Substance abuse disorders essay, Assignments of Psychology

Download Substance abuse disorders essay and more Assignments Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! The detrimental or dangerous use of psychoactive substances, such as alcohol and illegal narcotics, is referred to as substance abuse (WHO, 2017). According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2023) when a person struggles to control their drug or alcohol use, it develops a substance use disorder (SUD).  The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines addictive substances as any substance whose use can lead to complications that impact not only the individual's and their family's physical and psychological well-being but also the community's political, social, economic, and cultural systems. Substance abuse disorders can lead to a variety of issues in a person's social life.  American Psychiatric Association (2020) contends that addiction is the most severe form of SUD, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Substance abuse disorder symptoms fall into four categories:  Impaired control: a strong desire or yearning to take drugs, as well as unsuccessful attempts to reduce or restrict drug usage.  Social problems: substance abuse prevents people from finishing important responsibilities at work, school, or home; it makes people give up social, professional, or recreational activities  Risky use: using a substance in an unsafe environment or continuing to use it in spite of recognised risks.  Drug impacts include tolerance, which requires higher doses to have the same effect, and withdrawal symptoms, which vary depending on the substance (APA, 2020).  In South Africa, almost all adolescents and adults are presented with the option to consume tobacco and alcohol on a daily basis. A smaller but no less significant portion of the populace is given access to narcotics of various kinds, from heroin to marijuana. The majority of people in modern culture have used various psychoactive drugs at some point or will in the future. Some people will succumb to drug dependence, but by no means all or most of them will. When it comes to drug dependence, each person is different, and a variety of circumstances can affect how each person uses substances.  Behavioural Perspective Behaviourists emphasise how these behaviours are ingrained or learnt as a means of explaining drug use and addiction. It is possible for someone to be peer-pressured into attempting drugs for the first time, in accordance with the social learning hypothesis, which maintains that people pick up behaviours through imitation and observation of others. Operant conditioning, which places an emphasis on repeating actions that provide rewards, could help to explain why someone would go for a medication to get them "high" or relieve tension. This can eventually result in a stronger desire to acquire or use the drug ( Galizo & Maisto, 1985:125–175). Environmental perspective Galizo and Maisto (1985: 247-281) assert that an individual's life experiences interact with their genetic makeup to either raise or lessen their susceptibility to addiction, serving as environmental risk factors for addiction. Numerous environmental factors, including a range of psychosocial stresses, have been identified as potential risk factors for addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) lists the following as risk factors for teen and child substance use: poverty, drug availability, peer substance use, and a lack of parental monitoring. According to the brain disease model of addiction, the most important environmental risk factor for addiction is a person's exposure to an addictive drug. But according to a number of experts, including neuroscientists, the brain illness paradigm offers a false, inadequate, and possibly harmful explanation of addiction. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are different types of childhood maltreatment and dysfunction in the home. A significant portion of the 900 court cases involving abused children were determined to have some sort of addiction during their teens or adulthood. A person's life can be saved from this route towards addiction by changing their surroundings throughout, getting expert help when needed, and avoiding traumatic early situations. The likelihood of someone being addicted to drugs rises if they have friends or peers who use drugs in a positive way. Alcohol or other drug addiction may also be a result of family strife and poor home management. Age Adolescence is a time when people are especially susceptible to being addicted. The brain's incentive-rewards circuits develop in adolescence far earlier than the cognitive control centre. Teenagers are therefore more prone than ever to follow their