Page 42 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

ADDiCTioN CARE n 9

experience. Statistics support that all health The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment,
care provider groups have a 10% prevalence a part of the Substance Abuse Mental Health
for substance use, abuse, or neglect. in each Services Administration, the NiDA, and A
group, from 6% to 8% of the providers may the National institute on Alcohol Abuse
use to the extent that their practice is nega- and Alcoholism are the main resources for
tively affected. State Boards of Nursing dis- funding of research and information about
cipline approximately 6,000 nurses each year substance abuse and dependence. Many edu-
because of substance abuse or dependency. cational documents have been made avail-
Taking into consideration the numbers of able through publications available on their
individuals and professionals affected each Web sites.
year by the disease of addiction, the American According to the 2008 National Survey
Association of Colleges of Nursing (1998) on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for
introduced a position statement that outlined Americans 12 years and older, an estimated
the importance of including substance abuse 20.1 million Americans (8%) currently used
education in all curriculums in all schools of illicit drugs and 129 million (51.6%) were
nursing. To date, most nursing schools have current users of alcohol. More than 100,000
not responded to the recommendations of Americans die, and more than half a tril-
this position statement. lion dollars is spent each year as a result of
in the early thirties, alcoholism was the impact of substance abuse and addic-
explained by attributing it to an allergy tion (NiDA, 2010). Using the Diagnostic and
(Angres & Bettinadi-Angres, 2008). one of the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth
best-known figures in the study of addiction, edition, an estimated 22.2 million persons
Bill Wilson, was inspired to start Alcoholics (8.9% of the population 12 years or older) met
Anonymous after experiencing treatment the criteria for substance dependence or abuse
under that theory. Hospitals in Minnesota in the prior year. Some 3.1 million Americans
attempted to partner with Alcoholics met the criteria for dependence or abuse of
Anonymous, giving rise to an altered con- both alcohol and drugs, 3.9 million for depen-
cept of substance abuse called the Minnesota dence or abuse of just illicit drugs, and 15.2
Model. This was the beginning of a disease million for abuse or dependence of just alco-
concept for addiction. Twenty years later, hol (Substance Abuse and Mental Health
E. Morton Jellinek would conduct research Services Administration, 2009). in 2008, 23.1
with male alcoholics and develop the Jellinek million individuals (9.2% of those 12 or older)
Curve (http://www.in.gov/judiciary/ijlap/ were in need of substance abuse treatment,
docs/jellinek.pdf) that became the basis for but only 2.3 million (0.9%) received it.
his Disease Concept of Alcoholism. Every segment of the population is
Then as now, diagnosis of this disease equally susceptible to this disease. Adole-
depends on the evaluation of presenting signs scence seems to be the period of time where
and symptoms reported by the affected indi- use is the highest. Educational programming
vidual, which are then fitted into a defined set has been directed toward prevention in an
of elements or criteria (Doweiko, 2006). Many attempt to decrease the initial experimenta-
health care professionals continue to work tion, but untreated use and abuse becomes
on a theory of addiction that will be accepted dependence. More effort needs to be directed
regardless of the specialty area or expertise toward educating parents, teachers, other
of the practitioners. This work continues to adults in authority, and health care providers
be difficult because definitions and termi- about recognizing the signs and symptoms
nology can vary from area to area, and many of use and abuse to increase the referrals to
individuals continue to believe that addic- treatment. Efforts have been made to inte-
tion is a choice or due to a lack of willpower. grate systems of service, that is, mental