Detoxification from Alcohol and Opiates Research Paper
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Grand Canyon University *
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Jan 9, 2024
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Detoxification from Alcohol and Opiates Isabel Cruz Esquivel
Grand Canyon University
PCN 527: Psychopharmacology and Addictions
Instructor’s Name Dr. Joy-Del-Snook
March 01, 2023
2
Detoxification from Alcohol and Opiates
People have been consuming alcohol and other drugs for years even though most people
like to drink recreationally and socially sometimes they might find themselves consuming
alcohol and drugs frequently and more aggressively. Alcohol is a legal substance, but that does
not mean that alcohol can be very harmful and addictive. Opiates include legal and illegal drugs,
and some of the opiates has been mainly use for pain management these drugs can be really
addictive and cause adverse effects on the human body. Alcohol and opiates detoxification can be
hard and tough on the human body due to the different withdrawal symptoms that the human
body have to deal and face through the detoxification process. Therefore, in some cases it is
important to be in detox facility because their people would have the required supervision and
medical assistance that they need to get through this process. The purpose of this paper is to
provide history of alcohol and opiates use, provide information about the detoxification process
from alcohol and Opiates. Moreover, current trends, social concerns, and the relevance of
understand of the process of detoxification to the counseling profession. History of Alcohol and Opiates
Since the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries alcohol use has been seen as a major public health problem. Alcohol and opiates both have been around for years and people have been exposed and
consume both. Some people have use both of these and some of them have use at least once of them in their lives (Bearn, Gossop & Strang, 1999). Alcohol and opiates have been used for different reasons. The 1750-1800s this time was characterized by the creating of sobriety circles to help those who wanted to stop abusing these substances. Native Americans were the ones to use their native healing practices to treat those with alcohol use disorder. The 1800s was the time
for the lodging homes where people have for a short period of time voluntary stays which
included non-medical detoxification, but their people were able to be isolated from all the drinking and substances (Bearn, Gossop & Strang, 1999). The 1864 was characterized by the opening of a facility where there was provided medical supervision for the detoxification patients
and they were monitored during their treatment. The 1900-1950 was characterized by the opening of the first substance abuse hospital where doctors could provide the medical care and attention that those patients suffering from alcohol use disorder needed it. The 1950-2000 time was characterized by the creation of the American Medical Association which created the definition of alcoholism, and they were able to gain more understanding of the signs, symptoms and effects cause due to the misuse of alcohol and other substances (Bearn, Gossop & Strang, 1999). Moreover, during that time there was a development of more treatment center and units. The 2000-present time has been characterized by the approval of the FDA of buprenorphine medication to treat opioid addictions. Also, the insurance plans were able to cover those needed substance addiction treatment, services and medical care. Detoxification
What is detoxification? Detoxification is a known process where it takes place the physiological removal of toxic substances in this case would be the removal of alcohol and opiates from the human body which is mainly carry out by the liver (Griffin, Rishi & Kelleher, 2021). Detoxification can be seen as a medical treatment and process of alcohol and opiates which involves abstention from drinking and consuming until the bloodstream is free from all the
toxins that the human body has ingested due to the use of those substances. Psychopharmacology of Alcohol and Opiates
Psychopharmacology of alcohol include short terms effects and long-term effects which include the following liver damage, high blood pressure, trouble concentrating, loss of coordination,
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mood swings, memory loss, stroke, irregular heart beat and death. Psychopharmacology of opiates include the following drowsiness, confusion, nausea, constipation and slow breathing, neurological effects and the changes of opiates dependence and addiction increases (Livingston, Leviyah, Ameral, Hocking & Timko, 2022). There are people who choose to mix alcohol and their medications which can lead to side effects which include the following nausea and vomiting, dehydration, changes in blood pressure, irregular heart rate, dizziness, abnormal behavior, come and loss of consciousness. Current Trends and Issues with the Use of Alcohol
Alcohol use in the United States has been a health issue for years and the current trends include prevalent drinking research has shown that people from the ages of 18 and older have drink alcohol at least once in their lives. Another current trend is prevalence of binge drinking and heavy alcohol use research has shown that people from the age of 18 and older has been engaged
in binge drinking and engaged in heavy alcohol use (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022). Furthermore, there is an emerging trend which is known as high-intensity drinking which means that people consume alcohol at levels that are two or more times from the gender-specific binge drinking. Issues related with alcohol include emergencies and deaths in the
United States (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022). The rate of alcohol related emergency visits has increased 47 percent from 2006 to 2014 (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022). In between 2011 and 2015 the leading cause of alcohol deaths was due to chronic conditions in the United States which were associated to liver disease, heart disease, stroke, and other diseases (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022).
Another issue due to the misuse of alcohol includes economic burden because it has cost approx. 249 billion (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2022). According to the CDC prescription opioid misuse and use of alcohol has increases among high school students. Adolescence age range where the chances of initiating substance use increase the risk due to teenagers wanted to connect and fit in with others. Social issues those suffering from alcohol use disorder and suffering from addiction to painkillers find it difficult to concentrate and take care of their responsibilities such as job, family, social interactions and more. Lastly, alcohol misuse is a global burden because it does not only affect the United States. Relevance to the Counseling Profession
The counseling profession is a vital part of the process of the road to recovery and the treatment that those individuals must go through because they are suffering from alcohol use disorder and opiates misuse, so they have to go through this process to overcome their addiction. Counseling profession plays such an important role during the treatment process because a counselor can guide, teach and help those individuals to develop coping skills and to find their inner motivation to keep moving forward (Wilens, Zulauf, Ryland and Carrellas, 2015). Through counseling individuals are able to learn more and understand about their addiction to alcohol and
the best course of treatment for them to overcome their addiction. Also, people are able to learn and develop healthy coping mechanisms that can help them through the detoxification process to deal with the withdrawal symptoms and keep pushing and moving forward when the process get difficult because the counselor can support them through the process. Future Implications
The future implication for alcohol and opiate use includes to educate and provide awareness of the effects of alcohol and opioid misuse and how these can affect their bodies in harmful way and in some cases even death (Wilens, Zulauf, Ryland and Carrellas, 2015). It is important to brough up and provide this information in schools where teens, adolescents would be able to have access to this information while keeping in mind that teenagers are the ones at highest risk to develop an alcohol use disorder due to the constant exposure of alcohol in social gatherings and the desire of wanting to experiment and try new things. In conclusion, the use of alcohol and opiates is not a recent health issue concern because people have been using alcohol and opiates for years even though there has been a development in the creation of treatment facilities and there have been a development in the information and understanding about the side effects of the alcohol and opiates and these have been very resourceful and helpful to understand more about how people are affected by these in different aspects of their lives. The use of alcohol and opiates have increased through the years even though there are more treatments for these addictions and development on to treat these addictions. The detoxification process can vary from individual to individual due that each body reacts different and there are several factors to take in consideration such as the amount of time consuming those substances which is why some people required to be in a treatment facility where they can have access to the most adequate and efficient medical care that would help them
through this difficult process. Counseling play a very important part in this process because going through the detox process does not mean that people are ready and know the changes that need to take in place to stay sober and fight the cravings due to the withdrawal of those substances. Through counseling people are able to understand more about the process that they
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are going to go through and what is the next step after detox and how to move forward and make the necessary changes to improve their quality of life.
References Bearn, J., Gossop, M., & Strang, J. (1999). Rapid opiate detoxification treatments. Drug & Alcohol Review, 18(1), 75–81. https://doi-
org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09595239996789
Griffin, H., Rishi, N., & Kelleher, M. (2021). A service evaluation of the use and outcomes of inpatient detoxification for the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependence within a community addictions service. BJPsych Open, 7(S1), S322-
S323. doi:10.1192/bjo.2021.849.
Livingston, N., Leviyah, X., Ameral, V., Hocking, E., & Timko, C. (2022). Scoping review of intervention studies to improve opioid and alcohol use outcomes and links to care following inpatient detoxification. Addiction Research & Theory, 30(2), 134–148. https://doi-
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Mackie, S. E., McHugh, R. K., McDermott, K., Griffin, M. L., Winkelman, J. W., & Weiss, R. D. (2017). Prevalence of restless legs syndrome during detoxification from alcohol and opioids. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 73, 35–39. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2016.10.001
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2022, March). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-
and-statistics
Wilens, T., Zulauf, C., Ryland, D., Carrellas, N., & Catalina, W. I. (2015). Prescription medication misuse among opioid dependent patients seeking inpatient
detoxification. The American Journal on Addictions, 24(2), 173–177. https://doi-
org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/ajad.12159
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