Research Paper Essay

AbstractThis research paper im agency evaluate the biological aspects of addictive nitty-gritty or carriage and how it affects the adept and organs. Biological aspects every(prenominal)ow dopamine levels that be replaced in the brain due to the reward dust of rules macrocosm all over military issuen and the absorption yard of the medicate once it is ingested go forth be discussed. The biological aspects ar extensive and permanent if the individual does not take on the attend they need. Further much than the clinical issues of addictive significance or behavior give be discussed along with medical treatments and ethical issues. This includes treatments such as counseling and treatment programs that are answerive. Lastly the Christian dry landview implications and how it affects Christian pleaders allow for be addressed. How the church may view individuals who hold up an dependency and how a counselor approaches a leaf node with an dependance. addiction is something that is an epidemic in the world of the devil and it should be evaluated and taken seriously.People put on doses for a variant of reasons, some may be to self-medicate, to over set down anxiety, to deal with a by that they want to forget, or until now alone to fit in with a crowd. However, most of the habituaters, initially, do not think or care of the later on side effects which could include addiction. on that point are many factors that come into play on if a soulfulness testament be more(prenominal) susceptible to addictions such as heredity, environment, psychoactive medicates and imperious behaviors (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). Substance/ mienDrugs affect many areas of a someones body, the central neural scheme (CNS) is effected causing mental, emotional and physical changes (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). Pharmacokinetics describes this work by which a medicate is absorbed, distri exclusivelyed, metabolized, eliminated, and excreted by the body (Inaba & Cohe n, 2011). The factors that contribute to this move include r breake ofadministration, speed of transit to the brain, rates of metabolism, process of elimination, affinity for kindling cells and neurotransmitters (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). All of these factors contribute to how the drug biogically affects the psyche administering the drug. A someone who injects heroine on an empty stomach will not hand over the same effect as a somebody who digests a pill of heroine afterwards a meal. thither are more aspects that involve if the soul will exit addicted to the drug. Metabolism and excretion alike play a part in the effects on the brain. Metabolism is the bodys instrument for processing, using, and inactivating a foreign core group that has entered the body (Inaba & Cohen, p. 2.7, 2011). Metabolism applies to everything that is ingested into our bodies, including food. Excretion is the process of eliminating the foreign core and its metabolites from the body (Inaba & Cohen, p. 2.7, 2011). When a drug is ingested the metabolic process begins along with the excretion process by the kidney. This explains why alcoholics have kidney problems and some clock times failure after years of alcohol shame. An example of how a drug travels from Inaba and Cohen iswhen some peerless swallows a 10 milligram tablet of Vicodin or drinks a beer the drug passes through the esophagus and the stomach into the small intestine, where it is absorbed into the capillaries tangle into the intestine walls. The capillaries transport the drug into the veins which carry it to the liver where it is partially metabolized. It is thitherfore pumped back to the heart and subsequently to the rest of the body. That is just one example of how a drug is passed through the body and absorbed into the users system. in that respect are many early(a) ways that the drug can enter into the body. The frontmost time alcohol or drugs are ingested dopamine levels interlace higher than they do with foodand that hold is remembered, the experience is stored in the amygdala which controls emotion and hippocampus which controls emotion. After using the substance over and over the brain no longer produces its own dopamine. (Carlson & Carlson, 2013). There are more side effects that occur if the substance is not taken again, including belief and sometimes physical symptoms. (Carlson & Carlson, p.35, 2013). If the mortal stopped filling the void they have created with the substance their brain will eventually start reproducing its own dopamine again. There are addictions that can develop from behavior disorders, non-substance abuse disorders.These could be gambling, shopping, and many other compulsive/impulse control disorders. There are studies that suggest that 26-37% of those with alcohol dependence alike had a life story biography of a mood disorder (with depression being the most common), whereas 32-37% met lifetime criteria for an anxiety disorder (McLachlan & Starkey, 2 012). When a person who is addicted to a compulsive disorder is qualifying through coitus interruptuss the urge or craving enchantment abstaining from the behaviors may have a similarity with cravings during drug withdrawal in substance addictions (El-Guebaly, Mudry, Zohar, Tavares,& Potenza, 2012). To a person who is withdrawing from a gambling addiction they will looking at the same way as a person who is nerve-racking to stop drinking. There are groups such as Gamblers anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous that service these individuals through the process of overcoming their addictions. When a person who is suffering from an addiction decides to make a change they can go through a process before they decide to take meet. The phase angles are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation/ mobile for action, action, maintenance, and possibly relapse. (James, p. 74, 2012). Pre-contemplation is when the person is not considering change and denying they have a problem. express ion is when the addict is sitting on the fence about if they have a problem or not.Preparation/ready for action is described as when they are making a mental plan for how and when they are going to act. Action is practicing the new behavior for three to six months. The maintenance stage is continuing to maintain the new behavior for more than six months after the action plan. Relapse occurs if the old behaviors happen again, (James, 2012). An important part of overcoming the behaviors that go along with addiction is the creation of memories. Memories are created from the time we are born, we distinguish things about ourselves such as what makes us laugh or what makes us cry. A person may have a bad experience with a drug or alcohol and that memory stays with them. It could even deter them from trying it again or the person could be pressured into well-favored it one more try before they decide. Memories are actually firm bits of protein imprinted on the brain as microscopic memor y bumps called dendritic spines (Inaba & Cohen, p. 2.12, 2011). When great deal use psychoactive drugs the memories are imprinted on the brain. These memories include, where they got the drug, the reason they use it, and what feelings resulted (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). These memories are problematic because they are especiallypowerful for the users brain. The memories will affect how often a person uses in the future. If a person has a euphoric and amazing experience when they use a drug they will remember it vividly and have a hard time forgetting the experience.If something happens to them that causes depression or makes them have a bad day they will go back to this euphoric state and want to recreate that particular again. Furthermore, if the person has a preconceived susceptibility to addiction to a substance they are more likely to continue to go back to this substance to solve their problems rather than dealing with them in a healthy way. some factors such as environment when the person was raised will also play a factor, if the person was not taught the proper coping skills in dealing with issues their only memory of how to escape a problem will be the occurrence of the drug use. The same instance occurs with a person who suffers from a behavioral disorder such as gambling. When a person gambles they feel valued and appreciated. A person with a gambling addiction is treated like a king when they walk into a gambling casino or a place that caters to gamblers. They bring them drinks to their table, they have beautiful girls more or less them, and they are treated as if they are someone important. To a person who has never been treated like that in their life, it can develop into an addiction, an addiction to winning the money and an addiction to being treated like a king.Their memories and reward systems are replaced with this experience and it is hard to overcome. The reward/control bridle-path of the brain encourages a human to perform or repeat an a ction that promotes survival (Inaba & Cohen, p. 2.14, 2011). A psychoactive drug urges a person to take the drug again because it closely resembles the natural reward system of the brain. For substance abusers this pathway is seriously altered, the go set ricks overactive and the stop circuit becomes dysfunctional and does not shut off the craving (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). The craving to do the drug again becomes jar againstmingly unbearable for the individual because their reward system is in overload. The individual may wish that they could stop the addiction or not even want to but they cannot stop because of the affect the drug/habit has had on their brain.The reversal of the reward system also makes normally enjoyable circumstances not enjoyable to the individual suffering from an addiction. A person who may have enjoyed painting or walking round the park will be able to think about nil other thantaking another hit of cocaine because their brains reward system is not happy un til that is experienced. It takes a very strong individual to be able to overcome this and recognize it in their own brains. That is why there are programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous to help individuals process these changes in a step by step basis, because it is so hard to just quit something that has such a hold on the person. Clinical IssuesThere are aspects of treatment that dominate in the field of treatment of a behavioral or chemical dependency. These aspects begin with the fact that medications are used more to treat addictions, there are many reasons that a drug may be used in the treatment process including drugs decrease the withdrawal symptoms, drugs lessen cravings, substitute medications that are less damaging than the primary quill substance of abuse, nutritional supplements, and antidepressants (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). Some addicts do require drug use but some do not, it depends on how addicted to the substance or behavior the person was as well as how long they wer e using. another(prenominal) issue in treatment is that new imaging techniques are being used to visualize the structural and physiological effects of addiction on the human brain (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). These techniques include CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans to show the impose on _or_ oppress to the brain tissues, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), fMRI (functional MRI), PET (positron dismissal tomography), SPECT (single-photon emission computerized tomography, and DTI (Diffusion tensor imaging) (Inaba & Cohen, p. 9.5, 2011) These techniques allow doctors to study the brain as the addict goes through such things as the reward cycle when using a drug. These tests will help to punter understand the processes of the brain and possibly be able to supercharge combat the problem of addiction.The more a process in understood, the more educated a doctor can be with their patient the better treatment process they can prescribe for the patient. Internet- found therapies involve s tructured, treatment programs delivered via the profits that incorporate some degree of therapist interaction (Blaszczynski, A., Gainsbury, S., 2011). The internet based therapy mostly occurs via e-mails, telephone or face to face between the client and the counselor it can benefit a wide range of mess including those with alcohol and drug addictions. It is also beneficial for those with behavioral addictions such as gambling. Internet based therapyhas been largely successful with less than 25% of large number with addiction-related problems ever entering formal treatment (Blaszcynski, 2011). The internet based therapy could be widely popular as well because it is anonymous and they do not have to attend a meeting or go out of their way to a counselors office. The appointments are on the persons own time when they are available. discussion for individuals such as the elderly depends on patient placement after they are evaluated for abuse or addiction as well as physical or psych iatric problems. Treatment is thusly evaluated on the risks that could affect the elderly person.There are six dimensions established by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) acute intoxication and/or withdrawal potential biomedical conditions and complications behavioral conditions and complications treatment acceptance/resistance relapse potential and convalescence environment (Clay, 2010). An elderly individual struggling from addiction can also be placed in an outpatient treatment such as draft intervention, motivational interviewing and pharmaceuticals (Clay, 2010). It is recommended that the least intensive approach be considered first and then the condition be further assessed. Individuals who are addicted to heroin have a treatment that is called Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) this involves prescribing opioids to those who are opioid dependent. A person who is addicted to heroin will go through daily withdrawal symptoms, and are at increased risk of persi sting in use of heroin and other drugs. (Bell,2012). The idea is to prescribe low dosage methadone hydrochloride (30-60 mg a day) or buprenorphine (4-8mg/day) to help control the withdrawal symptoms.another(prenominal) reason for this approach is, at higher methadone doses, people become more tolerant to opioids, and blocking the effects of heroin and suppressing continued heroin use (Bell, 2012). Another approach to treatment is coerced treatment. Coerced treatment is when it is mandated by the wretched justice system, through drug courts mandatory sentencing, probation/parole stipulations, and state or federal legislation requiring compulsory treatment (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). The Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison program measured the effectiveness of the treatment programs that were mandatory and found lessenings in the re-arrest rate, reconviction rate and return to prison rate. The downfall to the coerced programs is that there may not be space available for people who want to voluntarily get help before they arearrested or in trouble with the legal system. The reduction in the economy over the years has caused a lot of political sympathies funded programs to be closed due to funding issues, leaving less places for addicts to go for help. (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). Christian Worldview ImplicationsAddictions can come in many shape and forms to a Christian counselor. There are sexual addictions, gambling addictions, alcohol addictions, substance addictions etc. From a biblical standpoint a Christian counselor would want to introduce biblical morals and values so the person can rely on a higher power other than themselves to overcome the addiction. Addictions come straight from the devil when they are attacking a person and causing them to sin. A counselor should consider themselves to be warriors of beau ideal in the war against addictions. There are many in the Christian environments that consider addiction to be an act of will. A church collection may not take an addiction as seriously as they would take someone who was diagnosed with cancer. It is important that the counselor help the client see that their addiction is important to overcome, confessing their addiction and the problem with it can be the first step when a person is struggling with an addiction. The person may feel that it is easier to hide the addiction rather than admit there is a problem, but to confess the sin is the most important first step.ReferencesBell, J. (2012). Buprenorphine in The Treatment of Heroin Addiction. Dusunen Adam Journal Of Psychiatry & Neurological Sciences, 25(2), 93-100. inside10.5350/DAJPN20122502001Blaszczynski, A., Gainsbury, S. (2011). A systematic review of Internet-based therapy for the treatment of addictions, Clinical Psychology Review. Vol. 31(3).Carlson, D., & Carlson, H. (2013). Addiction The brain disease. Madison, CT, USA Bick Publishing House.Clay, S. W. (2010). Treatment of addiction in the elderly. AgingHealth, 6(2), 177- 189. doihttp//dx.doi.org/10.2217/ahe.10.14El-Guebaly, N., Mudry, T., Zohar, J., Tavares, H. and Potenza, M. N. (2012), Compulsive features in behavioural addictions the case of pathological gambling. Addiction, 107 17261734. doi 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03546.xInaba, D. S. & Cohen, W. E. (2011). Uppers, downers, all arounders Physical and mental effects of psychoactive drugs. (7th ed.). Medford, OR CNS ProductionsJames, R. L. (2012). sex and addiction. Westport, CT, USA ABC-CLIO.McLachlan, A. D., & Starkey, N. J. (2012). The classification of substance and behavioural addictions a preliminary investigation. brisk Zealand Journal of Psychology, 41(1)