Addiction as a Concept

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the concept of addiction is most often used in the structural context of mental health because the mental health profession is concerned with how to care for the individual who is substance dependent. The author relates that addiction is the sum of the characteristics of unpredictable behavior changes, the inability to maintain impulses and self-control, and the compulsiveness to be gratified through an increase in dependency on the substances abused for pleasure. The paper concludes that the practical results of this conceptual analysis reveal that nurses can better understand and assess the need to care for the addicted client, worker, or family member when they have an increased consciousness about the structural forms that contribute to the solidification of addiction.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Isolating Questions of the Concept
Right Answers
Model Case
Contrary Case
Borderline Case
Invented Case
Social Context
Underlying Anxieties
Practical Results
Results in Language
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The following case story serves as a pure example of all of the elements that comprise concept of addiction. Jim is a 35-year-old Caucasian male who began to "shoot heroin" with coworkers after work. His heroin addiction started out as a half a gram of heroin injected intravenously after work and over two years, grew to two grams of heroin per day. John has begun to let his personal appearance deteriorate. His job performance declined and he was fired. A usual day for him now involves sitting in front of the television in a state of euphoria. His wife and daughter, who live with him, urge him to seek help for his illness. His wife states, ?He has become moody and easily agitated."

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