Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

by Ricky Ocampo

            A strong factor that attracts extra criticism and scrutiny to nurses associated with drug abuse, dependence, and addiction is that naturally, within the premises of the occupation, they're expected to know better, as they're expected to know the consequences of such actions (Sullivan, 1994). Generally, my standpoint towards such cases is that I try to be objective without being indifferent, and what I mean by that is that I acknowledge that such behavior shouldn't be condoned, but generally, my disapproval isn't of the person participating in the action, but of the action itself. I think a nursing professional is expected to, and should, have the ability to hold his/herself accountable and to take responsibility and control of his/her own personal issues. In order to remain objective, it's not my place to judge how someone chooses to address their problems, but in order to not be indifferent, I do acknowledge and appreciate that nursing—and any medical job in general—is a stressful and troublesome position, and there are plenty of room for people who aren't careful to realize they're taking on more than they can handle. I'm uninterested in sticking up a snobby nose and pointing judgmental fingers and pretending to be saintly.

            The relationships between drugs and users typically vary based on several factors such as extents, how important they are to the user, why they're used, and more, and this leads to the need for having different labels and definitions to differentiate these factors from one another, as the difference are certainly important. Drug use is simply the regular use of prescribed or over-the-counter drugs for the usage they were designed and intended to be used for. Drug abuse is the  usage of excessive dosage of a drug, or the usage of a drug for enhancement of one's physical or psychological—and perhaps neurological—state, or usage towards effects other than what the drug was manufactured and sold for. Dependence occurs after a drug has been used for its purpose to the extent that the body has practically shifted to needing the drug to perform a specific function it should naturally be able to perform independently (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2013), and lastly, addiction occurs when the body is unable to carry out practically all of its natural, psychology and/or neurological functions without having consumed a drug (O'Brien, 2005); addiction is typically the worst extent and consequence of substance abuse.

Reference

Sullivan, E. J. "Impaired nursing practice: ethical, legal and policy perspectives." Bioethics             forum. Vol. 10. No. 1. 1994.

O’Brien, Charles P. "Benzodiazepine use, abuse, and dependence." J Clin Psychiatry 66.Suppl 2 (2005): 28-33.

Stanhope, Marcia, and Jeanette Lancaster. Public Health Nursing-Revised Reprint: Population-     Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2013.