Shana Nunnally

Grand Canyon University

PCN – 501
1/17/18

Topic 1: Addiction Worksheet

Part One Directions: Provide short answers of 200-350 words each for the following
questions/statements. Include at least three scholarly resources beyond the course textbook in
your response and listed as a reference at the bottom of the worksheet.

1. What are the pharmacological and physiological effects of substance use?

Pharmacology is the study of how a drug interacts with the body and how the
body interacts with the drug, whereas, physical dependence of a drug is a condition in
which the body has become accustomed to the occurrence of a drug and signs of
withdrawal happen when stopping use (Kupferschmidt Consulting Services Ltd., 2004).
For a drug to work, it has to generate a change in the way a cell will function and
eventually causes a person to have physical and/or mental effects. The effects that a drug
has on a person’s body depends on whether the drug is a depressant, stimulant,
hallucinogen, or psychotherapeutic agent and how they are used. Reoccurring substance
use often leads someone to have a difficult time completing everyday tasks. For example,
repeated absences from work or school, neglecting children or household related
responsibilities, communication issues, and negative physical behavior. Chronic use of
some drugs can also lead to both short and long-term changes in the brain, which can lead
to mental health issues including paranoia, depression, anxiety, aggression,
hallucinations, and other problems (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, 2017).

2. Select two substances from the following and describe at least two pharmacological and
physiological effect of each (200-350 words each).

 Opioids
 Stimulants
 Cannabinoids
 Hallucinogens
 Another DSM Substance Use Disorder of your choice

Hallucinogens are substances that produce psychological effects and changes in

perception, thought, and feeling and also increase sensory signals. Hallucinogenic drugs
have many short and long-term effects. Short term effects normally begin to happen 20-
90 minutes after taking the drug and can last up to 12 hours (NIDA, 2015). Some of these
effects include, increased blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, dizziness and
 sleeplessness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, and sweating, numbness, weakness, and
tremors. Long term effects include persistent psychosis, which causes visual
disturbances, disorganized thinking, paranoia, mood disturbances, and Hallucinogen
Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), which causes hallucinations and symptoms
sometimes mistaken for neurological disorders, such as, stroke or brain tumors (NIDA,
2015).
Cannabinoids produce euphoria, enhancement of sensory perception, tachycardia,
difficulties in concentration, and impairment of memory (NIDA, 2017). The main effect
from cannabinoids is memory impairment because THC alters how the hippocampus
processes information. As a person gets older, they naturally lose neurons in the
hippocampus, which reduces their ability to absorb new information, so, someone that
chronically uses THC may experience loss of hippocampal neurons and speed up their
loss of neurons (NIDA, 2017). Marijuana has the highest addictive potential due to rapid
and efficient drug delivery from the lungs to the brain and has been shown to affect the
pharmacokinetics of other drugs, which means that it slows down the absorption of other
drugs and may also enhance or delay the penetration of drugs into the brain (NIDA,
2017).

3. What is a process addiction? What is a substance use disorder? How are the two similar
and how are they different? How would you establish a treatment relationship to work
with a client with substance use disorder or process addiction?

Process addiction is when a person is dependent on a type of behavior, but it

doesn’t involve drugs or alcohol and a substance use disorder is a condition in which the
use of one or more substances leads to a clinically significant impairment or distress
(Salman Alavi, et al., 2012). Process addiction and substance abuse have a lot in
common. Someone that uses drugs is not worried about what the effect will be right after
they use the drug and someone with a process addiction if not thinking about the negative
impact their actions are going to have at the time it is happening. Some similarities of
process addiction and substance use include, tolerance, withdraw symptoms, and failure
to stop. Someone with a substance use disorder may take more of a drug to achieve the
desired effect, while someone with a process addiction will increase the frequency or
severity of their behavior for the same reason (Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, 2017). Substance users frequently experience more physical
symptoms, but someone with a process addiction may experience anxiety or stress of they
cannot participate in their behavior of choice. Both someone with a process addiction and
substance use disorder have a very difficult time stopping their drug or behavior of
choice. In order to establish a treatment relationship to work with a client that has a
substance use disorder or process addiction I would, maintain a recovery perspective,
manage and monitor psychiatric symptoms, use supportive and empathetic counseling,
and always increase structure and support.

4. Briefly explain the history of substance abuse treatment in the United States over the past
100 years. How did the early practices differ from what is being done today? Briefly
describe the development of multidisciplinary teams in regard to the treatment of
addictions.
 “According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, roughly 23.5 million
Americans over the age of 12 have abused substances as recently as 2011 and among
those individuals, only about 2.6 million, or 11.2 percent, seek treatment” (Serenity Now,
2016). The early history of substance abuse and addiction mainly relates to the growth of
medications and new skills that have helped improve the healthcare system. Before the
1960s laws were implemented in an effort to minimize the abuse of substances like
heroin and cocaine. Over the years the drug of choice or popularity of drugs fluctuated,
but marijuana is a drug that has been, and still is continuously used. In addition to
marijuana, some of the other most common substances used today are, alcohol, opiates,
cocaine, and stimulants. The development of multidisciplinary teams in regard to the
treatment of addictions is something that should be used and gets the best results due to
all people and addictions being different and it takes a team to use and implement a
multidisciplinary approach. The process would start by having an intake process. Per
HIPPA law and for the safety of the healthcare professional and client, there has to be a
clear understanding on what and why the client is being seen or treated for. The client
would then be given a primary therapist, followed by a psychiatrist, possibly be put on
any needed medication, and lastly, be assigned a case manager to help the client with any
resources and/or contacts needed by the client (Serenity Now, 2016)and to evaluate if
they are happy with the process and treatment they have received thus far.

Part Two Directions: It is widely understood that there is a biopsychosocial model of addiction.
Within the biopsychosocial model, there are multiple psychological theories and biological
theories. Complete the table below by comparing and contrasting the selected biological and
psychological theories of addiction.

Theory and Brief Similarities Differences

Description
 Family history  Establish relationships
Personality Theory  Rewiring of brain to fix with others to reduce pain
the problem and/or stressors
 Change in behavior effects  Personality changes
decision making  Cross addictions
 Requires a choice or  Different personalities can
treatment to help fix trigger other addictions,
 Can be passed on mental illness, or
 Can cause more addictions impulsive behavior
and mental illness  A wide range and variety
 Behavioral issues of personality disorders
 Family history  Predisposition to drug use
Genetic Theory  Rewiring of brain to fix  Predisposed reaction to
the problem drugs due to chromosomes
 Change in behavior effects or genes
decision making  Runs in families
 Requires a choice or  Existing mental health
treatment to help fix issues
 Can be passed on
 Can cause more addictions
and mental illness
 Behavioral issues
 References

Kupferschmidt Consulting Services Ltd. (2004). Pharmacology of Drugs. Retrieved from

FORCON Forensic Consulting.

NIDA. (2015, February 1). Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs. Retrieved from National

Institute on Drug Abuse: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/hallucinogens-

dissociative-drugs/how-do-hallucinogens-lsd-psilocybin-peyote-dmt-ayahuasca-affect-

brain-body

NIDA. (2017, December 12). Marijuana. Retrieved from National Institute on Drug Abuse:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-long-term-

effects-brain

Salman Alavi, S., Ferdosi, M., Jannatifard, F., Eslami, M., Alaghemandan, H., & Setare, M.

(2012, April). Behavioral Addiction versus Substance Addiction: Correspondence of

Psychiatric and Psychological Views. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 290-

294.

Serenity Now. (2016, February 17). The History of Drug Use In The United States. Retrieved

from Serenity Now: http://www.serenityrecovery.com/the-history-of-drug-use-in-the-

united-states/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017, March). Health

Consequences of Drug Misuse. National Institue on Drug Abuse Advancing Addiction

Science.