Substance Use and Addiction in the Media

As technology progresses, society becomes more and more saturated in the daily happenings of the world through social media, television, etc. In saying this, the portrayal of substance use and addiction is a widespread topic that has had a lot of research done on it. Could our media outlets be suggestive of an addictive lifestyle?

Griffiths (2010) shows the impact media can have on a variety of things in our lives. His study, which is an analysis of other studies dealing with the same subject, seem to show that mass media can, in fact, influence behavior (Griffiths, 2010). Studies have shown that people who watch shows dealing with drug and alcohol use have a tendency to be more apt to do drugs and alcohol themselves (Griffiths, 2010). Going deeper into the article, there have been studies done that have shown that the likeability of film actors and actresses who smoke on-screen and off can directly influence whether a fan of theirs engages in similar activities. Griffiths suggests that since we know that media can adversely affect the population, why not put more positive behaviors on television. However, it seems as if that is not what people want to watch, so it does not seem like a feasible option.

To further illustrate these points, Sulkenen (2007) conducted a study in which there were 140 movie scenes from 47 movies that dealt with the portrayal of drug, alcohol, gambling, etc. Sulkenen (2007) found that the portrayal of these scenes were mostly positive and focused on the fun and 'good' side of addiction. Gunasekera et al. (2005) looked at 87 most popular movies of the past twenty years. It was found that there was use of cannabis in 8% of the films, tobacco use in 68% and drunken behavior in 32% of the films. Gunasekera et al. concluded, much like Sulkenen that they were almost ALWAYS portrayed in a positive light. This begs the question of why is addiction portrayed in a positive light?

Much research has been done to find this answer out; and it seems to always boil down to money. Sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. SELLS. Seeing others engage in these types of behaviors makes us want to go out and have fun. Nobody wants to sit at home and watch about boring stuff, things that don't thrill us. In our culture, we pay more money to celebrities like the cast of Jersey Shore than we do to the people who save their lives when they're drunk beyond comprehension. There is something inherently wrong with that. It seems we live in a culture that is dead set on entertainment, rather than knowledge.


Personally, I find the medias portrayal of substance use and addiction appalling. Outside of shows like Intervention, substance use is glorified in our media outlets and society. As stated earlier, shows like Jersey Shore glamorize partying and acting stupid. They are paid millions of dollars to go out, get drunk, and act stupid. However, that is not the biggest issue at hand. That belongs to the millions of teenagers that see this and think that behavior is acceptable and the social norm. Our media outlets are creating a generation that will be engulfed in reality television and the lifestyle it portrays. However, producers will put on whatever gets the highest ratings; and until that changes, the glorification of substance use and addiction in the media will continue to flourish under the growing stupidity of society.


REFERENCES:

Griffiths, M. D. (2010). Media and advertising influences onadolescent risk behaviour. Education and Health, 28(1), 2-5. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/429435/Griffiths_M.D._2010_._Media_and_advertising_influences_on_adolescent_risk_behaviour._Education_and_Health_28_1_2-5

Gunasekera, N. (2005). Our addiction to media. Retrieved from http://psychology4a.com/addiction 12.htm

Sulkunen, P. (2007, 05). Effects of media on society. Retrieved from http://psychology4a.com/addiction 12.htm

Summary of Habits Assignment

Throughout the semester, everybody in class was assigned the task of picking out a habit and during the course of the semester trying to break this habit. In my case, I chose to limit, then completely cut out my consumption of soda. Given that I want to become more physically fit, I chose this because I know the health detriments to soda and wanted to be able to try something that would allow for a positive, healthy, gain in my life. In saying this, the reasoning behind the elimination of soda from my diet was driven by personal desire to allow myself an opportunity to become more physically fit by cutting soda out of my diet.

As the semester progressed, I found it easier and easier to accomplish these goals. As of right now, I am ten pounds lighter then when I started the semester. However, in saying this, this task did not come without challenges. During a few of our breaks during the semester, I had to go back home where the only drink options are Soda, Milk, and spicket water. I fell back into old habits and consumed a reasonably large amount of soda while I was back home. I took it upon myself to make sure that did not happen again. While I was at school, I did not ever feel the urge to really drink soda because there are such a variety of choices at school. Overall, I would say it was fairly easy to obtain this goal once I got through the mental barrier of being at home and making good decisions while there.


Through this journey throughout the semester, I really wanted to take it upon myself to do this for me. I am a very stubborn individual at times, so I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this with little to no help. I do believe, however, if I would've allowed for help that it could not in anyway really be a detriment to the goals I was trying to reach. In fact, moving forward and sticking to this past gradaution, I believe it would be sensible to reach out to friends to make sure I am sticking to the physical goals I am setting for myself and deny me sodas even if I beg for them!


As I said before, I wanted to do this by myself to prove that I could keep myself from drinking soda. I learned that if I put my mind to something and truly dedicate myself to it, then I can accomplish those goals. Perhaps, it installed in me that a strong mind can defy whatever matter you are craving. Also, I learned that to get in the physical condition I am hoping for, it takes time, dedication, and committment. In saying this, I believe this whole assignment set a solid foundation in my pursuit of these goals. It gives me experience now to draw back on and hopefully it will aid me in the future.


While my 'addiction' falls in comparison to what we studied this semester, it does shed light on the process of 'recovery.' Learning about the specifics of addiction made me realize that if changing a simple habit, like drinking soda, is difficult I can only imagine how difficult it would be to change a chemical dependency, like cocaine. I believe in general terms, this experience is an eye-opening experience, one in which the person who is involved in it should get a small understanding of the grasp addiction can have on someone. From our readings and discussions in-class, I can see how strong an addiction can be. As we've learned throughout the semester, there are a variety of different addictions, but all of them rest on the person and the families involved to help them get through it.

After doing this mini-study, I think it has to be infinitely harder to deal with a real strong addiction like we've learned about throughout the semester. It gave me an appreciation of the struggle one has to go through to become sober again. I think in relation to the type of support/counseling needed for someone who is trying to change a behavior could be out-patient treatment. It should be enough to keep them on track of their behaviors and allow for them to set goals and constantly remind themselves of the goals at hand for a better life. I believe that habits/addictions can be overcome, but they are never truly 'broken' or 'cured.' You have to live with whatever issues you had before and to battle with it until your time is done. Our brains almost seemed to be wired to look back on the past, and sometimes it comes back and bites us. Some people are able to move forward and live happy, healthy lives. However, on the other end of the spectrum, some people are stuck looking back always wrapped up in their addiction. It's a constant battle between mind and matter, that is a lifetime struggle once you are first addicted.


Overall, I loved this assignment. Please keep it for future classes!!!


-Derek

Article for Chapter 13

Chapter 13 talks about a numerous amount of issues, however, I would like to delve deep into the issue of the criminalization of drug addicts. A New York Times article investigated the issue of The Criminalization of Bad Mothers. However, there is a portion that deals with drug-addicted mothers and cases in which prosecutors wanted to penalize them for potentially harming their children before their birth.

The article delves right into a case about a mother who was criminally charged for "chemically endangering" her child in the state of Alabama. The mandatory sentence for this is 10 years to life; but was set at a bail of $250,000 (Calhoun, 2012). She was eventually sentenced to the minimum of 10 years. The article goes on and talks about the rarity of such cases, however, organizations such as the Personhood USA have been trying to get laws in place in which a "fully rights endowed person is created once sperm meets egg" (Calhoun, 2012). This organization wants the mother to be held accountable for any drug use after that under criminal punishment. As of 2012, it has legislature and initiatives in 22 states. However, adveraries to this argue that they believe this is a health issue and should not be treated as a criminal action (Calhoun, 2012). Much of the article gives examples of other cases in Alabama where women were accused and charged with numerous penalties for doing drugs while pregnant. Many prosecutors equate doing drugs while pregnant to driving while drunk; "a crime was still committed, although nothing had been done." The article concludes with an analysis by the author in which she seems to play both sides of the fence. Overall, it was a phenomenal article and a very interesting read.

Personally, I believe that mothers should be held accountable for endangering their child while pregnant. If you feel that you are responsible enough to engage in sexual activity; you then are responsible enough to care for a child in the proper way. I am a firm believer that once the sperm meets the egg the end result is a child. In NO cases, has there been any other outcome. I would agree with Alabama's law and wish it would be implemented elsewhere. By holding the parent accountable and making them complete treatment along with possible jail time, it would provide them an opportunity at a chance to raise their child in a more safe, friendly, and drug free environment. I believe the author of this article for the New York Times did a really good job creating this story and making it easy to understand for the casual reader. Also, she looked at both sides of the case and was not biased towards one or the other. Overall, I am really glad I found this article. It relates closely to our reading and it is nice when you can relate in-class text to outside material for application purposes.


REFERENCE:
Calhoun, A. (2012, 04 25). The criminalization of bad mothers. New York Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/magazine/the-criminalization-of-bad-mothers.html?pagewanted=all

Interview

I conducted my interview with Brenda Robinson, an employee at Philhaven. She strictly deals with Alcohol addiction and the treatment plans for it.

They usually outsource their clients to various 12-step meetings, although there are many meetings held at the Philhaven Campus. The reason for outsourcing many is because of the distance between home and Philhaven. Finding areas that are for less travel make it easier on the clients. However, it is STRONGLY encouraged that they attend the meetings at Philhaven as frequently as possible. This is due to the relationship the client and patient have developed and the continuity in the treatment plan. There are inpatient and outpatient treatments depending on the severity. If they have been deemed a hazard to themselves or to society, inpatient treatment is often the route chosen.

They focus primarily on treating and educating their clients about the effects alcohol can have not only on themselves, but also their families. As stated previously, they do provide direct care, but was not told if they help with the medicine at all.

Brenda was able to give me a ballpark range of the number of people they treat annually. Their alcohol addiction unit is small and serve only somewhere between 500-700 people annually. Most of the development in the organization have stuck to mostly the typical mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.).

Brenda reiterated how restrained they are by legal and ethical standards. She could not go into detail about these certain guidelines because of one of those very legal/ethical standards. She could tell me, however, that they HEAVILY influence the way they treat their clients and even said sometimes it really inhibits the process.

The one question I asked her directly pertained to the Legal/Ethical Guidelines: "Do you feel these guidelines and liability legal laws inhibit you from providing the best care?"

-She went on to say that in an ideal world she would do these things much differently, but an idealistic world is not realistic. She prefers a different way to go about treatment, but the results have shown that this way is just as effective, although maybe a longer process.

I believe all of this information is what we'd expect from what we've learned in class so far. Whether it be their treatment options, how they treat them, or the legal/ethical implications, it covers a lot of what we already have in class. I thought this was a very rewarding experience because it provided application to the in-class material that we had been covering. I am very glad I did this and learned about their organization and a little about Brenda herself.

Overall, I am appreciative of this opportunity.

Chapter 10 Article Summary

The article I chose dealt with need-service matching in substance abuse treatment and racial/ethnic differences in them.

The data was collected from 1992-1997 for the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study which was aimed to better improve the treatment of minorities in substance abuse clinics. The sample consisted of 3142 clients (1812 African Americans, 486 Latinos, and 844 Whites.) The study showed that minorities are undeserved compared to Whites in the substance abuse service system.

This research was conducted because of a growing literature review that seemed to lean towards a race bias in the substance abuse system. This led to the study in the present article. The research method was a longitudinal study in which they evaluated these clients over a 5-year span. While it goes much more in detail, this was the main finding: Minorities are treated more poorly than whites in all areas of substance abuse treatments.


These results shocked me because they are still fairly recent. It seems as if stereotypes are still alive and present in our society and we perhaps still act on them unconsciously. It's sad to see that there hasn't been much improvement in this area and hopefully we can continually work towards better improving our substance abuse systems.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2975433/

In the Movies- Blow

For the "In the Movies" assignment I watched "Blow" starring Johnny Depp. The movie delves deep into the life of George Jung who established the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970's. The movie is set in the "hippie" era of the United States so experimenting was commonplace. What started out as smoking/selling marijuana, turned quickly into a business that seemed to have much more upside; the cocaine trade. With a small market in the United States, Depp (Jung) starts to develop a cocaine trade in the United States in the 70's. Bouts with the law land him in trouble, however his knack for this trade catches the eye of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Escobar allows Jung to become his right-hand-man and makes him the kingpin in the United States cocaine trade. I believe at one point, they say in the film that 85% of all of the cocaine supplied in the United States came from Depp's character.

While all of this is happening, Jung's dependence on cocaine affects his relationship with his wife, parents, and the people around him. He chases the high over and over but the movie is developed in such a way that it makes you want to know more. However, given the time period I felt the movie's portrayal of his addiction was spot-on. I didn't think they under or over-sold his interactions with his family, wife, etc. As the movie progresses, we see Jung finally realize that the life of addiction is not everything it is cracked up to be. It's hard to feel empathy towards Jung, but given what he built around him, the movie makes it out to be a noble act of him trying to stop his frequent cocaine use. I would say in the context of just looking at the addiction itself (which is hard to do in the film with all that is going on around) I would feel for his struggles with addiction. Given everything going on around him, he should have eliminated all of the extra-curriculars in the drug trade; but it seemed as if once you're in so deep, there is no way out.

In the movie, his dad seemed disappointed but always welcomed him back. Jung's mom frequently would say how disappointed she was and would call the cops on him and try and get him arrested. All of his friends, including his wife were addicts as well. So, it is impressive to see his struggles to fight his own addiction when everyone else around him was addicted to the same thing. I think it is important to note the era in which this movie took place ('60s and '70s). As stated previously, it was commonplace for the usage of these drugs so the backlash was not as bad. The negative connotations of these harder drugs were not looked down on as much as they are nowadays. In saying this, the people around him accepted him and did not shun him from their lives. I believe the movie didn't really show the true side of cocaine addiction, mostly because it was more focused on his drug trades and how it was built from nothing. The societal relations as I've said prior seemed accurate for the time. However, today, I feel that his addiction would be heavily frowned upon.

From what we've learned in class, addiction can affect everyone around you. The example I will use is the "support" system he had which were his friends who were addicts just like him. With that environment, it is hard to believe that he would try to get clean. "Blow" does a good job illustrating also the impact cocaine has had on our society. This movie represents the foundation in which drug trading of cocaine into the US really caught foot. This movie gives a small glimpse into the plague that has been spreading throughout the United States since. In saying that, this movie was a phenomenal watch and I highly recommend it for entertainment value and some historical value.

Chapter 8- Article Summary

Chapter 8 discusses substance misuse with a co-occurring mental disorder or disability. I found an article that investigates the difficulty of integrating mental health and addiction services. However, it theorizes that the ASAM (American Society for Addiction Medicine) and its criteria can help alleviate this mind-numbing issue.

ASAM believes that the easiest way to treat co-occurring disorders is the "seamless integration of
psychiatric and substance abuse interventions in order to form a cohesive, unitary system of care" (Mee-Lee, 2012). In regards to the clinicians that are dealing with the cases, the ASAM believe that both mental illness and the treatment of addiction need to be dealt with hand in hand. Furthermore, they advise that it be done by the same clinician in the same organization as an attempt to eliminate any gaps in treatment, medication, or counseling (Mee-Lee, 2012).

With this, though, there are numerous methods and ideologies in theory and treatment methodologies. The article outlines fives:

1. Addiction System vs. Mental Health System
2. Integrated Treatment vs. Parallel Treatment
3. Care vs. Confrontation
4. Abstinence-oriented vs. Abstinence-mandated
5. Deinstitutionalization vs. Recovery and Rehabilitation

These provide different methodologies and ideologies in regards to the different theories on how to effectively treat a patient. However, the ASAM has come up with six assessment dimensions that are used to  focus assessment and treatment.

1. Acute Intoxication and/or Withdrawal Potential

• This assesses for intoxication and/or withdrawal management. It helps to create a treatment plan to detox the patient.

2. Biomedical Conditions and Complications

• This looks to assess any other biological conditions that could hinder treatment.

3. Emotional, Behavioral, or Cognitive Conditions and Complications

• Just as the biomedical assessment does, this assesses emotional, behavioral or cognitive issues that could hinder treatment.

4. Readiness to Change

• This assesses the clients readiness to change and be re-integrated into a functioning member of society.

5. Relapse, Continued Use or Continued Problem Potential

• Assesses the probability that the client ends up back where they started.

6. Recovery Environment

• Assesses the clients needs for a good recovery environment. Includes financial, family and social factors. 

The goals of the ASAM is boiled down to the five M's. They want to motivate, manage, medicate, meet, and monitor their clients to better help them in the ongoing struggle with their multiple disorders. 

While the article also discusses programs that cannot help co-occurring disorders like the AOS and MHOS, they give examples of programs that are set up for dual-disorders like DDC (Dual Diagnosis Capable) programs and the DDE (Dual Diagnosis Enhanced) programs. These programs look to attack all disorders in a manner in which that can get the client back to a healthy lifestyle. These have began to gain more popularity as increased percentages of co-occurring disorders have risen.

I believe this ties in heavily to the reading we had to do for Chapter 8. It provides a face to the literature. It's good to see that there are programs out there (like the DDC and DDE) that are structured in such a way that can help people with co-occurring disorders integrate back into society. I believe the ASAM provides a strong and feasible way to treat co-occurring disorders and provide an effective way to integrate people back into society. 

The strongest portion of this article I thought was the six dimensions. It provides a well-rounded plan. I believe it covers all the bases and allows the clinician to stay on top of a rather difficult and mind-boggling issue. Overall, I really enjoyed this article and was pleased to see that help is out there for people struggling with co-occurring disorders.

REFERENCES:

Mee-Lee, D. Why integrating mental health and addiction services is hard to do and how the ASAM criteria help. The Change Companies. Yakima, WA. 8 October, 2012. 

AA Meeting in Mt. Joy

To start off, the experience I had at this meeting was quite interesting. Having a dad who attended these meetings as a requirement in order to be put on a transplant list, he would always elaborate on how they were, what he talked about, etc. However, I never expected the interactions to be so intimate. The amount of trust I encountered in this environment was phenomenal. I found it even more interesting how they let me into their circle and didn't mind that I was there.

I would say that all people at this meeting were between 25-40 years old. There were 12 men there and 5 women. The majority of which were white. I inquired with a few of them how long they have been at this particular AA program and all of which had been at the same program for over 3 months. The meeting was run by a supervisor who I didn't really get to interact with other than my introduction to her when I got there. The supervisor started off by asking if anybody had anything to share and introduced me as the guest for the evening. There was about a 35-40 minute session of experiences they have had since their last meeting. It varied from relapse, support, and trying times. The variety of stories in which they told were very intriguing. They seemed very trusting in each other and didn't have a problem opening up with the group (even with me there). At one point, I was asked by one of the participants if I have had any experiences or have been affected by alcohol. I then took the time to elaborate on my experiences with my father and his struggle with alcoholism. I felt at this point they saw me more as just a student, and that perhaps they could relate to the feelings I felt. After this, I felt more apt to chime in when stuff was being said. I believe I participated four to five times throughout the rest of the session. The last 20-25 minutes were spent discussing goals for the following week. They included goals to recovery, preventing relapse, etc. Overall, I found this to be an amazing experience considering I was very nervous to go to begin with.

Sometimes the difference between a happy life and a sad life is often one step away

Personally, everybody in this meeting seemed to be being helped by the meetings. None of them had ill-feelings towards being there and all seemed to be fighting hard to beat their addiction. Although it was a small sample, it seemed as if their intentions were genuine. The discussions were intimate and the amount of trust in the room seemed to be very high. I believe the supervisor has a nice format in place and a core group of participants who are open to helping others and themselves.

 I would say that this all relates to the material in class about addictions. I saw the sides of addiction and the struggles that they were encountering. Knowing what my dad went through, it is nothing to be taken lightly. I think one of the fundamental things about addiction we don't understand is why we just CAN'T quit. From my experiences and having the experience to go to this AA meeting, I can say I understand how hard it can be. Also, it does seem like the AA sections in our book seem to closely parallel the one used in practice at the AA meeting I went to. They are very intimate and trusting, yet there still seems to be work to be done. It's a process, one in which people battle throughout their lifetime.


This experience gave me an appreciation to people battling their addictions and the steps they take to better themselves and be a positive influence on the people around them. These meetings seem to start to provide a light at the end of the tunnel through the battle of addiction.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing can be defined as a way for therapy to be client-centered in which providing a direct method to increase motivation to solve problems that lie in the psychological path (Van Wormer & Davis, 2008). This process was created by William Miller and his students at a school in Norway in 1983 (Motivational Interviewing, 2011). Motivational interviewing is focused on a respectful stance with a focus on building a rapport in the initial portions of the counseling relationship (MI, 2011). Motivational Interviewing is composed of three essential parts: 

• First, MI is a particular kind of conversation about change 
• MI is collaborative (person centered, partnership, honors autonomy, not expert-recipient)
• MI is evocative (seeks to call forth the person's own motivation and commitment) (MI, 2011).

It can be said that Motivational Interviewing is based on the spirit on three key elements. This includes collaboration between the client and the therapist, evoking or drawing out the the clients' ideas about change, and    emphasizing the autonomy of the client. (MI, 2011). In doing this, it creates an environment where the client can open up and not feel judged or put back in a corner. By emphasizing the autonomy of the client it creates a situation where they feel like they have control. In overcoming an addiction, a sense of control can go a long way in determining future success. 

There are also four distinct principles that guide Motivational Interviewing:

1. Expressing Empathy

• In expressing empathy, you get to look at the clients' problems through their eyes. By looking at it through this lens, one can get a better understanding of what the client is going through in their day to day struggles.

     2. Support Self-Efficacy

• This is focused on getting the client to come to the realization that they have it in themselves to change for the betterment of their lives. 

     3. Roll with Resistance

• This stresses that there will be resistance with change but you must roll with this. Never falter in your belief in the client and in return they will see the positive impacts that this has in the long run for their overall good to overcome their addiction.

     4. Develop Discrepancy

•  When clients recognize that their current behaviors place them in an internal conflict with their values or interrupt the goals they have set for themselves, they are more likely to notice this and go about change. The counselor must not use strategies that could develop discrepancy between this (MI, 2011).

This shows the battle against and towards change.

All of this shows the complex, yet simple set-up of motivational interviewing. It is a simple technique that can have long-term substantial success. However, how does this compare to the components of the addiction cycle?

This method I believe have a strong impact on the addictions cycle. By holding the person accountable and remaining their autonomy, it can be used for all stages of the addiction cycle. I think it is most useful in the dependence stage. Once the client realizes that their life is worth more than a substance and can see further into the future than just until they get their next fix, the motivational interviewing holds a huge benefit. By having a person tell you that you have to quit, makes little difference because it's not a whole-hearted decision. However, by doing it by investigating and getting deeper into your own internal feelings, than you are changing for the betterment of yourself. As stated previously, I believe this provides the best of the strengths-based approaches to create a change in an individual. However, as is everything, not all treatments are for everybody.

 The fact that this counseling technique uses full autonomy provides, I think, the best option for all users. It has been shown to work with alcoholics and other substance abusers through numerous sources I've looked at. As I look into a future working with at-risk children, this could be extremely useful. By using this technique, I could create an environment in which the client can be open and rational in their pursuit of being clean. This approach allows for the client to come to a conclusion themselves. The duration of which may vary, but the end results remain the same. A clean person is a happy person. I could see myself using this approach if needed. I did a little research on each of the strengths-based approaches and I would say this one by far goes about it the best way. It allows for the client to entrust in somebody, but at the same time make psychological gains in their fight to overcome addiction.

Video I found on Motivational Interviewing (demonstration):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URiKA7CKtfc

References:

http://www.motivationalinterview.org/Documents/1%20A%20MI%20Definition%20Principles%20&%20Approach%20V4%20012911.pdf. Cited as: (MI, 2011)

Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2008).  Addiction treatment: A strengths perspective.  Pacific Grove, California:  Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. 

Behavioral Addictions: Compulsive Gambling

Compulsive gambling (also known as pathological gambling) can be defined by the uncontrollable urge to keep gambling despite the toll it takes on your life. If you're prone to compulsive gambling, you may continually chase bets, lie or hide your behavior, and resort to theft or fraud to support your addiction (PubMed, 2012). 

Symptoms of Compulsive gambling include: Concealing gambling, making higher and higher bets to earn back losses, lying to family and friends about whereabouts when out gambling, making unsuccessful attempts to cut back or quit, and many, many more (Mayo Clinic, 2011; PubMed, 2012).

It has been hard to determine at what point gambling becomes an addiction rather than a "bad habit." A deciding factor in this is when people who compulsively gamble make it become a way of life. For example, a person who takes time out of their day to gamble instead of going to spend time with their family (Mayo, 2011). Furthermore, people that are willing to commit crimes in order to feed their gambling addictions (PubMed, 2012). While these are concrete examples of when a habit becomes an addiction, there are subtle examples too as to when this happens. Making unsuccessful attempts to stop or cut back on gambling is a prime example. Many people don't see it as a problem and when they are unable to cut back, they just keep gambling in order to make up the money they have lost. They do not see it as a problem, but as a second job (Mayo, 2011; PubMed, 2012).   
Recently there has been a psychiatric test and history evaluation to diagnose compulsive gambling. Other tools like the Gambler's Anonymous 20 questions can help with the diagnosis (PubMed, 2012). 

The prevalence of compulsive gambling has been hard to estimate due to the erratic nature of the behavior and the fine line between habit and addiction. The best estimates seem to put about one-half of 1% (0.42-0.6%) as compulsive gamblers at sometime during their lifetime (Massachusetts Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2008). As a measure to how significant of a problem this is, here are some prevalence rates of other addictions/behavioral disorders in the United States (couresty of Massachusetts Council of Compulsive Gambling, 2008).

• Opioid use disorder (e.g., oxycontin, morphine): 1.4%⁷

• Cocaine use disorder: 2.8%⁷

• Amphetamine use disorder (e.g., methamphetamine): 2.0%⁸

• Anti-social personality disorder: 3.6%⁸ 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 1.6%⁹ 
• Schizophrenic disorders: 0.6%¹⁰

• Anorexia nervosa: 0.6%¹¹

• Bulimia nervosa: 1.0%¹¹

As you can see compulsive gambling holds a close tie to other disorders/addictions. It has almost the same prevalence rate as Schizophrenia, Anorexia, and Bulimia. This should put into context how big of a problem this is in the United States specifically, but also the effects it has worldwide. Since this seems to be a growing issue in society, treatment options have been made to help people who have this addiction.

Most people with Compulsive Gambling problems refuse to admit that they have a problem. In order to treat a patient, they most times need to be pressured into seeing that they have a problem. Treatment plans include the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gamblers Anonymous (GA) which is a 12-step treatment plan just like Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous (PubMed, 2012). These have been shown to yield surprisingly good results with compulsive gamblers and their relapse rate is much lower than a lot of other addictions. A new form of treatment, however, has been shown to have some positive biological effects on the body. Antidepressants and Opiod antagonists (like naltrexone) have shown to help the body rid itself of compulsive gambling tendencies (PubMed, 2012). However, these have not been through extensive trials so they are rarely used, except in extreme cases of compulsive gambling. Above to the right you can see a flow chart of compulsive gambling and recovery. 


While these treatments are often effective, there seems to be many complications with compulsive gambling. Anxiety, depression, dependence of alcohol (an extremely high co-morbid rate with compulsive gamblers), financial, social, and legal problems, etc. (PubMed, 2012). These complications can often end up leading the compulsive gamblers into other form of rehabilitation which many people do not know. 

Overall, I found researching this to be very fascinating. I didn't realize how in-depth it was and just how low people will go to be able to gamble. I think the most shocking piece of information I read was the high co-morbid rate with compulsive gambling and alcohol abuse. I suppose this is exasperated by the fact that depression rates are also high in compulsive gamblers. In saying this, many depressives end up with alcohol problems. Compulsive gambling seems as if it is a perfect storm in which other problems surface and require separate treatments. Finally, I think the medication route that is beginning to be used is fairly fascinating. By using medication, it almost is saying that there is a biological component to gambling and is not strictly environmental. I tried to research and find some neurological components to gambling but I was unable to find anything concrete enough to put into the blog. 

Until next time....  

-Derek



References:

Massachusetts Council of Compulsive Gambling. (2008).Prevalence of problem gambling. Retrieved from http://www.masscompulsivegambling.org/paths/what_prevalence.php

Mayo Clinic. (2011, January 19). Compulsive gambling. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/compulsive-gambling/DS00443/DSECTION=symptoms
(For this website, they had a "next" tab which you paged through the causes, treatment, etc. Only thing in citation that would change is the subject at end of the URL).

PubMed. (2012, February 13). Pathological gambling. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH000248.

The History of Heroin

By definition, heroin is processed from morphine which is derived from the opium poppy. It was first produced in a British morphine lab in 1874. In 1898, a pharmaceutical company named Bayer promoted heroin as a non-addictive painkiller and cough medicine for kids and it was also used for as a treatment for morphine addiction. One may find this ironic considering that heroin is actually processed from morphine, which is a derivative of the opium poppy. While Bayer was making quite the profit off of this new "miracle" drug, they deliberately refused to tell the general public that when heroin is metabolized in the liver it turned into mostly morphine. The use of heroin as a treatment for various ailments was intact until 1914 when the Harrison's Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 to control the sale and distribution of heroin. However, this did not stop doctors from prescribing heroin to people. This led to people continually using heroin and creating a network of people who had become dependent and addicted to heroin.

 http://www.novusdetox.com/heroin-effects-history.php

Heroin can be found in many different forms, colors, etc. based on what it is cut or laced with. Pure heroin is rarely sold on the streets, mostly due to the fact the drug dealers would not make as much money by dealing pure heroin. By lacing heroin with powder (either white or brown) it can distort the pure color of heroin (http://www.novusdetox.com/heroin-effects-history.php).

On the street, heroin goes by many names: smack, h, skag, and junk. Heroin is usually injected, by can also be snorted and smoked. Heroin users tend to shoot up nearly four times a day. By injecting heroin, it provides the quickest and biggest high (effects felt in 7-8 seconds). While the other two methods are not as strong, it seems that all three ways of using heroin are highly addictive.

As you can see in major cities, injecting seems to be by far the most used method, with sniffing/snorting coming second, and very few people smoking heroin.

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/heroin-information.html

So, why do people become addicted to heroin? Heroin acts in a way in which it is carried to the brain and crosses the blood-brain barrier. Once there, it activates the endorphin receptors to release more endorphins. This in turn creates an overwhelming state of euphoria. Below, you can see how opiates can affect our brains.

Heroin has numerous short-term and long-term effects. Short term effects include: a "rush," nausea and vomiting, suppression of pain, and decreased breathing. Long-term effects include: addiction, infectious diseases like HIV/Hepatitis B/C (because of the sharing of needles), infection of the heart lining, and collapsed veins (http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/heroin-information.html). While I have discussed the history, logistics, biological, and side-effects of heroin I have to this point failed to mention its prevalence in the United States. 

According to the CIA's website, there are approximately 2 million heroin users in the United States, of which they estimate 600-800 thousand of them being hardcore users. They do go on to suggest that most of these are older individuals but the use among younger populations has begun to rise exponentially in the past few years ( https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/additional-publications/heroin-movement-worldwide/consumption.html). Approximately 30-40% of the United States' heroin comes from Mexican growers and refiners. The remaining percentage seems to be mostly coming from Colombia, who is also a main supplier of cocaine in the United States (http://www.novusdetox.com/heroin-effects-history.php). 

Heroin happens to be one of the most penalized drugs out there today. On a Federal level, a first time offense using heroin can land you a year in prison and a $5,000 fine. However, a first time offense selling or distributing heroin can land you a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. On a State level, a first time offense using heroin is a felony and will get you up to 7 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine. Selling or distributing heroin usually results in 10-15 years in prison with a $100,000 fine (www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/heroin-state-and-federal-penalties.html). Most all heroin convicts are encouraged to go to NA meetings and complete the program. While there is no Heroin Anonymous, NA has been shown to have great results over the time of its existence. 

Personally, all of this information is mind-boggling. I didn't realize the prevalence of heroin in our society and how it has crept into younger populations. In fact, it is very disturbing knowing that heroin usage has increased in the United States. Although the penalties for heroin are among the strictest, there still is not enough being done to keep it out of our country. Overall, it seems to be a big detriment to our society and better policing needs to be done before it is ingrained into our society's fabric just like marijuana and cocaine seem to be. Until this happens, there will become more addicts and more lives ruined due to a substance. On a smaller scale, the effects this has on families is probably far worse. When you become reliant on a substance, it takes priority and distorts reality as to what is more important. Broken homes and broken hearts seem to be the only thing that comes out of severe drug addiction. Although progress is being made in NA meetings and there are success stories, there seems to be far more stories of failure and relapse.  

References:

http://www.novusdetox.com/heroin-effects-history.php

http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/heroin-information.html

http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/heroin-state-and-federal-penalties.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/additional-publications/heroin-movement-worldwide/consumption.html

Habits!

While I looked at the three habits I investigated (Facebook Time, Text Messaging, and Soda consumption) I tried to figure out which one would provide me the most personal gain. When looking at Facebook, I saw I spent a good amount of time on Facebook but it doesn't impede on my social life, homework, or any other outside obligations. This held true for my text messaging habits also. I averaged about an hour a day on Facebook and held conversations on average with about five people per day through my text messages. I denoted a conversation as being any one that lasted more than 15 minutes. When it came to soda consumption, it didn't affect any of the aforementioned subjects, but in it lied a way to try to improve my physical health. This made me realize that this has the best long-term effects for me and the other two options, while intriguing, did not hold as much importance to me. I feel like everybody has something in life they want to change, and this class has provided me a rather easy way to go about this.

To provide a little bit of a backstory, I've been trying to get myself into better shape by weightlifting/running have dropped from 240 to 200 pounds in the past year. However, my results have plateaued, due to a lackluster and inconsistent diet, and it has kept me from being able to cut the final 20 pounds for my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. I feel like this provides an excellent opportunity to help myself. In saying this, I've noticed a trend in the amount of soda I consume. I average around 4 bottled sodas a day which is roughly an extra 880 calories I put into my body a day. By cutting this out of my diet, I believe it would go very far in trying to reach my goal of 180 pounds and lead me towards a more healthy, fulfilling diet. On top of this, it will provide myself with more self-confidence and a sense of satisfaction completing my ultimate goal I set roughly a year ago for myself. Although this will be a big personal accomplishment, I don't see many circumstances as to where this could impact the people around me. However, it could provide motivation to others that see the transition I am making and provide a foundation in which they can start on working on some healthy goals for themselves. If I had to rate this on a scale 0-10 on the motivation to do this scale, I would put myself at about an 8. I say this because I have drank soda pretty much my whole life and I can't remember a day where I haven't drank some sort of soda product. I suppose there is some fear that I will fail and not be able to kick it. However, the ultimate goal in this situation is to completely stop drinking soda and find some kind of replacement (like water) that is a healthier and better option that eliminates the caloric intake that I've been ingesting. By being able to cut 880 calories out of my diet a day, it provides me the chance to perhaps even fit one more healthier meal in a day that provides me with sources of food that can provide energy.

Now, going about this journey alone I feel would be a big mistake. I live with people who are very health-conscious and have pretty decent diets. It would be great to receive support from them and have them keep me from giving into any temptations I might have to go get a soda. When I am away from school, I have friends and family back home that have always been there for me when I needed them and I don't see why this would change in what I'm trying to do now. In fact, my mother has recently stopped drinking soda and has lost 25 pounds in combination with exercising in a three month stretch. This also motivates me to complete this goal. Personally, I don't think I would be able to accomplish this goal without a support system. It is not something that is necessarily life-threatening, but it holds enough weight to me that it is considered a big life-style change.

FIRST WEEKLY UPDATE: February 5th, 2013

I've completed one week of cutting soda completely out of my diet and am happy to say that I haven't had any issues of drinking soda so far. I've started drinking a lot of water. In fact over the first week, I've had 15 bottled waters. Also, I've started drinking a lot of skim milk. Those are the only two things, besides 2 Powerades that I have drank this week.

I did notice that for the first week I've gotten a lot more headaches than I am used to. I chalk this up to the lack of sugar/caffeine that I am used to. About the second day, I had the worst headache I've had in awhile and it was borderline unbearable. However, I was able to fight through it and continue on which is a good sign.

I think my biggest issue, which I ran into when I started lifting, will be to keep this going for the first two or three weeks. I feel like after that, I will have proved to myself that I've committed to this and won't be as hard. I've had some ridiculous cravings for soda within the first week but I've been able to keep it under control up to this point. I haven't consulted any friends or family to this point about the issues I've had. I think this is because I want to make myself mentally strong so I don't need to rely on people to help me when I'm having an issue of wanting a soda. This allows me to look back on these first few weeks and say to myself: "Well, I could do it then, why can't I do it now?"

Also, I think I'm going to start keeping track of the amount of calories I've cut out of my diet based on my average of 4 bottled sodas per day with ~220 calories a piece. So far, 880 calories x 7 days in a week = ~6160 calories out of my diet! I will start recording any weight loss at the beginning of my next update.


SECOND WEEKLY UPDATE (Will be doing these on Sundays for now on, because it is easier on my schedule): February 10th, 2013:

So, this week was mostly a success. I "relapsed" once when I was at McDonald's after a few alcoholic beverages I decided consuming a Sprite would be a good decision. However, I am not really concerned about this because in nearly two weeks I have only have one soda. Overall, I would consider this week another success. I feel very confident in my action plan so far and have no needed to consult anybody for help yet. The cravings are not near as bad as they were the first week.

I did find a great substitute at Giant while grocery shopping this week. They have a Minute Maid Lite Pink Lemonade which is 15 calories per serving and only 3 grams of sugar. In comparison to Sprite which is 220 calories per serving and roughly twenty-five grams of sugar. For now, I will consider this a good substitute. My ultimate goal is to drink only water, but for now I am very happy with my progress. However, I have consumed more water in the past two weeks than I can remember.

Overall, I would say that I am heading down the right track and that things are looking bright for my habit to be broken. Going into the next week, I want to set a goal of staying off of soda but also drinking close to 3-4     bottles of water a day. By doing this, it will take over what soda consisted of in my diet. By setting smaller goals each week I hope it will become a behavior after I do it for awhile. In some ways, I am trying to almost "trick" my brain into a new habit of drinking water. However, it is a much healthier habit, one in which I will not look to change.

As for weight-loss, I weigh myself around the same time everyday (7-8pm). I was 205 when I first weighed myself and am down to 203. Although, I want to be excited about this, I understand the water-weight fluctuations throughout the day. In saying this, I will see if this progression continues and update weekly.

Until next time...

WEEKLY UPDATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013.

Another successful week for kicking my habit. I have stuck to my Minute Maid Lite Pink Lemonade drink and Water. In all, I only deviated away from these twice throughout the week when I had chocolate milk at lunch and dinner during the week on Monday and Wednesday I believe.


This week, I will try to have no chocolate milk and only water and the Pink Lemonade drink that I have been consuming. I have noticed a raised level of energy in myself and seem to be more apt to doing more physical activity and less tired. I've read that this is common when removing soda from ones diet.

I have not consulted any help from my friends or support group. Once again, I feel that I have a really good grasp on everything and this is going a lot more easy than I first anticipated. I occasionally joke around with my friends when they have soda and act like I want to steal it from them, but I find humor makes it easier to kick the habit.

Weight-loss has been inconsistent. I think I have to kick in more cardio with my workouts once it gets warmer and go for some runs. I feel like this will boost metabolism in accordance with not drinking soda and that will help in more weight-loss. It has remained mostly the same as I have weighed myself recently around 205.

Hopefully this coming week goes as smoothly as the first two weeks have gone.

Until next time....

WEEKLY UPDATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2013.

Another week has gone by and still have been making progress. I have not needed to consult friends or family for support.

It seems as if I am doing a good job with the process I have been sticking with. I have been sticking to water and skim milk with the occasional PowerAde after a workout. As long as I do not drink soda, I am okay with the occasional PowerAde because of the more positive effects it can have on the body.

I'm looking forward to the coming of spring so I can get back out running outside. Hopefully, this will aide in the weight loss I am after.

Not sure what else to write for this week! So, until next time! :)

-Derek

SOMEWHAT WEEKLY UPDATE: March 24, 2013.

So, Spring Break proved to be very detrimental to my quitting of drinking soda. I drank soda everyday I was home. I feel like this was attributed to the fact I was in an environment in which I always have drank soda and there are really no other options.

Leaning back on friends from school would have been a good idea and not to just indulge in soda. As we've seen throughout class it is important to never let your guard down and to always realize that the habit can always come back up when you least expect it.

Once I've gotten back to school I've only drank soda once. Hopefully, for the small amount of time on Easter Break we have I will be able to kick back and enjoy water, milk, etc. rather than soda.

-Derek

SOMEWHAT WEEKLY UPDATE: April 3, 2013

Being back at school has proven to be a success so far. Easter Break I was able to keep myself away from soda and drink mostly milk and water. Still have not utilized a support system but feel that my progress is back on the positive side. Still no significant weight-loss but I attribute that to poor eating habits which is another goal I've been setting for myself.

Going forward, I would like to keep soda out of my diet and start eating better. This is a goal that I am setting for myself in hopes of motivating me to work hard at both of my unhealthy habits.

In doing this, I feel a support system would be much more useful and could have some drastic impacts in my future en devours.

Until next time!

-Derek


FINAL WEEKLY UPDATE: April 21, 2013

Hello again!


Overall, progress has been good for the past two weeks. I have had only 2 sodas in that time span and have been adjusting well to water and milk in my diet. Since the weather has been nice I have been able to start running again which has helped with the additional goal of weight loss.

I have not consulted any help from friends or families because I feel like I have it under control. Within the next week I will blog about my final update and summary of everything that has happened in the past semester (3 months) and the progress that has been made and the up and down battle of the habit I was trying to break.

Until next time (the final time),

Derek

The History of Cocaine

Resources used for the following blog:

1. http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/cocaine-history.html

2. http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/cocaine-today.html

3. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/a-short-history.html

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6lBeZzbCIo (as reported by CNN)

Dating back to 3,000 years before Christ, the Ancient Incas chewed on the leaves of the coca plant as a way to speed their hearts. Today, we know this plant as the root to the second-most commonly used and trafficked illicit drug in the world: Cocaine. 

While conflicting, cocaine was said to be first synthesized either in 1855 or 1859 by a German chemist named Albert Neimann. Another 20-25 years passed before an Austrian psychologist named Sigmund Freud (heard of him?) advocated and was a frequent user of cocaine. Freud used cocaine as treatments for depression, asthma, sexual impotency, and almost any other ailment one could think of. It was hailed as a "miracle" drug and this created a whirlwind of cocaine throughout the world. It became a huge part of the social world even being included as an ingredient in the soft drink Coca-Cola in 1866 by John Pemberton (later removed in 1903). Furthermore from the mid 1850's to the early 1900's cocaine became an essential part of all social classes. It was used in tonics, wines, etc. It is important to note the effect this had on social classes because cocaine was used by most famous people that had a trickle-down effect on the rest of society. Since it was easily accessible, it seemed as if the use of cocaine had swept the world, specifically in the United States. 

For the next twenty or so years, recreational use of cocaine was apparent all through society. Anybody who could get a hold of cocaine seemed to be using it (young and old alike). Not until medical research came out of patients from 1905-1910 that from snorting cocaine people had severe nasal damage from the drug. In 1912, cocaine was attributed to 5,000 deaths in the United States. In 1920, cocaine was added to the drugs of narcotics to be outlawed in the Dangerous Drug Act of 1920. By 1922, it was banned as a whole. However, as we will see next, even though it was outlawed the demand and foundation for cocaine had already been set, and people had become addicted. 

From 1970-1980, cocaine use increased ten-fold in American universities and colleges. During this time Pablo Escobar and fellow Colombians came up with an elaborate scheme in which to distribute cocaine to the United States. By doing this, it provided a way for people to use cocaine no matter where they were in social classes. Up until then, cocaine was seen as a wealthy-persons drug. This lasted many years until the 1990's when law enforcement were able to contain and arrest many of the larger drug cartels. However, as one can see, even when the government and law enforcement steps in, people will still find a way to get the drug. In 2008, it became the second-most used and trafficked drug in the world. 

Personally, none of this information is not new to me. Perhaps some of the early, early history of cocaine was new to me, but other than that I already knew a lot of this information. It seems as if cocaine use rose quickly in the 1980's due to Escobar's impact on the transportation of drugs throughout the United States. In the film "Blow" starring Johnny Depp it provides a pretty accurate account as to how they ran such an elaborate scheme of getting cocaine into the United States. Just from personal experiences, I feel that a lot of people use cocaine as a recreational drug. I know that this seems absurd, but when at parties it is not uncommon to encounter something like that back where I live. I feel like it is becoming more and more commonplace to use cocaine, even if the penalties of it are both physically and legally detrimental. 

At least in the case of cocaine, it seems as much as government tries to hinder people's use of cocaine by outlawing it and cracking down on it, people will still find a way to get the drug. The government can do as much as it can to eliminate it from everyday life, but it seems to be an impossible task. Cocaine has become too ingrained in our society to pull it out completely. I guess a way to look at it is that once people are physically hooked to the drug, it will be hooked to our society as well. Overall, I believe the reaction of the government has some affect on the use of cocaine and can decrease it's use, but it will never be able to completely stop the use of the drug. 

Why I chose this course/What I want to learn

I chose this Addictions and Society course for a number of reasons. First, I have a huge interest in addictions because it has surrounded be throughout my life. I have had friends with addictions to pills and hard drugs that have altered their lives in various ways. It has made me more sensitive to the subject and has peaked my interest into the biology and the psychology behind what drives people to an addiction, how they get through it, and maintaining a drug-free life after they get the necessary treatment. I have seen friends recover, collapse, and fall flat on their face again. I have yet to see in my life a friend of mine that has kicked the habit. Most importantly, I watched my father fight an addiction to alcohol that cost him his battle with Liver Cancer a little over two years ago. It made me wonder how you can look into the eyes of your two children and choose a drink over their well-being. I think this has sparked my interest the most and makes me want to comprehend the biological and mental processes that people have to grapple with on their road to recovery. Overall, I took this course as a way to make sure I never fall into the same traps that so many of my close friends/relatives have.

I hope to learn by the end of the semester about the biological and psychological processes that influence and alter our behaviors and create an addictive personality. Also, I want to know if there are ways to prevent and keep oneself from becoming addicted to something. I feel that prior experience has been enough of an influence on me to keep me from caving into addiction. However, I do not feel that that is the same for others and will be interested to see how others are able to adapt or cope with addictive tendencies.

I look forward to this semester and learning a lot about others and myself. As an elective, this course was chosen not as an easy 'A' but as a learning experience; one that could benefit me far beyond the end of this semester.

Until next time...

-Derek