From Enabling to Bootstrapping: Welfare Workers' Views of Substance Abuse and Welfare Reform

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dohan ◽  
Laura Schmidt ◽  
Stuart Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Welfare Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Substance Use Problems ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
New Policies ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Welfare Workers

In the United States, a trope of “deservingness” shapes policy related to public aid and substance abuse. In recent decades, poor people with substance use problems have increasingly been seen as “undeserving.” Federal welfare reform, passed in the mid-1990s, is an important exemplar of this trend. Welfare reform empowered line workers to directly and indirectly withhold aid from people with substance use problems. This paper uses in-depth interviews with workers to explore their views of these new policies. Workers generally applauded welfare reform's renewed attention to deservingness, including program emphases on client self-sufficiency and personal accountability and policies that time-limited cash aid and mandated working. They felt that these changes allowed them to stop “enabling” substance abuse and to encourage clients with alcohol and drug problems to bootstrap their way into jobs. Workers' embrace of these policy changes appears likely to shape how substance abuse problems are addressed within the welfare system.

Alcohol and Drug Problems: Prevention

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio F. Marsiglia ◽  
David Becerra ◽  
Jaime M. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Abuse ◽  
Drug Problems

Prevention is a proactive science-based process that aims to strengthen existing protective factors and to diminish or eliminate other factors that put individuals, families, and communities at risk for substance abuse. Prevention is important because alcohol and drug abuse are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health expenditures in the United States. Alcohol and other drug abuse is also associated with infectious diseases, chronic diseases, emergency room visits, newborn health problems, family violence, and auto fatalities. The comorbidity of drug and alcohol abuse with mental health disorders and HIV adds urgency to the development, evaluation, and implementation of comprehensive and effective prevention interventions. The social work profession plays a key role in substance abuse prevention, as it not only targets the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs but also aims at reducing the related negative health and psychosocial outcomes and economic burden they produce on individuals and society at large.

Abuse of reformulated OxyContin: Updated findings from a sentinel surveillance sample of individuals assessed for substance use disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa A. Cassidy, MPH ◽  
Eileen Thorley, MPH ◽  
Ryan A. Black, PhD ◽  
Angela DeVeaugh-Geiss, PhD ◽  
Stephen F. Butler, PhD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Addiction Severity Index ◽  
Prescription Opioid ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Treatment Settings

Objective: To examine abuse prevalence for OxyContin and comparator opioids over a 6-year period prior to and following market entry of reformulated OxyContin and assess consistency in abuse across treatment settings and geographic regions. Design: An observational study examining longitudinal changes using cross-sectional data from treatment centers for substance use disorder.Setting: A total of 874 facilities in 39 states in the United States within the National Addictions Vigilance Intervention and Prevention Program (NAVIPPRO®) surveillance system.Participants: Adults (72,060) assessed for drug problems using the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV®) from January 2009 through December 2015 who abused prescription opioids.Main outcome measure(s): Percent change in past 30-day abuse. Results: OxyContin had significantly lower abuse 5 years after reformulation compared to levels for original OxyContin. Consistency of magnitude in OxyContin abuse reductions across geographic regions, ranging from 41 to 52 percent with differences in abuse reductions in treatment setting categories occurred. Changes in geographic region and treatment settings across study years did not bias the estimate of lower OxyContin abuse through confounding.Conclusion: In the postmarket setting, limitations and methodologic challenges in abuse measurement exist and it is difficult to isolate singular impacts of any one intervention given the complexity of prescription opioid abuse. Expectations for a reasonable threshold of abuse for any one ADF product or ADF opioids as a class are still uncertain and undefined. A significant decline in abuse prevalence of reformulated OxyContin was observed 5 years after its reformulation among this treatment sample of individuals assessed for substance use disorder that was lower historically for the original formulation of this product.

Alcohol and Drug Problems: Overview

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner ◽  
Richard Isralowitz
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Based Treatment ◽  
United States Population ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Alcohol And Other Drugs

Most social workers will encounter individuals and families who have problems resulting from excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, commonly referred to as substance abuse or, increasingly, as substance misuse problems. This article provides an overview of problems related to substance use worldwide, focusing on the United States population and selected subpopulations, such as young people, the elderly, women, ethnic and racial minorities, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual communities. It discusses the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Substance Use Disorders, evidence-based treatment approaches, and relevant policy issues relating to substance use problems. The roles of social workers in addressing these problems are identified.

Introduction and Plan for This Workbook

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Dennis C. Daley ◽  
Antoine Douaihy
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Drugs And Alcohol ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Substance Use Problems ◽  
Drug Problems

In this workbook, the authors provide information about substance use problems, recovery, relapse, professional treatments available, and mutual support programs. Substance use problems are problems with alcohol, tobacco, or any other type of drug. Problems may show in binge drinking, drug misuse (using illicit drugs, using other people’s prescription drugs with addiction potential, mixing drugs or drugs and alcohol in ways that are risky) or a substance use disorder (SUD). Although there are differences among the various substance use problems, there are also many similarities. The goals of this chapter are to become aware of current trends in substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders; to learn the multiple factors contributing to a substance use problem; to identify the different paths and benefits to recovery; to understand the benefits of using this workbook in therapy or counseling; and to learn the importance of keeping records and completing recovery worksheets.

scholarly journals Multi-factorial Approaches to Substance Use Disorders and Addiction

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 828-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harris B. Stratyner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Clinical Syndrome ◽  
Disease Entity ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior ◽  
Serious Disease

ABSTRACTOne cannot get through a day (certainly not in the United States) without hearing about the devastation that substance abuse, addiction, and, in many cases, co-occurring disorders (ie, substance abuse or addiction in conjunction with a major psychiatric clinical syndrome and/or personality disorder) cast upon countless numbers of lives. For years, there has been a controversy as to whether addiction was simply a moral failing or a brain disease. Obviously, the latter is true.As with any disease, addiction and co-occurring disorders are frequently considered to be primary, progressive, chronic, and, if untreated, fatal. With the advent of more sophisticated neurobiological and multivariate research, we can get beyond trivializing this serious disease entity by labeling it as a weakness or character defect, and get on with the significant work of focusing on those neurological pathways and their etiology that are responsible for addictive patterns of behavior.

Examining the Role of Substance Abuse in Elder Mistreatment: Results From Mistreatment Investigations

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendon J. Conrad ◽  
Pi-Ju Liu ◽  
Madelyn Iris
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Physical Abuse ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Elder Mistreatment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Substance Use Problems ◽  
Financial Exploitation

Substance abuse has long been identified as a risk factor for elder mistreatment, yet research on the topic remains sparse. This study tested hypotheses whether perpetrator and victim substance use problems were associated with financial exploitation, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect versus no abuse. Cross-sectional data were collected on 948 cases with yes/no substantiation decisions where 357 cases had no abuse in elder mistreatment investigations. Hypotheses were tested using odds ratios, bivariate, and multiple linear regression analyses including a control for victim vulnerability. Of 948 alleged victims, 42 (4.4%) exhibited signs of substance use problems. Among the 323 alleged perpetrators, 87 (26.9%) were reported to have substance use problems. Substance use problems by alleged perpetrators were associated ( p < .01) with financial exploitation, physical abuse, and emotional abuse but not neglect. Substance use problems by alleged victims were associated with neglect, but not the other types. Alleged perpetrators with substance use problems tended to commit multiple forms of abuse, were male and not caregivers. Except for the findings on neglect, the associations with elder mistreatment were stronger for alleged perpetrators with substance use problems, than for alleged victims. Clarification of the role of perpetrator risk factors such as substance abuse should improve risk identification and subsequent intervention.

scholarly journals The Family Check-Up Online: A Telehealth Model for Delivery of Parenting Skills to High-Risk Families With Opioid Use Histories

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Stormshak ◽  
Jordan M. Matulis ◽  
Whitney Nash ◽  
Yijun Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
High Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Risk Population ◽  
Opioid Misuse ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Parenting Skills ◽  
The Family

Growing opioid misuse in the United States has resulted in more children living with an adult with an opioid use history. Although an abundance of research has demonstrated a link between opioid misuse and negative parenting behaviors, few intervention efforts have been made to target this underserved population. The Family Check-Up (FCU) has been tested in more than 25 years of research, across multiple settings, and is an evidence-based program for reducing risk behavior, enhancing parenting skills, and preventing the onset of substance use. It is designed to motivate parents to engage in positive parenting practices and to change problematic parenting and has been tested across a variety of ages including early childhood and adolescence. It is highlighted in NIDA’s Principles of Substance Use Prevention for Early Childhood: A research-based guide as one of only three effective selective prevention programs for substance abuse among families with young children. Recently, we developed an online version of the FCU that has now been adapted for early childhood and families with opioid use histories. The online platform and telehealth model allow for wide-scale dissemination, ease of training with community providers, and increased public health reach for families in remote, rural areas. This is particularly important when targeting families with opioid misuse and addiction because there are high rates of addiction in remote areas, yet few services available. In this article, we describe the FCU Online and review new content in the model that targets a population of young adult parents with substance abuse histories, including opioid use. New modules include content focused on harm reduction for this high-risk population of parents, such as safety in the home, substance use while parenting, and managing conflict with partners and friends.

Perceived Barriers and Enablers of Help-Seeking for Substance Use Problems During Adolescence

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonita J. Berridge ◽  
Terence V. McCann ◽  
Ali Cheetham ◽  
Dan I. Lubman
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Barriers And Enablers ◽  
Substance Use Problems ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Informal Help

Aim. Receiving professional help early can reduce long-term harms associated with substance use. However, little is known about the factors that influence help-seeking for substance use problems during early-mid adolescence, prior to the emergence of disorder. Given that beliefs regarding help-seeking are likely to develop early, understanding adolescent views of help-seeking during this period is likely to provide important information for prevention and intervention efforts. The current study identifies perceptions that would facilitate or prevent adolescents from seeking support for substance use problems from formal and informal help sources. Method. Thirty-four 12- to 16-year-olds from two schools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, were recruited. A qualitative interpretative design was used, incorporating semistructured, audio-recorded interviews. Results. Three overlapping themes that reflected barriers or enablers to help-seeking were identified: approachability, confidentiality and trustworthiness, and expertise. Help-seeking was facilitated when adolescents believed that the help source would be supportive and understanding, would keep information confidential, and had expertise in the alcohol and drug field. Conversely, adolescents were reluctant to seek help from sources they believed would be judgmental, lacked expertise, or would inform their parents. Conclusions. These findings highlight perceptions that may influence help-seeking for alcohol and drug problems during adolescence. Further research is needed to determine if help-seeking can be facilitated by improving parents’ and peers’ knowledge and promoting health professionals’ expertise in working with young people’s alcohol and drug issues.

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