Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol Essay -- Drugs, Alcohol Essays

in that respect atomic number 18 many affects that drugs and alcoholic drink can have on the body, and on the life of a person. Thousands of jobs, homes, and families are lost annually through the addictions of drugs and alcohol. Children flex up without parents, spouses are forced to raise their children as single parents, and grandparents hold up legal guardians for a second time, due to the effects of substance curse and dependence. Exactly how addiction is defined and diagnosed is an on-going issue and one that will be discussed in this paper. While there are eleven different categories that substances are arranged, this paper will be focusing specifically on alcohol and cannabis.An estimated 126 million Americans over the age of 12 reported being on-going alcohol drinkers in 2005 (Smith & Stevens, 2009). According to the Treatment Episode Data check off (TEDS), over 42 thousand homeless adults over the age of 50 were admitted to substance poke fun treatmen t in 2008, and sixty five percentage were being treated for alcohol abuse (TEDS, 2010). Excessive alcohol enjoyment may have been accepted in the beginning of the twentieth century, moreover currently, a male who consumes more than 14 drinks in a workweek or more than four drinks day, and a woman who has more than 13 drinks a week 3 drinks on a day, is considered at endangerment of being an alcoholic (Burge & Schneider, 1999). Cannabis, better known as marijuana, is the most step illegal drug in America (Smith & Stevens, 2009). It too had the highest level of abuse and dependence in 2005 with over 4.1 million people affected (National contribute on Drug Abuse, 2006). Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette, known also as a joint or blunt, and is also used in a pipe or bong. There is a more potent and unpoll... ...Mendelson, J., & Mello, N. (Eds.). (1985). The diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism. New York McGraw-Hill. National launch on Drug Abuse, (2006). Marijuana. B ethesda, MD Author. Retrieved August 11, 2010, from http//drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.htmlSmith, R.L. & Stevens, P. (2009). Substance abuse and counseling. possibleness and Practice. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Pearson.U.S. surgical incision of Health and gracious Services (2007). The Surgeon Generals Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce venial Drinking. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from http//www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/alcoholdrug/index.htm US Department of Justice (1988). Drug Enforcement Administration, In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition (Docket 86-22). Retrieved from http//drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q= customer/30