Case Study

Running Head: ADDICTION 1

ADDICTION 2

Addiction Case Study Marci

Brief Summary

In this case, Marci is 22 years of age, a young university student that struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. She stays at home with her parents, who presently have a problematic connection due to her dose-dependent manner. Marci got detained a couple of months ago (5) for driving under the influence with a BAC of 0.13. She had also been arrested for possessing a minor amount of cannabis (approximately 1 gram). Her driving license is revoked at the moment, and she was given commenting license to travel to and from school and job. She is struggling in school due to her drug and alcohol abuse, which has resulted in a decline in her academics and a failure to reach her intellectual qualifications. Marci hasn't ever participated in inpatient or outpatient treatment. Her parents contended on seeking psychological help because of what they considered to be a mental health problem since they first finally realized her cannabis consumption. Despite threats to summon her students' educational department head due to her failing marks, Marci rejected assistance and began to consider leaving. Marci is now out of work. She has been dismissed or left three prior jobs in the last four years due to frequent absenteeism and once after random violence.

Past and Current Substances Utilized and its Implications or Effects

Alcohol

Alcohol is a harmful and intoxicating drug that could lead to addiction. Alcoholic drinks are a common element of the social environment for many people in the contemporary world. It is especially true in social situations with great exposure and cultural impact domestically and globally, where alcohol is commonly used while mingling. Marci's main substance of choice is alcohol. She began consuming alcohol with her parents when she became thirteen, although she began drinking when she became eighteen. Alcohol is normally consumed by ingesting it, and that's the only method to do otherwise. Alcohol could have a variety of addicting consequences, depending on the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Drinking could produce a better mood, more consciousness, less nervousness, redness of the complexion, a shorter attention span, a loss of sensorimotor balance, impaired vision, poor understanding, and cognitive difficulties. The uneasiness and unsettled abdomen that most people encounter could be linked to the knowledge that drinking is a gastrointestinal irritant (Brownstein, 2015). Alcohol can also cause comatose, life-threatening cognitive impairment, extreme blood pressure drops, nausea, diarrhea, intoxication, liver illness, neuropathy, increased violence, high blood pressure, stroke, and death.

Marijuana

Marci first used marijuana when she was 17 years old, throughout her high school days. Her high school lover, who has used it each day along and with booze on the weekend, exposed her to that too. Although now that she is at a university, she is using it more frequently. Cannabis could be used in several different ways, including a vaporizer, dabbing, and oral consumption, although smoking has been the most popular. Marijuana affects people differently. Some people will feel exhilaration, while others will feel paranoia and worry. They may also develop complications, sleep disturbances, a loss of appetite, addictions, illusions, and anxiety. Cannabis negative health effects include a heightened likelihood of heart condition, a heightened incidence of respiratory infections, strenuous vomiting, and diarrhea, a significant reduction in bone mineral density, a significant decrease in academic achievement, conduct problems, massive welfare increasing reliance, economic problems, and an increased likelihood of being unemployed. Cannabis also harms cognition (Debruyne & LE BOISSELIER, 2015). We discovered that cannabis smokers had a decreased dopamine pathway to methylphenidate, as evidenced by reducing hippocampal transmission proportions.

Nicotine

Nicotine is a psychoactive medication that accelerates the transmission of signals between the brain and nervous system. Whenever tobacco is burnt, and also when it is breathed, tar and carbon monoxide (a deadly gas) are also produced. Nicotine-containing tobacco is often smoked in tobacco products. It is also inhaled in tubes and cigarillos. Secondhand smoke comes in a variety of forms, namely tobacco chewing and tropical and temperate tobacco. Marci has been smoking cigarettes since the age of 16 and presently consumes one pack each day. She gave up smoking tobacco products for six months a year ago, but she had no intention of cutting back or quitting. Smoking is the most common way to consume nicotine. Heavy smoking of nicotine-containing nicotine products has well-documented serious health consequences and is regarded as a significant avoidable contributor to global incidence and mortality worldwide. Nicotine's compulsive adverse effects include transient pleasure and increasing dopamine concentrations in the brain's reward circuits (Ghaemi, 2018). Tobacco has been identified as the cause of drug dependency due to its effect on temperament and productivity.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a psychoactive drug substance that implies it accelerates signals between the person's brain and other organs. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, a South American indigenous. The extract of leaves is used to make several types of cocaine, including freebase and crack. Marci has experimented with cocaine many times. She gained the process uncomfortable after giving it a shot. Cocaine may be used in various ways, but the most common include snorting it or injecting it directly. There is nothing such as a moderate level of substance use. Every medicine has some level of risk. It is important to use the utmost caution when utilizing any type of substance. Cocaine addiction causes intense excitement, rage, paranoid emotions, and a reduction in appetites. Cocaine bingeing can lead to full-blown psychotic depression, wherein the user loses connection to the real world and suffers dissociative episodes. Convulsions, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and lung damage are among the dangerous adverse effects of these drugs (Mathew et al., 2016). An individual enhances his/her chances of contracting HIV or hepatitis if someone gets injected.

LSD

Albert Hoffman invented the famous psychoactive lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). He inadvertently created the substance while experimenting with ergots to generate cardiovascular and respiratory boosters. Marci experimented with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in many circumstances but didn't appreciate the results. They were, according to her, uncomfortable. LSD is often taken as sublingual tablets. Negative consequences are very psychological, with a high degree of variety and inconsistency. Excessive drooling raised temperature and blood pressure, and increased salivary flow are all compulsive symptoms of LSD. It can cause feelings of exhilaration, joy, and tranquility. Mental illness, phantom limb syndrome, and hallucinations are among the negative side effects of LSD (Patten, 2018). Synesthesia is a sense-mixing condition wherein noises emerge as visual pictures or visual images change in time with sound.

Risks/Danger for Client

Marci does not appear to be at any major risk of significant harm, except for her substance abuse usage, leading her to perform badly in school. She aspires to be an attorney, although her substance abuse prevents her from doing anything. However, following her incarceration and discussion with her family, she started to feel considerable shame and regret realizing that her alcoholism and cannabis usage severely hurt her relationships with family members and compromised her ambition to be an attorney. She was becoming conscious that cannabis was interfering with her enthusiasm, academics, and religious growth, but she's never indicated any worries about her alcohol consumption. Marci is mindful of her behaviors and has made adjustments, such as ceasing to use cannabis but not drinking. Marci is at the third stage of preparation/determination. Although though she has quit using cannabis on her own, she does have a strong urge to do so if she can do so without being detected. To assist her in removing drinking, I would look over what she believes is the source of her use of these intoxicants. I would enlighten her on the benefits of quitting smoking. I would advise her to begin with baby steps, such as gradually reducing her alcohol use.

AUDIT Scores and Explanation

The AUDIT test is designed to detect early warning signals of harmful consumption of alcohol and moderate dependency. It's being used to discover alcohol issues that occurred within the previous year. Marci checked almost every section on the AUDIT assessment. Based on the current story, she consumes four or five alcoholic beverages (Williamson, 2015). She has had ten or maybe more units of alcohol, often on weekends. Marci has had six or even more alcoholic beverages at a single sitting. She couldn't quit drinking whenever she started, especially on weekends. Due to her alcoholism, she frequently failed to accomplish whatever was anticipated, such as staying awake in the classroom. She begins to feel guilty and regret after going to jail. Marci's family has expressed worry regarding her alcoholism and advised her to abstain. Marci received a 27 on the AUDIT questionnaire. Audit ratings of 20 or higher, as per the guideline, definitely justify subsequent targeted interventions for alcohol dependency. She'd be transferred to a professional for management and therapy.

Referrals/Resources/Recommendations

Most individuals that participate in unhealthy substances and acquire a genuine dependence discover that eliminating them is far more difficult than previously anticipated. Even though the challenges associated with discontinuing substances are well recognized, whenever individuals first begin using, most frequently believe that addiction is a fiction and that they will always quit whenever they choose. Alternatively, they believe they are the exception to the norm. Numerous remedies are available to assist people in solving addictive behavior, such as medical and psychological therapy (Schuster et al., 2018). There is no one "correct" treatment, while some techniques are more research-backed than many others. Several suggestions may be offered to assist Marci with her dependencies. I strongly advise the following:

· Inpatient Rehab. I would suggest that Marci goes to inpatient treatment since she must be isolated from anything else that influences her alcoholism. She would have accessibility to therapy professionals who would give her round-the-clock care, such as psychotherapy. She would be able to obtain the correct medication plan for her to pursue abstinence and understand the significance of that too (Zucker & Brown, 2019). They might advise her on what to do in the case of a recurrence.

· Therapy. I suggest this plan Psychoeducation since it is a prominent kind of addiction psychotherapy (Zucker & Brown, 2019). It could assist Marci in recognizing negative emotions which might contribute to self-destructive behavior such as substance abuse. She may learn to identify possible triggers, regulate stress, and build positive coping mechanisms.

· Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). I suggest AA since it provides good mental health support, essential for restoration (Zucker & Brown, 2019). If she goes to inpatient treatment, going to AA and getting mental health treatment together should assist her in staying on the right track and avoiding a recurrence. In AA, she would find assistance from others who experienced similar drinking issues. She could also appeal to a supernatural authority (God), attempt to comprehend her flaws, and take vengeance for those who have mistreated her due to her alcoholism.

Questions

I'd want to offer Marci a couple of questions. Which includes: 3

a. My first inquiry is if you have ever required an alcoholic beverage before the day starts in the early hours?

b. The second issue is if you're ever so drunk that you couldn't recall what occurred the next day?

c. Finally, if you've ever had a "black-out" when getting drunk?

References

Brownstein, H. H. (2015). Drugs and society. The Handbook of Drugs and Society, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118726761.ch1

Debruyne, D., & LE BOISSELIER, R. (2015). Emerging drugs of abuse: Current perspectives on synthetic cannabinoids. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 113. https://doi.org/10.2147/sar.s73586

Ghaemi, S. N. (2018). Addictions. Clinical Psychopharmacology, 294-298. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199995486.003.0023

Mathew, A. R., Hogarth, L., Leventhal, A. M., Cook, J. W., & Hitsman, B. (2016). Cigarette smoking and depression comorbidity: a systematic review and proposed theoretical model. Addiction, 112(3), 401-412. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13604

Patten, C. A. (2018). A critical evaluation of nicotine replacement therapy for teenage smokers. Nicotine Addiction Among Adolescents, 51-75. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315821429-4

Schuster, R. M., Gilman, J., & Evins, A. E. (2018). Effects of adolescent cannabis use on brain structure and function. Contemporary Health Issues on Marijuana, 91-121. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780190263072.003.0005

Williamson, D. (2015). Profiles of emotionality. Kant's Theory of Emotion, 15-30. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137498106_2

Zucker, R. A., & Brown, S. A. (2019). The Oxford handbook of adolescent substance abuse. Oxford University Press, USA.

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