Chemical Dependency

Have you ever felt trapped unable to escape a certain situation, as if stuck in a room with no doors? It is easy to get lost in this feeling living in this type of world. Living in a world full of endless possibilities people tend to get trapped in their own vice. A professor of psychology by the name of Dr. Stone once said “We are not trapped by our thoughts. What we generally do, however, is create thoughts that trap us” (Stone 162). This correlates directly to the character in the novel by William Gibson called Neuromancer. The novel depicts a hacker, by the name of Case, who steals from his employers. When caught his employers poison him with a Russian mycotoxin, from there he constantly abuses his body with drugs and dangerous activities.

The State of Consciousness lab was aimed to observe the modification that occurs in a person’s behavior as a result of experiencing a drug addiction. Throughout the experiment will be monitored the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable which was constantly modified throughout the lab was the amount of the drug taken. The dependent variable, which is directly affected by the independent variable, was the level of addiction experienced. The addiction symptoms and behavior will be more severe after a more constant use of the drug.

Opiate addiction is much different than that of other substances that are abused and can cause addiction. Opiate addiction is a serious problem in our country and will become an even bigger problem in the years ahead. The persistent use of opiates and is thought to be a disorder of the central nervous system. Though opiate painkillers are prescribed by physicians, opiate addiction is an insidious medical disease. But since opiate addiction is far more than a behavior problem, treatment requires more than just therapy.

During the Vietnam War the soldiers, whether or not they wanted to be there, many of them developed mental illnesses. The things they would experience would cause burdens on them for the rest of their lives. “Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April.” (The Things They Carried) Lavender carried tranquilizers until he died, because he was scared. This is one the effects war had on people. Due to cultural aspects these soldiers were burdened by drugs, the environment and social pressure to perform well, ultimately effecting their state of mind.

Drug addiction and mental illness is commonly called a “dual diagnosis.” These mental illnesses range from depression to bipolar disorder or manic depression. When a person has a dual diagnosis they have two separate illnesses. It 's important for medical professionals to remember this since each illness needs isolated and treated by itself.

“Addiction is a chronic and compulsive dependence on a substance such as alcohol, drugs, or nicotine” (“Addiction”). Addiction has become a significant issue across the nation and has become a very controversial topic among many. Addiction is a simple process that many don’t even see happening until it is too late. The way the human brain is structured it will do whatever it takes “to ensure that individuals will repeat behaviors necessary to survival and well-being” (“Addiction”). Addictive substances stimulate the brain to produce more dopamine and it tricks the brain to create feelings of well-being. “Without extreme amounts of dopamine, addicts feel lifeless and depressed” (“Addiction”). In his article “Many People Are Addicted to Drugs That Were Prescribed for Them in the Past,” Randy Turner

Methamphetamine and cocaine are both in the same category of drugs known as stimulants. Meth is completely man-made and is manufactured using common household and industrial ingredients such as over-the-counter cold/allergy medicines, drain cleaner, battery acid, gun cleaner, gasoline additives, muriatic acid, ammonia, lye, acetone and litter. Cocaine on the other hand is naturally occurring and is harvested from the leaves of the cocoa plant. While they are two entirely different drugs, both meth and cocaine have risks associated with their use, and have very high rates of dependence, abuse, and addiction. However, there are very distinct differences between cocaine and meth, in terms of how these drugs affect the individual both physically and psychologically. Both drugs are stimulants so they stimulate the individual and create an euphoric high, as a result of the way both drugs elevate the dopamine levels in the brain. Stimulants such as cocaine and meth cause the user to be more active, talkative, alert, less tired, exhilarated, etc. This essay will talk about each drug signs and symptoms treatment nursing management for drug abuse.

Psychedelic substances also referred to as psychotomimetic drug; psychomimetic drug are psychoactive substances whose most significant actions is usually to influence the thoughts and perceptions of the brain. It includes all the supposedly called mind-enhancing drugs that could result in states of altered thought processes, often with enhanced consciousness of sensory input, however with minimal control over what exactly is being experienced.

Normative theories on addiction tend to feed into the debate of compulsion or choice (Henden, Melberg, & Røgeberg, 2013). On one end of the spectrum, addiction can be described as a medical illness illustrated by relapse, recurring drug use, and compulsive behavior in which the addict has no control over. Sellman, (2010), for example, argues that although often lost on healthcare professionals and other medical providers, addiction to drugs and other addictive behaviors (gambling, pornographic websites, internet use, alcohol, etc.) becomes increasingly compulsive as the addiction progresses. Biological evidence has shown to correlate drug use and dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. As drug use increases,

This essay will tackle the topic of substance use disorder as a psychology topic. The film that will be reviewed for the topic is 28 Days. This is a film written by Susannah Grant and written by Betty Thomas. The film stars Sandra Bullock as a columnist for a New York newspaper (Thomas). In the film, Bullock acts as Gwen Cummings, an alcoholic forced to attend rehab for 28 days. This is because of her escapades of the day that ended up with her crushing a stolen wedding limo into a house (Thomas). The film explores substance use disorder through the eyes and life of Cummings and the people she meets in the rehab. It also explores the challenges they go through in trying to get clean. This essay will show how substance abuse and its related disorder is being portrayed in the film.

Neuroscience is the scientific branch that studies anatomy, physiology, nerves and nervous tissue and how it correlates to our behavior in our lives. This knowledge about the human brain can thus be applied when examining people who smoke cigarettes or any form of tobacco to feed an addiction. Nicotine is a naturally occurring product that lies in tobacco and when taken into the body releases chemicals and our bodies can become dependent on the nicotine. Once our brains get to this point they change our chemicals in our body and will not perform certain actions until its addiction is fed.

There are many states of consciousness such as hypnosis and drug-induced state. Hypnosis can be defined as a calm, trance-like state during which you tend to have heightened concentration and focus. You also tend to be more open to suggestion, but that doesn’t mean self-control is lost. Hypnosis has helped

Chemical imbalance is when the brain produces maximum or minimum hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters. It 's occurs due to stress, depression and releases when a person exercise however, most of the imbalance is caused by uneven signal transmitters chemical presented in the brain. This imbalance has been linked with mental disorder such as anxiety, mood, post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia and bipolar. Therefore, chemical imbalance can be regulated and improved when medication is administered to signal the right amount of chemicals into the brain.

Dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine are a group of neurotransmitters called catecholamines. Catecholamines are synthesized from tyrosine, an amino acid (1). Structurally, “they all have an amino group (—NH2—NH2) and a catechol ring composed of six carbons and two adjacent hydroxyl (—OH—OH) groups” (1). These catecholamines, “may cause either excitation or inhibition, depending on the type of metabotropic receptor at the synapse” (1). Norepinephrine is produced in the adrenal glands and “plays roles in arousal (awakening from deep sleep), dreaming, and regulating mood. A smaller number of neurons in the brain use epinephrine as a neurotransmitter” (1). Dopamine is responsible for our emotional responses, pleasure

When a person takes a drug the chemicals affect the brain by interfering with how the neurons send messages. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the structure of Marijuana and Heroin mimic a natural neurotransmitter which tricks the receptors into allowing the drug to activate neurons inside the brain which interferes with messages and leads to abnormalities of behavior. With other drugs such as cocaine there is an abnormally large amount of neurotransmitters released which disrupts communication channels. Drug abuse can rewire brain connections, decrease synapse activity and cause addiction. The American Psychiatric Association says that addiction is a complex condition, and a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 21.5 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2014. Addiction to drugs has been a growing issue in America, and is causing jails to become overcrowded. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that more than half of federal prisoners were incarcerated for drug crimes in 2010. This leads to the question of whether the justice system is doing an adequate job of dealing with drug addiction. Instead of incarcerating people for drug abuse, an alternative is treating victims by rehab and treatment. This paper will exam why treatment is the superior option for