Substance Abuse Position Paper
Paper
Description
Substance abuse is the overindulgence in chemicals and/or drugs that affect the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing. Substance abuse does not only affect the individual consuming the substance but the family, friends and loved ones as well. Substance abuse is a disorder that is characterized by a pattern of continued use of medications or chemical substances that results in the person repeatedly missing everyday social obligations such as work, school, family and friends. Most abusers have had or will have legal problems and personal conflict among those closest to them. There are on-going studies trying to define the exact distinctions between substance abuse and substance dependence. Currently, practice standard distinguishes between the two by defining substance dependence in terms of physiological and behavioral symptoms of substance use, and substance abuse in terms of the social consequences of substance use.
Substance abuse may lead to addiction or substance dependence. Medically, physiologic dependence requires the development of tolerance leading to withdrawal symptoms. Both abuse and dependence are distinct from addiction which involves a compulsion to continue using the substance despite the negative consequences, and may or may not involve chemical dependency. Dependence almost always implies abuse, but abuse frequently occurs without dependence, particularly when an individual first begins to abuse a substance. Dependence involves physiological processes while substance abuse reflects a complex interaction between the individual, the abused substance and society.
Problem
Nursing is a highly esteemed profession but still with its negative aspects. Because of the demanding and stressful nature of the job, many nurses have fallen in the traps of substance abuse. On shows like 'Nurse Jackie ', this unfortunate truth is made known to the public but the problem is more prevalent than most people realize.
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Description
Substance abuse is the overindulgence in chemicals and/or drugs that affect the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing. Substance abuse does not only affect the individual consuming the substance but the family, friends and loved ones as well. Substance abuse is a disorder that is characterized by a pattern of continued use of medications or chemical substances that results in the person repeatedly missing everyday social obligations such as work, school, family and friends. Most abusers have had or will have legal problems and personal conflict among those closest to them. There are on-going studies trying to define the exact distinctions between substance abuse and substance dependence. Currently, practice standard distinguishes between the two by defining substance dependence in terms of physiological and behavioral symptoms of substance use, and substance abuse in terms of the social consequences of substance use.
Substance abuse may lead to addiction or substance dependence. Medically, physiologic dependence requires the development of tolerance leading to withdrawal symptoms. Both abuse and dependence are distinct from addiction which involves a compulsion to continue using the substance despite the negative consequences, and may or may not involve chemical dependency. Dependence almost always implies abuse, but abuse frequently occurs without dependence, particularly when an individual first begins to abuse a substance. Dependence involves physiological processes while substance abuse reflects a complex interaction between the individual, the abused substance and society.
Problem
Nursing is a highly esteemed profession but still with its negative aspects. Because of the demanding and stressful nature of the job, many nurses have fallen in the traps of substance abuse. On shows like 'Nurse Jackie ', this unfortunate truth is made known to the public but the problem is more prevalent than most people realize.
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References: http://www.nursetogether.com/nurses-and-substance-abuse http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/definition_substance_abuse.html http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/news/modernmedicine/modern-medicine-feature-articles/drug-addiction-among-nurses-con?id=&%0A%09%09%09&pageID=4 http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/27/new-approach-addresses-substance-abuse-among-nurses/22967.html