Drug Abuse – Term Paper

Theory Based Intervention on Drug Misuse in Camden

Camden town records significantly a high number of drug abusers and causes a relatively high number of deaths (“Camden Council: New centre to reduce drug users in Camden Town”, 2016). Statistics show that most of the victims are young males. To curb the behavior, there is need to come up with programs to help the drug users give up the habit and lead a drug-free life. Theory-based interventions can be employed to perform the task. There are several interventions that can assist in the matter but their effectiveness varies from one to the other. Some include naloxone, the theory of planned behavior, and resistance skill training. The success stories of the theories also depend on different case studies.

Theory of planned behavior

Theory of planned behavior is to predict the behavior individuals to allow the relevant measures being employed to prevent drug abuse (Bashirian, Hidarnia, Allahverdipour, & Hajizadeh, 2013). The theory provides authorities and other community stakeholders aiming at curbing drug abuse come up with the best plans sufficient to eradicate drug abuse. The method looks into the behavior, change of attitude, and norms in one life and helps in taking early precautions that may help in reducing drug abuse. The theory has been employed in several places in the world and has been successful in setting up a basis for coming up with programs to reduce and prevent drug abuse. It has been helpful in helping in the prevention of drug abuse in early users. For example, it has successfully helped to predict alcohol and cigarette using in Iran leading to coming up with successful planning on how to prevent it.

Resistance skill training is a theory based method that helps in training people on how to avoid and reject temptations to get into drug abuse (Moshki, 2016). The method aims at making the public aware of the drug abuse effects and dangers they pose to users and those close to them. The theory tries to boost self-esteem and responsible decision making among individuals at early stages possible. It also equips trainees with skills that they can use to resist pressure from peers and media to get into drug abuse. The theory offers the learners alternative ways of remaining busy in their lives that help them reduce the possible idle time that can lead them into drug abuse. The method has been successful in colleges and high schools in convincing students to resist drug abuse with places where it has been effected recording lower cases of drug abuse. 

Use of naloxone

Naloxone is a drug used to reverse the effects of drug abuse overdose such as heroine. It is used as a treatment to help one come out of drug abuse (Galea & Vlahov, 2005). It neutralizes the effects of opioids and does not make one have most effects felt when one abuses drugs. The effects of helping one act normally after having an overdose of a drug make naloxone help society in restoring health and making drug addicts come out of their behavior (Kolodny et al., 2015). Also, overdose is a form of drug abuse that causes many deaths to victims. The reversal of the effect of the drugs brought about by naloxone helps in the process saving live. The drug has been known for saving many lives of drug abusers by reversing the effects of the drugs take.

The theory-based intervention on drug abuse can help in curbing the problem of drug abuse in Camden. Since drug abuse is a problem that is prevalent in the town, naloxone is the best, method because it would assist in treating the drug abuser as well as assist in preventing other becoming addict. It can prevent new addicts by being injected when one has taken an overdose at early stages before they become addicts (Burrow-Sanchez & Hawken, 2013). Theory of planned behavior would be the second best among the three theories because it would assist in identifying drug users including a new one and measure taken at the earliest time possible. Resistance skill training would assist in ensuring few or no new recruits in the drug abuse circle is done. The method would help in the long run though it would have a little help to the current drug abusers.

References

Bashirian, S., Hidarnia, A., Allahverdipour, H., & Hajizadeh, E. (2013). The theory-based substance abuse prevention program for adolescents. Health Education & Health Promotion, 1(1), 3-12.

Burrow-Sanchez, J. & Hawken, L. (2013). Helping students overcome substance abuse (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Camden Council: New centre to reduce drug users in Camden Town. (2016). Camden.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016, from http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/press/2007/september/new-centre-to-reduce-drug-users-in-camden-town/;jsessionid=934954CE8F12CCF2EB082BF5248A135B

Galea, S. & Vlahov, D. (2005). Handbook of urban health (1st ed.). New York: Springer.

Kolodny, A., Courtwright, D., Hwang, C., Kreiner, P., Eadie, J., Clark, T., & Alexander, G. (2015). The Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis: A Public Health Approach to an Epidemic of Addiction. Annual Review Of Public Health, 36(1), 559-574. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122957

Mahdi Moshki, P. (2016). Effect of Life Skills Training on Drug Abuse Preventive Behaviors among University Students. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved 14 December 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050678/