Substance Abuse Info

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Substance Abuse Prevention

By Mike Spencer

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A leading substance abuse center recently urged the nation's doctors to focus more closely on alcohol and drug use by their patients after finding that more than 9 out of 10 physicians didn't diagnose alcohol abuse when presented with its early symptoms.

A survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that physicians felt unprepared to diagnose abuse and lacked confidence in the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment.

When presented with an adult showing early signs of alcoholism, some 94 percent of primary care physicians failed to diagnose substance abuse, the center reported.

And 41 percent of pediatricians didn't diagnose illegal drug abuse when presented with a classic description of a drug abusing teen-age patient.

The center said that when the doctors were asked to suggest five possible diagnoses for the symptoms, they failed to include substance abuse.

Primary care physicians must stop ignoring this elephant in their examining rooms. Medical schools, residency programs and continuing medical education courses have an obligation to provide the training those physicians need to spot and deal with substance abuse.

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The brain of someone addicted to alcohol is a changed brain. The chronic use of any mood-altering chemical first chemically changes the brain as the cells respond to the poison by producing counteracting chemical compounds that reduce the effects on the cell. If the use continues, the brain changes in structure and, finally, it changes in genetics.

Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the While House office of national drug control policy, said he supports the call for additional training of physicians in substance abuse and addiction.

"Families have always relied on their doctors for health care advice. Drug abuse rips families apart. Giving the right advice on drug prevention and treatment can keep a family together," he said. Substance Abuse Statistics

The survey found that only about 20 percent of doctors felt very prepared to diagnose alcoholism and 17 percent felt prepared to diagnose illegal drug use. In contrast, nearly 83 percent felt very prepared to identify high blood pressure, 82 percent to diagnose diabetes and 44 percent to identify depression.

Some 86 percent felt treatment for high blood pressure is very effective, and 69 percent felt diabetes treatment is very effective.

But only 8 percent felt treatment is very effective for smoking, close to 4 percent believed it is effective for alcoholism and 2 percent for illegal drug abuse.

Substance abuse research demonstrates that drugs and alcohol trigger the endogenous opioid system and the mesolimbic dopamine reward system located in the brain. These are the systems that "reward" drinking and taking drugs and that lead to addictive behavior. Once these systems are triggered in the person's brain, it becomes extremely difficult for the person to stop taking drugs or to stop drinking.

The center said 58 percent of doctors don't discuss substance abuse with .their patients because they believe their patients lie about it. Some 35 percent listed time constraints for not discussing it and 11 percent were concerned they won't be reimbursed for the time necessary to screen and treat a substance abusing patient.

The report recommended increased education programs for doctors in diagnosing and treating substance abuse, urged state licensing boards to require such training and called on Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers and managed care to expand coverage for substance abuse treatment.

Substance abuse research points to the fact that while more than 18 million U.S. problem drinkers currently need alcohol treatment, only around 25% of these individuals will receive treatment. The following are some of the reasons why problem drinkers do not get the treatment they need: a lack of financial resources, a lack of space at the rehab facility, a lack of local treatment facilities, the denial exhibited by many drinkers about the extent of their drinking problem, and finally, a lack of desire on the part of many problem drinkers to get the treatment they need.

The survey of 648 physicians across the country has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, the center said. It also conducted a survey of 510 patients but noted that was done at only selected centers and was not statistically representative.

Mike Spencer has been helping people protect their health for many years. For more information relating to drug and substance abuse support visit Mike's site at Substance Abuse Support. You may also be interested in the various detox programs available - more information is available at Healthy Detox Tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Spencer

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All drugs of abuse activate brain reward pathways that are very old from an evolutionary point of view. These pathways mediate an individual's response to natural rewards, such as food, sex, and social interaction. Drugs of abuse activate these reward pathways with great power not seen under normal environmental conditions.

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There may be some exceptions that are based on the most current substance abuse research findings, but the best word of advice for problem drinkers who are going to quit drinking and who want to deal with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms and the need for detox at home is this: do not try to suffer through the alcohol withdrawal symptoms you will experience when you quit drinking and do not try to go through the alcohol detox process by yourself at home.

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