Drug Addiction And Social Work Essay

Overview on the Issues of Drug Addiction and its Relevance to Social Work

Substance abuse disorder also known as drug addiction; “is a chronic disease that results in a physiological desire for use of habit-forming substances” (Sharma, 2020). The disease affects millions of Americans every day. The question has never been whether drug addiction is an immense problem for society, but what kind of problem addiction is and who should manage it.

There are many causes of drug addiction, every person has a story, and each story is as heart affecting as the next. Addiction can start as an experimental use or even at a party with a group of friends using it recreationally, and for some, it can even become frequent to where they think they have

As social workers we can help individuals who are affected by addiction every day and work with individuals who have lost everything because of alcohol or drug use.

Working with individuals to help each and every one of them to get clean and back up on their feet is a powerful form of social justice. However, our society tends to forget about individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol and leave them to figure everything out on their own.

Every day our social workers give all individuals that struggle with addiction hope for a better future.

Evidence Regarding Drug Addiction and Strategies for Addressing it

A social worker addresses strategies for giving alcohol or drug-addicted individuals and their families the support that is needed to help them overcome addiction. According to (Systems, 2017), “addiction disorders are usually combined with a combination of psychological and physiological issues that social workers must be trained to help unravel.” These trained social workers can assist with the underlying issues such as depression, ptsd, or abuse, which are frequently associated with

Innovative possibilities for action and change I would put Forth

There are many individuals who have struggled with drug addiction, in most cases the individual is in denial about their situation and refuses to get/seek treatment. The individual may not even realize the effects that it has on themself or even the others (family, friends, co-workers) around them.

As a social worker for addiction, I would put forth an intervention with a plan for the addict, gather all information about the individual, form an intervention team, have a set of consequences in place, notes on what to say during our meeting, and hold the meeting. Next, I think it's important to include other social services in the individual's treatment plan making sure they get the medical help they need, assisting in housing, and employee assistance programs to help with job