Chp.27 Substance abuse

Problems and consequences of substance abuse are included in areas such as:

⚬Social: isolation

⚬Psychological: increased depression, anxiet,y suicide,and psychosis

⚬Physical: HIV, cirrhosis, syndrome

⚬Economic: reduced workforce participation, underemployment, poverty

⚬Political: incarceration

Attidudes towards drug use

• “Good” drugs

  • Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs

  • Prescription drugs

• “Bad” drugs

  • Illegal drugs

• Perceptions of addicts

• Nurses’ self-assessment: examine your own additude

Primary prevention for substance use?

• Primary

  • preventing the initial use of or the delay of initial substance use

• Secondary

  • Early detection  of or reduction of substance use once problems have already begun 

• Tertiary- harm reduction

  • Reducing substance use problems or harms to prevent further deterioration or death.

  • needle exchange

What is binge drinking?

W: 4 or more drinks

M: 8 or more drinks

What is heavy dresing 

Women: 8 or more drinks per week for women 

Men: 15 or more drinks per week

What are examples of illicit drugs?

⚬Marijuana

⚬Cocaine (including crack)

⚬Heroin

⚬Hallucinogens

⚬Prescription-type psychotherapeutics (pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives) used nonmedically.

Methamphetamine?

• •Most widely produced controlled substance in the United States

  •Illegal street names of the drug (crank, crystal, meth, ice, or glass)

  •Can be injected, inhaled, taken orally, or smoked

  •Highest use among 20 to 29-year-olds

• increase dopamine rapildy 

Steroids?

•Synthetic variants of male sex hormone testosterone

⚬Proper term anabolic-androgenic steroids

⚬Build muscle and said to be androgenic

⚬Most commonly used in athletes and other  individuals willing to risk potential and irreversible health consequences to build muscle

what health risk can steroid use lead to?

• Blood clots, liver damage, premature cardiovascular changes, increased cholesterol

• Increased potential for suicide and aggressive and risky behaviors

The influence of the physical, social, and cultural environment within which the use occurs

• Daily stressors

• Advertisements

• Lower socioeconomic background

• Lack of education

• Limited employment possibilities

Primary prevention?

•Promotion of healthy lifestyles and resiliency factors

•Drug education

Community Based Programs

Secondary prevention?

• Assessing for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems

• Drug testing

• High-risk groups

  • Adolescents

  • Older adults

  • Injection drug users

  • Drug use during pregnancy

  • Persons who use illicit drugs

• Codependency and family involvement

• SERRT: screening used to asses subtance use

Tertiary prevention?

• Harm reduction 

• addiction treatment center- inpatients and outpatients

• medication-assisted treatment

  • methadone and suboxone

• Support groups

• Smoking cessation programs

Elderly: substance use?

• Elderly men and women are vulnerable to substance abuse because of:

  • Increased medically prescribed drugs

  • Cultural and social isolation

• Misuse of prescription drugs: the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly

• VA Hospital system suggests elderly are prescribed inappropriately high doses of benzodiazepines

NALOXONE

A a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose.