Alcohol Abuse Discussion

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Let’s discuss: In your initial post discuss some of these questions:

  • What is the difference in substance abuse and substance use?

What is substance intoxication? If a person comes home after a long week at work, has two or three drinks containing alcohol such as a margarita and falls asleep on the couch, does that person have a mental disorder? (See page 245).

  • How do we know when someone is “using” versus “abusing” alcohol or drugs?

Have you ever engaged in binge drinking or other risky behavior that you feel free to discuss?

Do you think substance abuse has more to do with biological, personal, familial, or other factors? Why?

In addition to using your textbook, find an article on this week’s topic of substance use and abuse, and cite the facts you find in support of your answer.

  • respond to two peers
  • While often used interchangeably, the terms substance use and abuse mark their distinction through the extent of consumption of addictive or intoxicating matter they entail. Substance abuse could be as simple as the everyday consumption of caffeine or downing a glass of wine, but it could very well evolve into substance abuse when the consumption crosses the medically and legally defined threshold of safety. On the other hand, substance intoxication refers to behavioral and psychological changes that are prompted by the usage of a particular substance; these could manifest in a variety of ways, from disorientation to aggression and so on. A person who has the habit of frequenting a couple of drinks after a long week of work might not necessarily have a mental disorder since the presence of substance abuse disorder demands an interference in everyday life functions and recurring problems. However, said person is definitely on the way to developing a gradual but enduring tolerance for alcohol, which could translate into greater and more frequent consumption as well as a harder time cutting back on usage. From observation, we can tell whether a person is using or abusing alcohol by ascertaining their dependence on it. Alcohol usage is recreational and spaced, while abuse is marked by a string of problematic acts and behaviors associated with obtaining the addictive substance as well as denial regarding the adverse consequences of its excessive consumption. Personally, I haven’t engaged in risky behavior related to substance use. However, I have seen a few acquaintances do so, one of whom had to face hospitalization due to irresponsible drug usage. I believe biological, persona, and familial factors all come together to determine the instance and probability of substance abuse. However, I would allot a slightly greater weightage to biological and personal factors since gender and personality traits have strongly been associated with the risk of substance abuse. Men have been deemed more likely to abuse alcohol than women, and the same goes for individuals that possess anxious facets of personality (Prendergast, 1994). However, at the same time, a family history of substance abuse is strongly linked with its development in subsequent generations (Grant, 2020).
  • peer  2
  • afternoon Dr. Fleming and fellow classmates,              During my high school years, I experienced a lot of my friends dying. Some of them were car accidents and most of them were related to drug and alcohol overdoses. I lost one of my best friends in high school due to a drug overdose. Ryan was gay but did not disclose it to his family due to them not being accepting of his sexual orientation. Ryan and I would go to parties and I would notice he would take it to the extreme and never wanted the partying to end. Ryan was the life party and loved attention and was full of life. I began noticing that before the party he would pregame at the house and that consisted of him drinking and doing illegal drugs before we got to the party or the club and this is an example of substance use ((Kearney & Trull, 2015).  I noticed that his partying was taking over his life and it suddenly became his life. The partying began interfering with his work, he was either calling out of work or not showing up or showing up late, due to him being intoxicated from the night before. After Ryan lost his job that is when things began to turn for the worst because of several reasons, first of all his body was dependent on the alcohol and drugs and demanded them, so he turned too prostitution to fulfill his habits. When Ryan was not able to get a hold of the heroin he would experience cold and hot flashes, sweat profusely and his body would shake, he would have no appetite along with experiencing   diarrhea and vomiting with stomach pains. According to our textbook these are signs of substance abuse (Kearney & Trull, 2015). Ryan battled with his addiction for 6 years, before he experienced an overdose.               Samantha’s story was extremely sad. In my opinion I do think that her death could have been prevented had she not fallen asleep, A person who is heavily intoxicated should not be left alone and should be kept in an upright position rather than in a chair. If they are vomiting you are to roll them on their side to prevent choking (NIMH, 2018). I think that it is important to educate and inform the high school students of alcohol and drug overdose and the signs and symptoms that they should look out for before entering in college.               I can recall many nights when my friends and I would go out and club hop and there were times where I could not even remember how I got home and this is a prime example of substance intoxication. In my opinion I do not consider an individual to have a mental disorder just because they choose to have a few alcoholic drinks after a long week at work. The person has not become dependent on the alcohol and is able to function without the alcohol, they were just looking for a stress reliever at that moment and time and wanted to let off some pressure. Word Count: 577 References:   Kearney, C. A., & Trull, T. J. (2018). Abnormal psychology & life: A dimensional approach. Cengage Learning.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-dangers-of-alcohol-overdose
 
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