My honors project focuses on the physiological and
psychological effects of alcohol and opioid addiction on the human body and how
addiction affects nursing care.Alcohol, for many years, has been a means of addiction for
countless people. 61% of Americans report being current drinkers, 5% considering
themselves heavy drinkers (Nies & McEwen, 2011). Alcohol abuse has led to
many preventable deaths, ruined careers, and torn families apart and still does
today. In more recent history a new type of drug addiction has been
growing at an alarming rate and what is more disturbing is the fact that this addiction
is common among school aged children, especially those in high school. I am referring to the abuse of prescription opioids
such as Vicodin and OxyContin.
A recent study states, “The non-medical use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs has increased at least eighty percent since 2000… over fifteen million Americans age 12 and older have taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for non-medical purposes at least once… deaths resulting from drug overdose increased nearly fivefold since 1990, making drug overdose a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States…” (2011). Clearly this is a big issue in our country but specifically with our nations high school students. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 12 high school seniors have reported using Vicodin for non-medical purposes (2011). It has also been shown that those students participating in recreational use of prescription medications are more likely to abuse alcohol as well. As public health nurses, if we are to battle addiction in communities we need to start in our schools by promoting healthy lifestyles and educating the students about the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
A recent study states, “The non-medical use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs has increased at least eighty percent since 2000… over fifteen million Americans age 12 and older have taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for non-medical purposes at least once… deaths resulting from drug overdose increased nearly fivefold since 1990, making drug overdose a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States…” (2011). Clearly this is a big issue in our country but specifically with our nations high school students. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 12 high school seniors have reported using Vicodin for non-medical purposes (2011). It has also been shown that those students participating in recreational use of prescription medications are more likely to abuse alcohol as well. As public health nurses, if we are to battle addiction in communities we need to start in our schools by promoting healthy lifestyles and educating the students about the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
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| Figure 1: Retrieved from http://www.musahlotallah.com |
I chose this photo to represent the
abuse of drugs in schools. As aforementioned, it is a prevalent issue in our
country right now so as nurses, we need to work towards creating a healthier environment
for students. I have chosen the Transtheoretical Model to help me understand
some of the barriers to creating healthier choices. I chose this theory because
it emphasizes that change occurs in various stages and take place over time. It
also states that behavior changes can be very difficult for a variety of
reasons therefore leading to resistance of change. (Nies & McEwen, 2011).
The stages include precontemplation,
contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. These stages describe the
varying degrees of commitment to change from having no intention to maintaining
a change for over six months. Students who abuse drugs in high school may
initially resist making healthier choices for many reasons. For example, they may
feel it will hinder their social relationships, perhaps all of their friends
abuse drugs and in order to remain a part of the group they will continue the
unhealthy practice. Giving up something they consider to be pleasurable or will
require a change in their self-image are other factors that decrease
willingness for change.
Knowledge of these barriers to making
healthy lifestyle decisions along with the concept that teenagers generally
feel they are invincible shines light on the reason these choices are being
made so frequently. As we better understand
this subject we can work towards halting harmful habits that begin in youth and
eventually transform into addictive behaviors as adults.
References
National Institute of Health (2011). Prescription drug abuse: A
fast-growing problem. Medline Plus, 6(3), 21. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine
/issues/fall11/articles/fall11pg21.html
Nies, M.A., McEwen, M.
(2011). Community/public health nursing. N. O’Brien, C. Irwin (Eds.). Health
promotion and risk reduction (pp 54-57). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.
Sham, M.K (2011). Down on the
pharm: The juvenile prescription drug abuse epidemic and the necessity of holding parents criminally liable
for making drugs accessible in their homes. Journal
of Contemporary Health Law & Policy.
Retrieved from: http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.uwec.edu
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