Switching gears from last week’s blog, Chapter 6 we learned what addiction and drug abuse are and the different types of common drugs abuse. It’s important to note the key words when discussing addiction, such as “persistent” and “compulsive”. Those are strong words that describe the dependence on a behavior or substance that a person experiences.
The first thing that I found interesting was the topic of process addiction. Before reading this chapter, I was unaware of the name of this type of addiction. The behaviors of process addiction are mood altering and the behaviors are addictive. Some process addictions include gambling, compulsive buying, and technology addiction. Gambling is a disorder characterized by an uncontrollable act of gambling, lying to hide one’s involvement with gambling, and unsuccessful attempts to quit. Compulsive buying disorder is characterized by having little to no control over spending money while impulsively shopping. A person may exhibit compulsive buying if he or she buys more than one of the same items, shopping until the point of interfering with work, social activities, and when it begins to create financial issues.When I first got my part-time job back in high school, I began to save up for driving school. After that took a huge chunk out of my account, I continued to save my money. However, I would find myself going to my local Marshalls and buying clothes that I did not necessarily need. I did not have a compulsive buying disorder, but I did find myself buying clothes or shoes that I liked in the moment, but serves no purpose in the long run. My mom would always remind me that I did not need, said item, and I would immediately put it back on the rack. Even though I still browse the store and find a few cute pieces here and there, I am conscious of how much I am spending and do not want to get in the habit of buying more than I am making. Being away at school, I find it easier to save my money, since I eat a majority of food on campus, and I only go shopping on weekends since I live on campus. I found it interesting that compulsive buying disorder effects late teens and early twenty year olds, which coincides with establishments of credit and beginning to become less dependent on parents. Additionally, technology addiction is when a person is more concerned with checking their phones and social media, rather than spending time with friends or focusing on school. From reading chapter 6, I learned that approximately 9% of college students have reported that computer games and Internet use has hindered their academic success. While on campus, I have noticed countless students staring down at their phones in between classes, unaware of their surroundings. It’s not only dangerous because they do not know where they are going, but it’s a sad reality that people are constantly on their phone every second of the day, rather than enjoying their walk on campus. Whenever I am with friends, sure we’re sitting in the same room, but we aren’t “really together”. Most of us are too busy snapping someone else, texting two or three other people having other conversations and we aren’t living in the present with the people we are physically with. With this addiction to technology, we are suffering from sleep deprivation, depression, and also neglecting quality spent time with friends and family. I want to make it a conscious goal to not spend so much time on my phone by putting it off to the side when I spend time with friends, or if I am watching a movie with my family.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 137)
Another thing that I found interesting while reading this chapter was drug dynamics. I’ve never heard of that phrase before, but while reading, I learned how drugs affect the brain. Pleasure is a powerful biological force of survival. When a person does something that gives them pleasure, the brain is “wired” to do it again. Any addictive drug can activate the brain’s pleasure center. However, psychoactive drugs change the way the brain functions by affecting chemical neurotransmission. These drugs enhance, suppress, or interferes with these chemical neurotransmissions. Heroine, for example, mimic the effects of natural neurotransmitters. Recently, I watched the movie Beautiful Boy, which is about David Sheff and his son Nic, who struggles with drug addiction, and it tells the story of Nic’s struggle, relapse, and how his family copes with the addiction over many years. It’s a powerful and inspiring movie that I recommend others to see.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 140)
The last thing that I found interesting to read about were ways to prevent drug use and abuse on campus. Living on campus, I found it informative to learn about strategies that help reduce substance use among students. The strategies that stuck out to me the most included: using detection programs to identify high-risk students and engaging parents to have open communication with their children. These two strategies are important because it helps students who are struggling with drug addiction get assistance earlier on, rather than it be too late and their life is on the line. Even though most students move away from home, it is important for parents to still communicate with their children about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Having open communication allows the child to not feel as though they are in trouble if they say too much.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 149)
Health Aspect:
During the past week, I did not feel as productive as I usually am and that made me feel a little disappointed in myself. I still got my assignments completed that needed to get done, but I lacked motivation. However, when the weekend came, I felt better and was able to let go of the lingering stresses that may have contributed to my lack of motivation. I went home for part of the long weekend and decided to work out at home. I worked on my mile on the elliptical down in my basement and then did leg and glute workouts in my room. I like to use the seconds app on my phone because I can have how many seconds I want for each workout and customize the title. I also enjoyed a lovely lunch out with my family because it was my Dad’s birthday. Near my house, there’s this ramen place called Fairy Cafe that has delicious korean beef noodle soup that is my all time favorite. Everytime I go there, I always get this ramen!
Health Aspect 