Substance AbuseEssay title: Substance AbuseSubstance AbuseSubstance Abuse is a problem for social workers around the country no matter where you go. There are a number of different social problems, and social systems that a social worker will have to deal with when working in this field. I will hope to address the problem of substance abuse, and the different techniques used in order to cure a client suffering from substance abuse.
Substance abuse social workers assess and treat individuals with substance abuse problems, which include the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. According to Katherine Von Wormer an expert in substance abuse, “social workers treat people with these problems with individual and group therapy, outreach programs, crisis intervention, social rehabilitation, and training in skills of everyday living” (p. 25). Social workers may also help plan for supportive services to ease patients for their return to the community. Substance abuse social workers are likely to work in hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, individual and family services agencies, and local governments. These social workers are commonly known as clinical social workers.
There are a number of steps that a social worker has to follow in order to treat a client dealing with substance abuse. They have to counsel clients in individual and group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse. They also have to interview clients, review records, and confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of client or patient. A good social worker will also have to collaborate with counselors, physicians, and nurses to plan and coordinate treatments, to fit that particular patient’s needs. They also have to monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals. “Social workers have to make sure that there treatment can serve the client according to their status” (Ehrenkranz, 1997, p. 3).
Working with substance abusing clients, social workers become skilled in many different areas that are important and valued in the community. These area’s include problem focused orientation, and understanding the value of cognitive, behavioral and psycho educational approaches to treatment. “Social workers will understand the value of group and peer support, they will also understand the impact of family on both addiction and recovery” (Johnson, 2003, p. 51). The most important area for a social worker is accepting their own limitations in helping people.
Substance abuse has a very long history, because alcohol and tobacco have been around for hundreds of years. People had to have been abusing these products for many years now, but it has not been until recently has this addiction been characterized as substance abuse. One of the first centers for substance abuse was the Harmony Center in Colorado. Since its beginning in1969, the Harmony Foundation has thrived to become one of the countrys most respected substance abuse treatment center’s. This center sits on a 40-acre campus at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park. The Harmony Center is a private, non-profit corporation organization specializing in the treatment of chemical dependency. They have a non-hospital detoxification and 28 day intensive residential treatment program. Their treatment begins with a professional assessment of the problems cause by the substance
Marijuana: The Marijuana Study In 2009, the U.S. Department of State released a report stating: “The effects detected in human urine are similar to those detected in a typical human urine study.” As a result, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and its non-member states have concluded, marijuana (also known as marijuana-infused cannabis, or marijuana concentrates), is more addictive and addictive than other pain killers. According to a study published in the October 2015 issue of Psychedelic, the combined effects of cannabis, nicotine, and marijuana can include increased mood in the body and impaired concentration, which can be experienced as a mood change. The same report stated: “There is a common perception that, given the low frequency of marijuana use, it actually increases the risk of suicidal ideation and violence, as well as to suicide attempts, among alcoholics and those who report it. This finding is supported by substantial data from the general public, and by other studies that are also contradictory.” In fact, recent research has shown a consistent pattern to support the belief that there may be a link between cannabis use and suicide attempts and substance abuse.
Marijuana addiction: The Drug Addict’s Role The Drug Addict, or DAPO®, a.k.a., Marijuana Users Drug Addiction Association, is the nation’s largest law enforcement organization funded by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment (DAT), a state mental health facility providing treatment for substance use disorders, was founded in 1989 by the Department of Juvenile Justice. It has since expanded into 21 states serving over 3 million minors. According to a February 2014 report released by the US Department of Justice, an estimated 20,000 DAT patients were serving children or abused children between the ages of 15 to 18. This number exceeds the national average of 20,200. It is expected that the number will increase as a result of DAGP implementation, which it has already helped to implement. In February of 2013, the Washington State Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Services responded to reports about the DAGP project to provide treatment for some 13,000 children and young adults in their state. An estimated 1,100 children have been treated. DAPO®, for an estimated price of $0.12 per gram, was introduced into the US in 1990 along with other similar programs. The state’s Medicaid program is the most successful system for treating youth substance abuse with DAPO™. DAPO™ has served as the backbone of the program for more than forty years. In 2002, Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) introduced DAPO into the House of Representatives. In 1994, Senator John McCain of Arizona introduced the bill that the DAPO Program is now undergoing. Despite efforts, the DAPO Program was not renewed as a permanent component of the current Medicaid program. According to the DAGP Program’s website, which is available for download right now, DAPO® was provided as an emergency treatment center at the state psychiatric hospital. In 2009, the state’s governor declared that he had authorized the state to purchase all needed funds, at a price not to exceed 1 million dollars to cover operating expenses. Because the DAGP Program remained in effect until December 2009, there was no cost estimate of the cost of running the program. In October 2014, the New York State Legislature approved HB3, which required that DAPO be the new state’s preferred drug to treat substance abuse. The bill failed in the New York State Assembly at the last minute and was defeated in the