addictions.

Rebecca’s best friend was supportive but was not necessarily pushing her enough to get help until the end. She was the only one who knew her level of debt and she did her best to help her with it. In the end she forced her to go to a Shopaholics Anonymous meeting. Rebecca’s family was what pushed her to become so materialistic. Her parents could have afforded to buy her nicer things but instead they were very cheap which made her feel excluded from peers. Because of this she did not want them to know about her debt problem. However, when they found out they were there for her to count on which is very important for recovery.

As I said before, I think this movie did a good job of representing triggers of an addiction. With her job and home area there was no way for her to go about her daily life without walking past shops she constantly wanted to go in. Whenever she had a meeting, interview, or event for work she felt the need to get a new outfit for it and once it was on her mind she believed it was necessary. I do not think that the recovery/treatment part of the movie was accurately portrayed. She went to Shopaholics Anonymous and she took steps towards recovery that we have learned about but much of it was skipped over making recovery seem easy. It is important for people to know that recovery from an addiction is difficult and is a day by day process. Triggers and cravings will always be there.

I could see a direct connection between discussions in class and Confessions of a Shopaholic. Triggers were one, but I also recognized the importance of “people, places, and things.” I saw this movie as very informative and I really enjoyed it.

I decided to look at an article that I could relate to addiction and the elderly. The article I chose is Gender Differences in Seven-Year Alcohol and Drug Treatment Outcomes among Older Adults. This article discusses substance addiction among older adults as well as differences in addiction and treatment between older men and women. The study was conducted on men and women over the age of 55. It used an outpatient program and explored the outcomes of a seven year follow-up assessment. It concluded that women, on average, stuck with the program longer and were more successful at the seven year follow-up. A direct connection was made between the length the participant stayed in the program and the success rates.

This article directly relates to chapter 6 in our books as well as our discussions in class. The article discusses the problem of low awareness when it comes to substance misuse and dependence among older adults. There are not many studies or programs, nor is there much education on older adults suffering from addiction. Other things we discussed in class were reasons for addictions among the elderly going unnoticed. Most older adults keep their substance abuse hidden by only doing it when they are alone or at home. Addictions among the elderly are also ignored because they have used the substance their entire life so it is natural to them, however, as they get older their tolerance goes down making the effects stronger. Because of the baby boomer generation as well as advances in medicine, the number of older adults is increasing. This makes the problem of addiction among the elderly a rising priority.

References

Satre, D. D., Blow, F. C., Chi, F. W., & Weisner, C. (2007). Gender Differences in Seven-Year Alcohol and Drug Treatment Outcomes among Older Adults. American Journal On Addictions, 16(3), 216- 221. doi:10.1080/10550490701375673

Van Wormer, Katherine. Addiction Treatment: a Strengths Perspective.

Recovery Group Meeting

Recovery Group Meeting

This week I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting that took place in a Methodist Church. From people discussing their experiences with the 12 step meetings in class, I expected the group to be varied. While they did seem to vary in age and race, there were no women present. The number of alcoholics that were at the meeting was around 10. Some were there from the beginning but a few arrived late. Although it was clear that a majority of the members were religious in some way, none of them specifically mentioned their ties to that specific church. My best guess would be that there was a mixture of both church members and community members attending the meeting.

The meeting was led by an alcoholic from the area who has been attending those meetings for a few years. It was a newcomers meeting so there were a couple of people that have never been there before, or at least not very many times. However, a majority of the participants seemed to be familiar with the meetings held there and knew one another from past meetings. They started by giving everyone a chance to introduce themselves if they desired and then left the floor open to anyone who had an AA related announcement to make. From there the leader chose a topic, “Just for Today,” and the attendees took turns sharing their thoughts and experiences and how they related to the topic of the night. Most of the people spoke but not everyone.

Everybody at the meeting seemed to be relatively relaxed. When someone was telling their story everyone paid attention and was very supportive. There was coffee in the back of the room being offered to everyone which made the meeting seem even more relaxed since everyone could get up and move around as they pleased. They were all very open with me and the other students observing and were happy to share their stories with us. One man shared his story with the specific purpose of helping us understand that it could happen to anyone. I was very grateful that they were so open with me.

The leader and other members of the meeting gave us the option of reading the 12 steps in the beginning but I chose not to. When the participants were sharing their stories I gave them my undivided attention. At the end of the meeting they stood in a circle and said a prayer which I took part in. Afterwards a few of them stuck around to talk to us some more about their stories and to encourage us to stay clean and in school. They were very interested to hear what we thought of the meeting. I was happy to tell them that I found it very powerful and meaningful. I can now see why those programs are so helpful to those involved and I am glad that they that opportunity.

Each participant that shared had a very different story; however, they did have a few things in common. Almost all of them spoke of a higher power, and many of them mentioned how grateful they are to have the AA meetings and how helpful they have been to them in there process of recovery. They were happy to be there, one felt as though he was being drawn to that specific meeting even though he already attended one that morning. It was very clear that the AA meetings were helpful to each of the members.

I recognized a lot of what we have discussed and learned being put into action at the AA meeting I attended. Many of them spoke about relapse and their stories related back to the cycle we discussed in class. They also focused on a higher power, as well as living in the present. From listening to the stories, I heard firsthand the effects that we read about and discussed in class. Some of them couldn't hold on to relationships that were important to them, others couldn't hold on to dreams. One man also mentioned a rehab facility he went to before attending these meetings.

I found the meeting to be very insightful and full of positive energy. Everyone laughed and smiled and was 100% supportive. I think this is very important for people recovering from an addiction because knowing that there will always be a group of people who have shared your pain and went through your struggle can be very encouraging.

Solution-Focused Approach

Solution-Focused

The solution-focused approach to the strengths-based perspective is a very interesting form of therapy. This approach was founded by Milton Erickson. It stresses the future rather than the past, working towards a goal instead of looking for the cause of the problem (Van Wormer 104). With this approach the client is seen as the expert. They have it within themselves to make a goal and reach it (Carol Vivyan).  This form of therapy relies on 3 types of questions that lead the client to create a solution on their own: These are miracle questions, coping questions, and scaling questions. “The miracle question” is the base of the therapy and it changes depending on the therapist.

• “Erickson's original version of the question involved asking his client to look into the future and see themselves as they wanted to be, problems solved, and then to explain what had happened to cause this change to come about. He might also ask clients to think of a date in the future, then worked backwards, asking them what had happened at various points on the way.”

(Carol Vivyan)

Coping questions are meant to help the client understand how to handle struggles that come with addiction. For example, they might be asked:

•          “How do you cope with these difficulties?
•          Who is your greatest support?”

(Carol Vivyan)

Scaling questions are used to make the client aware of where they are in the recovery process. It shows them how far they have come and how far they still have to go in order to reach their goals. Examples of these questions are:

•          “On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is the worst it's ever been and 10 is after the miracle has happened, where are you now?
•          What would be the first sign that you had moved on one point further?”

(Carol Vivyan)

The Addiction Cycle

The addiction cycle is the routine that addicts go through. Addicts use the substance or do the behavior in order to make themselves feel good and it usually works- any bad feelings go away. Then they have negative consequences from using that can include problems with family and friends, or financial difficulty. Because of these consequences they feel guilty and then become depressed. To raise their spirits they use the substance or do the behavior again and the cycle starts all over (Van Wormer).

The solution-focused intervention would most likely beat the cycle by avoiding feelings of shame and guilt. If this therapy’s focus is the future and not the past then the intent would be to forget about the consequences and focus on reaching a goal. Having an objective could give the addict positive feelings which might help prevent relapse.

I think this approach is very helpful for people struggling with an addiction. By making them the expert they are being given the power to help themselves. This is important because if they get through recovery by using this technique then they know that they can do it on their own. In the future if they get into a bad situation that could potentially rehash their desire, they will have the knowledge and the confidence to help themselves avoid relapse. I also think it is helpful because it gives them a sense of independence. After recovering, someone struggling with an addiction will need to get back out into the real world. After years of misuse and abuse this will be hard to do. Having a partially independent recovery could give them the confidence they need to start over.

References

Vivyan, Carol. Solution Focused Therapy.  http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/sft.htm

Van Wormer, Katherine & Davis, Diane. Addiction Treatment; a strengths perspective.

Gambling Addiction

Gambling

 

Compulsive gambling is seen as both an impulse-control disorder as well as an addiction. Gambling can be considered an addiction if it is done regardless of the consequences and if there are cravings or urges to gamble beforehand. Compulsive gambling then differs from a bad habit because the impulse to gamble cannot be controlled. This differs slightly from a problem gambling in the sense that a problem gambler does not have a loss of total control. A problem gambler does not need to gamble on a daily basis or even frequently for that matter. If problems arise from gambling, whether socially or economically, then it is considered a problem gambling (Help Guide).

To get the idea of what it takes to be considered a gambling addict take the self-administered diagnostic quiz:  http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/survey/survey.cfm?id=6

               

Depression, stress, and anxiety are just a few negative feelings that could lead to gambling addiction. As with many substances that are abused, gambling can be seen as a way to have a good time and forget about real world troubles. Compulsive gamblers often hide what they are doing, and they usually deny that there is any problem at all (Help Guide).

                The first step towards treating the addiction is admitting to the compulsive or problem gambling. Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step recovery program, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. One very important part of this program is having a sponsor. Upon entering the program a sponsor must be chosen. This is someone who has succeeded in recovering from gambling addiction and they are present as support. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is often used in many cases. This therapy is used to help gamblers find new ways to spend their time, and to help them to fight any urges to gamble (Help Guide).

                Some suggestions for maintaining recovery are letting someone else control your finances to keep you in check. Surrounding yourself with loved ones often helps because it gives you a responsibility and a reason to stay strong. Another, more obvious, tip is to just stay clear of any tempting environments. Maintaining the recovery is the hardest part but it is doable (Help Guide).

                When diagnosing someone as a pathological gambler there are 10 criteria that must be considered. If the person meets at least five then they are believed to have an addiction (George Warren Brown School of Social Work).  About 1% (2million) of U.S. adults (18 and older) are believed to be pathological gamblers. Another 2-3% (4-6 million) are believed to be problem gamblers. A study shows that about 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lifetime, and 60% of those have gambled at some point in the past year. The only two states in the U.S. that don’t allow any form of legal gambling are Hawaii and Utah (NCPG).

                For detailed information of the history of gambling in the U.S. dating back to the original colonies visit: http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/03/Chapt2.html

References

National Council on Problem Gambling. http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3315#widespread

Researchers assess rates and risks of gambling. (2006, Dec.). http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/newsroom/PressRelease/Pages/120605.aspx

Saisan, J., Segal, J., Smith, M., & Robinson, L. (2012, Dec.). Gambling Adiction and Problem Gambling.  http://www.helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.php

Pick Your Poison

Mescaline

Mescaline is a hallucinogen. It is the principal active ingredient of the peyote plant, a cactus. In order to produce the hallucinogenic feeling, “buttons” located at the top of the plant can be cut, dried and chewed, or it can be done synthetically. Street terms for this drug are Mesc, Buttons, Cactus, and Peyote. Mescaline is taken orally and can last up to 12 hours (DAODAS).  Possible effects of the drug include but are not limited to illusions/hallucinogens, psychosis, sweating, increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, and impaired coordination. If a user overdoses on mescaline they are likely to experience longer lasting and more intense effects, and possibly death. There are no medical uses for this drug (DAODAS).

     

Mescaline has been used by natives in northern Mexico and southwestern United States for religious purposes. Natives, however, do not abuse this drug and so any study done on them cannot be used to fully understand the effects that mescaline has on abusers (NIDA drugabuse.gov). For abusers and addicts of hallucinogens there are no concrete treatments. Treatment for intoxication and withdrawal usually included some form of sedative, often to help with aggressive behavior.  Some medications can be used for addiction treatment to calm the mind and body while going through withdrawal. Therapies are also common to help the patient get past the need or desire for drugs to alter their mind (Recovery Connection).

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/psychedelicstimeline.jpg

As shown in the chart above, mescaline is a Schedule I drug in the U.S. This means that there is no medical use for it, it is unsafe to use even under medical watch, and it has strong potential for abuse (DEA Diversion Control). Other Drugs that fall under Schedule I are heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy.

The affect that mescaline has on family and society is troublesome. This drug, while being used and while going through withdrawal, can cause very aggressive behavior and severe medical complications. It is not widely used compared to other hallucinogens but it can still have a very negative affect on the community and society. It has high potential for abuse, making this drug very dangerous for anyone who uses it as well as anyone who comes into contact with the user. 

References

Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. Retrieved from                 http://www.daodas.state.sc.us/profile_peyote-mescaline.asp

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from            http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/hallucinogens-lsd-peyote-psilocybin-pcp

Recovery Connection. Retrieved from

http://www.recoveryconnection.org/hallucinogen-addictioin- treatment-withdrawal/

U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from        http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/index.html#define

Habits

According to dictionary.com a habit is "an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary". In some ways habits have similar qualities to addictions. As an experiment to get a feel for addiction treatment, I am to choose a habit I possess and try to change that specific behavior. The behavior that I want to change is nail biting. This is a habit I have had for as long as I can remember. For a while, the only time I would bite my nails was when I was nervous or anxious. Over time it developed into a natural behavior and now I bite my nails without even realizing it.

In the past I have tried numerous times to stop this habit but it never lasted more than 2 or 3 weeks. I have tried painting my nails, using special polish meant for this purpose, and having family and friends urge me to stop. I even tried making it a competition with my cousin to give me more motivation but none of these attempts worked in the long-term. This time I am going to try all of the above. I want to completely stop this behavior. On a scale from 0-10 (10 being the most dedicated) I would rank myself at 8 on dedication to this experiment. Starting Saturday I am going to start painting my nails with the specific polish and my friends are going to do their best to keep me from biting my nails. I definitely think having my friends and family involved is important because half of the time I don’t realize I am biting my nails so I need others to watch for it as well. 

Week 1:

This first week of changing my behavior of biting my nails has proved successful. I have used all of the techniques I had planned on using (nail polish specific for this problem, regular nail polish, and help from friends) and it has worked. Thanks to my roommates there are post-it notes all over my room saying “don’t bite your nails” and they have been helpful. Although I have done well so far, the hardest part is still to come.  I have given it up in the past for a few weeks so I know I can do it again. It’s giving it up for good that will be the problem.

           Week 2:

 Two weeks into quitting nail biting and I am still successful. It is getting harder, but I have still succeeding in stopping all together. I have come close to slipping up a few times but friends have stopped me. The problem with changing this behavior is that I do not realize when I am doing it. The horribly tasting nail polish helps with this, as do my friends staying on the lookout. I also catch myself picking at my nails rather than biting them which is not good either. I don’t know how I can change my plan to accommodate this as well but I will continue brain storming. Over all changing this behavior is very helpful. When I used to bite my nails they would often get so short that it hurt, sometimes they would even bleed. I am very happy to say that this is not the case anymore. I only hope that I can keep it up.

 Week 3:

I am still doing well with giving up nail biting. However, I have noticed myself being more tempted this week. I have not been painting my nails as often so I think that is part of my problem but I have also been more stressed out this week. Since stress and nerves are what started my habit, I think those are going to be the hardest times to stop. The best thing I can do is keep painting my nails and maybe find something else to do when I am stressed or nervous such as gum chewing. I think this is the longest I have ever gone without biting my nails so I hope that is a good sign that I can change this behavior for good!

Week 4:

This week has been a little more difficult for me. Stress has been building up and so have my nerves. I haven't been keeping up with painting my nails and today I caved in. The second I started biting my nails I realized what I was doing and I made myself stop. It was very difficult to do and giving in that one time made it a lot more difficult to stop myself later in the day. I have repainted my nails and I hope it helps. It is definitely important that I stay on top of this because it is clear that I am still not able to change this behavior without some help. On a positive note, I am happy that I recognized my behavior the second I started biting my nail. In the past I didn't even realize I was doing it until someone told me. I think this is a great sign and I hope I keep improving.

Week 5:

The past few weeks have gone pretty well. I had one bad slip up where I started biting my nails because of stress and I had a difficult time stopping. Nobody around me knew about my attempting and giving it up so I did not have the help of friends yelling at me. I was very angry with myself afterwards but then I realized that being mad wouldn't help so I began focusing on getting a good streak back. So far so good. Hopefully I won't "relapse" again.

Week 6:

This week was a little more difficult. With break coming up I have been very stressed out trying to get my work done. I bit my nails a couple of times and it was very difficult to stop. Once I had the chance I filed them and repainted them to prevent me from doing it again. I told my friends and family and they said they would help keep a closer watch for me. I thought that if I had been doing well for so long then I would have to put as much effort in but now I know it is a long term effort.

Week 7:

This week has not been good for my behavior change. I have bit my nails on multiple occasions, even to the point where they are so short they hurt. Part of it might be stress but nothing this week has been much more stressful than the typical work load. I think my biggest problem is that I am getting too comfortable with the progress I was making so I did not put in as much effort to keep up the change. I need to get back into the routine of constantly working to change this habit if I want to give it up for good... which I really really do. I need to repaint my nails and come up with a way to remind myself throughout the day to stop biting them.

Week 8:

This was a bed week for me. I have not taken any of my steps I mentioned previously to get back on track. I wouldn't say that I've given up completely (I'm still better off than I was before) but I has definitely slid down on my priority list. In order to really succeed in changing this habit I need to be fully focused. I really do want to change this habit an I plan to get back on track asap. When an addict tries to get treatment, recovery must be the number one priority. When family, work and other things get in the way it makes the recovery process much harder. I guess this is a much more severe version of my problem now. 


Week 9:

This week was much better. I have not caved into my bad habit of biting my nails at all. I was definitely more focused than the previous couple of weeks and it paid off. I re-painted my nails and paid close attention to my actions. When completing the readings for this week I found it difficult to connect my habit to an addiction. There are not differences in my habit based off of gender, race, age, etc. as there can be with addiction and addiction treatment. 



Cocaine

History

Cocaine is a very addictive drug. It gives the user a lot of energy and it usually makes them happy and overly confident. Using cocaine can cause a number of severe side effects such as heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. It goes by the street names coke, snow, flake, and blow (USA.gov).

Cocaine use can date back over 1000 years with the Amara Indians of Peru. Medical problems with it, however, did not come around until the late 1800’s. The reason there were no complications with the drug in South America was because it was used in the form of a chewing leaf. In this form only a small amount of cocaine will reach the brain and therefore will prevent health issues. In Europe during the 1860’s there was a similar situation with wine. The French government had regulations for wine and the amount of alcohol and cocaine that was permitted to be in it. This kept the intake amount very low. Because of this restriction, medical complications due to cocaine did not arise until the 1880’s (Karch).

In 1884 cocaine use significantly increased because of Sigmund Freud and Karl Koller. Freud published a paper, “On Coca,” discussing his view on cocaine (heretical.com). This piece explained Freud’s belief that cocaine could be used to treat many medical conditions. A few months later Koller did tests to reveal that cocaine was a local anesthetic for eye surgery (Karch). The amount of cocaine being produced sky rocketed but coca leaves lose a lot of the content of cocaine when travelling. To fix this set back in shipping a major cocaine producer discovered a way to make semi-refined cocaine. After this, cocaine was much cheaper and easier to ship. The manufacturing of syringes also contributed to the rise in cocaine use and abuse (Karch).

In the 1980’s, America had a large outbreak of cocaine production and abuse. It is possible that this was because ‘crack’ cocaine was not as expensive at powdered cocaine but this has not been proven. Smoking ‘crack’ cocaine has a larger effect on the brain than using it in any other form. Prices are still declining. To this day South America is producing the most about of cocaine with South East Asia as the runner up (Karch).

http://www.ncnguyana.com/ncntv/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/cocaine.jpg

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/image-gallery/cocaine/crack_cocaine.jpg

My Thoughts

While researching cocaine I came across quite a few surprises. It was interesting to learn that cocaine was used in wine but was not considered dangerous. I was also surprised that Freud played a huge part in the increased use of cocaine. The price is still declining which most likely means that cocaine is becoming more and more available. At this rate the problem with cocaine abuse and addiction will only get worse. My fear is that there will not be any way to put a stop to it.

Government Influences

Government has had a strong influence on substance abuse from the beginning. The French Government placed a restriction on the about allowed in wine in the 1860’s. Today the U.S. government still plays a large role in substance use and abuse. “Trafficking 500 grams of powder cocaine draws the same 5-year sentence as trafficking in 5 grams of crack” (Van Wormer). There are many laws against illegal drugs. Some are designed to prevent the incoming of drugs while others raise consequences for drug users. Much effort has been put in to stop these crimes but if substance abuse is going to be stopped it is clear that more needs to be done. 

Refrences

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297313/

http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/cocaine

Van Wormer, Katherine & Davis, Diane. Addiction Treatment.

Intro blog

Why did you choose to take this course? 
I have recently decided to take on the human services minor. After looking through all my possibilities, this class caught my eye as the most interesting as well as most agreeable with my schedule. My interest in taking this class is very high because, although I am not sure exactly what I want to do when I graduate, learning about addiction could assist me in the workplace as well as in my personal life.

By the end of the course, what do you want to know?
I have a strong interest in how addiction affects different age groups. By the end of this course I would like to have a good understanding of how addiction differs with various generations and if age affects the approach one must take in order to treat their addiction.