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addiction in healthcare work

            
             Substance abuse is a serious concern in the nursing profession. The American Nurses Association estimates the 10% to 20% of nurses have substance abuse problems. Chemical dependency is considered a disease that requires treatment. Early identification and treatment of the chemically dependent healthcare worker is important for the safety of the public and for the well-being of the nurse and her profession. We can no longer afford to ignore, ostracize, or punish nurses who have this progressive and fatal disease. In this article we will learn more about addiction as a disease, and what recovery really is.
             Addiction is a disease. The definition of a disease is "anything that interferes with the ability of a human to function normally." A disease causes its own signs and symptoms. Like any other disease, addiction is progressive and predictable. It only gets worse without treatment affecting more systems with increasing severity. Even is an addict is clean and sober for many years, the disease itself is still progressive. Symptoms that haven't been observed for many years return as soon as the addict relapses. They pick up right where they left off, no matter how much time has gone by. There are no permanent cures. There is only management of the symptoms to prevent an acute episode. The addict can only return to normal life when only the drinking or drug use stops completely.
             Using drugs repeated over time changes the brain structure and function in .
             .
             page two.
             can persist long after the individual stops using. These changes in structure and.
             function occur due to neuroadaptive changes and new memory connections in various circuits of the brain. Addiction is the hijacking of the autonomic nervous system-the primary learning system, the pleasure reward cycle. These changes are due to neurotransmitters.


Essays Related to addiction in healthcare work

1. Addiction and Recovery

Addiction and Recovery This paper will discuss addiction in its various forms. ... While physiological addiction can be treated with a variety of medical treatments, psychological addiction is questionably much more difficult to successfully treat. ... Addiction varies greatly: the majority of addicts are drug abusers, but any compulsion that produces an altered state of consciousness can become an addiction. The 2 types of addiction are physiological and psychological. ... This estimate includes treatment and prevention costs and other healthcare costs. ...

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2. Drug Abuse Among Nurses

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3. The Causes of Homelessness

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4. Trade Offs and Opportunity Costs

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5. Virtual Reality Technology

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7. What is the Price of a Human?

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8. Laws for the Poor

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9. Teens and Drugs

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