Sampling Strategy and Participant Characteristics

Holistic Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment

Monique D Brown Wellons

Walden University

Holistic Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment

The focus of this paper is to provide the significance of the study as well as the framework. The significance of the study will describe how the study will contribute to addressing gaps identified by the problem statement. It will also detail how the findings will contribute to professional practice and how it may lead to a positive social change in the society. On the other hand, the framework is theoretical; it is informed by the research questions intended to identify research design decisions. The section will include methods of inquiry, analysis, and data collection.

Problem Statement

For a prolonged period, women have not wholesomely been encompassed in studies that seed to find solutions in the treatment of substance abuse. Particular emphasis has been placed on men a scenario that is attributed to the fact that more men than women are exposed to the use of these abusive substances. The stated fact does not, however, mean that women should not be encompassed in research studies. They should be included since they possess a unique biological and psychosocial composition that requires a different approach in treatment. We, therefore, cannot use the blanket approach in their treatment since some of the treatment approaches used by men are not applicable to them (ASAM, 2011).

Also, there is a manifold of research-based techniques that can be applied in the treatment of patients who have engaged in the use of abusive substances. These approaches include therapeutic sessions aimed at psychologically improving the condition of a patient. However much a therapist may make an input in the form of deliberations with a patient, a patient's input too is essential for the realization of effective progress in treatment. The notion, therefore, brings up the element of creative therapy. Creative therapy entails the use of art which will be instrumental in enabling patients to express themselves and understand their situation through the use of music, paintings and art drawings. Furthermore, there is a fundamental gap in the understanding of the correlation between stress and addiction. Addiction often constitutes imbalances within the mind, body and spirit. It will, therefore, be beneficial for this research to understand the correlation thereby be able to correct the imbalances (ASAM, 2011).

Previously published literature show that there are fundamental gaps in research studies that encompass women thus implying that there are limited treatment techniques that can be applied to women. Another gap that is observed is the use of creative therapy programs that allow patients that have engaged in the use of abusive substances to express and understand their situation. The occurrence, therefore, implies that there is a need for studies that encompass women. Thus, there is need of strategies that particularly address the needs of women. In addition, there is need to further the understanding of stress and addiction (NIDA, 2007).

Reviewed literature reveals the concept that constitutes having a craving for substance abuse. It reveals that frequent drug use is a causative agent for addiction. It also reveals that addiction constitutes the inability to controls one's urges in engaging in the use of abusive substances. The research, however, states that the key to recovery is correcting imbalances within the mind body and spirit (NIDA, 2007).

Background for Study

Selected articles relating to Methodologies to Substance Abuse Treatment and the process of management of abuse patients are described here:

1. American Art Therapy Association, (1996) provides a history of the use of therapy in Treatment of Substance Abuse patients.

2. Amodia, Eliason, and Cano (2005) provide an integral approach to substance abuse.

3. Barrowclough, Haddock, Tarrier, Lewis, Moring, O’Brien, Schofield and McGovern (2001), provide an unbiased control trial of motivational cross-examinaation, family intervention for patients and cognitive behavioral therapy.

4. Black, Jacques, Webber, Spurr, Carey, Hebb, and Gilbert (2010), provides details for a massage that is used in the treatment of anxiety in patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms for the use of psychoactive drugs.

5. Chen, Comerford, Shinnick and Ziedonis (2010), provide details about Qigong meditation that can be used in domiciliary dependency treatment. It is a model experiment where gender is used to make distinctive differences in gender.

6. De Moor, Beem, Stubbe, Boomsma and De Geus (2006), is a population-based study that provides information on the use of regular exercise to prevent anxiety and depression.

7. Fisher and Harrison, (2013) provide information on substance abuse for school counselors therapists and social workers.

8. Erickson and Young, (2010) give information on group therapy for incarcerated women. It generally talks about counseling women offenders who are fundamentally exposed to drug and substance abuse.

9. Enhancing motivation for change in substance abuse is, and the use of treatment protocols is detailed in the medical journal of Center for Substance Abuse treatment published in 1999.

10. Brief therapies and interventions for patients engaged in the use of abusive substances are detailed in the 2001 journal of Center for Substance Abuse treatment. These interventions also include the use of treatment protocols.

11. Moe (2011), give details on group guided imagery for patients suffering from substance abuse disorders and is found in the journal of the Association of Music Imagery.

12. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009) provided safe and suggested treatment measures for the treatment of drug abuse from a human health perspective.

13. Priester, Scherer, Steinfeldt, Jana-Masri, Jashinsky, Jones, and Vang, (2009) provide findings from a national survey on Pastoral Psychology on the frequency of prayer, holistic intervention and meditation on addiction treatment.

14. In Baron and Siporins journal article of 2012, they provide information on the incorporation non-drug social and recreational treatment on patients having chemical dependency syndromes.

15. Sun (2007) details relapse among substance abusing women. Sun’s journal article also details components and processes of treatment.

16. Wesa and Cullition (2004), provide commendations and guiding principles regarding ideal exploration protocols for studying and examining the effect of optimum therapeutic environments in patients with drug abuse disorders.

17. Wright, Nebebkopf, King, Maas, Patel and Samuel (2011), provide holistic systems of care. The quote evidence from the systems effectiveness.

18. Yang, Lee, and Sohn (2007) provide possible mechanisms for underlying the effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of drug addiction published under the Advanced Access Publication.

Significance of the Study

The research will positively contribute to addressing the gap highlighted in the problem statement. The problem statement points out three fundamental issues left unaddressed. For instance, women have not wholesomely been encompassed in studies that seek to find solutions on the drug abuse menace. The occurrence means that women may be subjected to blanket recovery methods used on men, which may not particularly address their need.

The significance is achieved in this case since a gender-based solution on the aspect will be derived (Covington, 2008). Also, it will back the use of creative therapies as a holistic mode of treatment by providing empirical evidence on its functionality. Furthermore, it will satisfy the inadequate understanding of the correlation between stress and addiction. It will thus provide a procedure in which imbalances of the mind body and spirit as a method of treatment for drug abuse patients (Carroll and Onken, 2005).

The study will contribute to professional practice by providing additional techniques in which in which the threat of drug and substance abuse can be treated. It will also be instrumental in reducing the high cost of treatment if it is proved that the use of creative therapies contributes to the recovery of patients. It is vital to note that creative therapy does not require the use of an extensive amount of resources.

In addition, it will give medical practitioners the ability to address specific need based on gender. It will lead to positive change in the society by creating and providing an understanding of how drug abuse affects the mind body and spirit thus explaining the importance of shying away from their use. It will also contribute to the quick recovery of patients because of diversification (Carroll and Onken, 2005).

Framework

The framework will hypothesize a relationship between the patients and the proposed interventions on addressing the issue. The exploration of the relationship will capitalize on engaging on a medically induced support model in experimenting with women responsiveness and use of creative therapy to seek to find out the responsiveness of patients when exposed to drug abuse. It will also use a hypothesized study in understanding the correction of imbalances within the mind body and spirit as a preventive and curative measure.

The conceptual framework will have greater chances of achieving a positive outcome if it promotes the psychosocial and psychological well-being of a patient by reducing the effects of substance abuse and if it addresses the basic need of psychological competencies among patients (Hser, Longshore, and Anglin, 2007).

The paper details definite success that will be achieved if the gaps within the study are explored. The conceptual framework will encompass obtaining result by exposing subjects to curative stimuli.

References

Administration (US). (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP Series, No. 34). Available at

http://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-34-Brief-Interventions-and-Brief-Therapies-for

Substance-Abuse/SMA12-3952

American Society of Addiction Medicine- Definition of Addiction. (2011, April 1). Retrieved