Question

1) Amiti currently smokes one pack of cigarettes a day; she typically smokes with her morning coffee, after meals, in her car, and when hanging out with her friends who smoke. Identify five actions or strategies that Amiti can use to increase her chances of success at quitting.

2) Your cousin has confided in you that she thinks she might have a drug problem. She explains that lately she can only think about getting high and seems to need much more of the drug in order to achieve that high. She is having difficulty in school and has been reprimanded at her job for being late. She has tried to cut back on her use of the drug, but she got sick every time she tried to quit. Identify and define the characteristics of drug dependence being manifested by this individual.

Answer 1

1) Smoking is injurious to health. In the above case Amiti smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. Quiting smoking is one of the best thing anybody can do to improve the health. Quiting smoking is a challenge and it takes several attempts to be successful in quiting.. The following points can help to quit smoking:

• Write down the reason for quiting. The reasons maybe improving your health, lowering the risk of disease.
• Start quiting by gradually decreasing the number of cigarettes per day. Sticking to a strict reduction schedule can help quiting.
• Talk to your doctor and start some nicotine replacement treatments like gums, lozenges and patches which can lessen the cravings.
• Find a counselling services which can help you and support you develop  coping skills.
• Tell family and friens that you want to quit smoking, so that they can best help you.

2) Drug dependence is often mistaken with drug addiction. Drug dependence is defined as an adaptive stage wich develops with repeated drug administration and which resuts in withdrawal after cessation of the drug.

Dependence can involve development of high tolerence of the substance as the body adapts to the drug leading to a desire for larger or more frequent doses.Physical symptoms will occur when you try to stop the drug use. In the above mentioned case it shows that she has Stimulant drug dependence. In such cases the person initially start taking any stimulant drugs andlater on needs to increase the dose so as to achieve that high. This substances are called as 'uppers' for its euphoric effects.

Generally for a person who is suffering from a long term stimulant dependence , detoxification of the drug is recommended. This should be followed by some couselling supports and also therapies like cognitive therapy , behavioural treatments should be followed.