Drug and Alcohol Abuse: The Authoritative Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Counselors

386 Pages·1994·6.15 MB·English

by  H. Thomas Milhorn Jr. M.D.

Drug and
Alcohol Abuse
The Authoritative Guide for
Parents, Teachers,
and Counselors
Drug and
Alcohol Abuse
The Authoritative Guide for
Parents, Teachers,
and Counselors
H. Thomas Milhorn, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
Library of Congress Catalog1ng-1n-Publicatlon Data
M1 lhorn, Howard T.
Drug and alcohol abuse : the authoritative guide for parents,
teachers, and counselors / H. Thomas M1lhorn, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes b1bHograph Ica 1 references (p. ) and Index.
1. Teenagers—United States—Drug use. 2. Drug abuse—United
States—Preventlon. 3. Alcohol1sr»—United States—Preventlon.
4. Drug abuse counsellng—United States. 5. Teenagers—CounseHng
of—United States. I. Title.
HV5824.Y68M53 1994
649'.4—dc20 94-97
CIP
ISBN 978-0-306-44640-5 ISBN 978-1-4899-6126-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-6126-6
© 1994 H. Thomas Milhorn, Jr.
Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1994
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1994
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval System, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Preface
Abuse of alcohol and other drugs has reached epidemic propor
tions in the United States. The "war on drugs" quite clearly has
been less than effective. The time has come for parents, teachers,
and counselors to take matters into their own hands. Prevention
remains the only true hope for solving our nation's drug problem.
Parents, teachers, and counselors are in the best positions to affect
children's knowledge and attitudes about the abuse of alcohol and
other drugs. Waiting for others, such as school administrations,
communities, or governments, to do the job will only increase the
risk that children become drug addicted.
Before teaching children about drugs, you must first educate
yourself. Children have little difficulty perceiving who is a cred
ible speaker and who is not. In this book you will find important
information on the classification of drugs of abuse, how drugs of
abuse differ from other drugs, alcoholism as a disease, why
adolescents abuse drugs, how to prevent drug abuse, how to tell if
your child is abusing drugs, what you can do if your child is
abusing drugs, what goes on in treatment, special issues of young
women, what help is available for the rest of the family, what to
expect when your child comes home from treatment, what to do
if he or she uses drugs again, whether drug abuse causes mental
problems, how drug abuse and AIDS are related, and whether you
have issues of your own on which you need to work. In addition,
v
vi Preface
the pharmacology of drugs of abuse, as well as their histories,
actions, abstinence syndromes, and health consequences are dis
cussed.
One appendix contains information on where to get help or
information, a second contains recommended reading for chil
dren, a third contains sources of videos for parents and teachers,
and a glossary presents common terminology and definitions. In
addition, recommended reading for teachers, parents, and coun
selors is indicated in the references.
I thank Lyndell Gardner for typing the manuscript; my wife,
Kay, for encouraging me to write it; and my son, Toby, for being
drug free.
H. Thomas Milhorn, Jr.
Contents
I. Background
1. Introduction 3
The Problem 3
What Every Parent, Teacher, and Counselor Should
Know 4
Basic Definitions 4
Progression to Addiction 5
Cause of Drug Addiction 8
Conclusions 11
2. What Are Drugs of Abuse? 13
Generic Names versus Trade Names 13
Classification of Drugs by Their Effects on the
Brain 14
Federal Government Classification 16
Conclusions 17
3. How Do Drugs of Abuse Differ from Other
Drugs? 19
Characteristics of Drugs of Abuse 19
Abstinence Syndromes 20
vii
viii Contents
How Drugs Affect the Brain 21
The Primitive Survival Brain Concept 25
Denial 26
Conclusions 29
4. Is Alcoholism Truly a Disease? 31
Research Studies 31
The Natural Course of Alcoholism 32
Comparison to a Known Disease 42
Conclusions 44
5. Why Do Adolescents Abuse Drugs? 45
The Normal Adolescent 45
The Drug Abuse Problem 46
Why Adolescents Use Drugs 47
The Drug-Addicted Adolescent 48
Conclusions 50
II. Drug Abuse Prevention
6. History 53
Some Evidence That Drug Abuse Can Be
Prevented 53
History of Prevention Efforts 53
Prevention Programs 54
Conclusions 59
7. The Parent's Role 61
General Suggestions 61
Age-Specific Prevention Efforts 76
Other Prevention Efforts 83
Conclusions 84
8. The Teacher/Counselor's Role 85
General Suggestions 85
Specific Attitudes and Skills 87
Contents ix
Small Group Work 96
Grade-Specific Curriculum 98
Conclusions 104
9. How Can I Tell If My Child Is Abusing
Drugs? 105
Definition of Chemical Dependence 105
Assessment 107
Making the Diagnosis 114
Conclusions 114
"I.
The Effects and Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
1O . What Can I Do If My Child Is Abusing
Drugs? 119
Tough Love 120
Intervention 121
Court Order 124
Conclusions 124
11. What Goes On in Treatment? 125
Inpatient 'freatment 125
Outpatient Treatment 134
Choosing a Treatment Program 135
Confidentiality in Treatment 136
Residential Treatment 136
Step Work 137
Emotional Stages of Being Drug Free 142
Conclusions 143
12. Do Young Women Have Special Issues? 145
Alcohol 145
Other Drugs 147
Fertility 147
Diagnosis of Chemical Dependence 147
x Contents
Treatment Issues 148
The Pregnant Addict 152
The Fetus 153
Conclusions 157
13. What Help Is Available for the Rest of the
Family? 159
The Healthy Family 159
The Family with a Drug-Addicted Adolescent 162
Getting the Family Well 166
The Family in Recovery 169
Conclusions 169
14. What Happens When My Child Comes Home from
Treatment? 171
Attitudes in Recovery 171
Recovery Activities 173
The Recovery Process 180
Controlled Drinking 182
Drugs That May Be Hazardous to Recovery 183
Rational Use of Medications 184
Pharmacological Approaches 184
Families Recover Too 185
Conclusions 185
15. What If Drugs Are Used Again? 187
The Relapse Process 187
Factors Contributing to Relapse 189
Preventing Relapse 191
What to Do When Relapse Occurs 192
Conclusions 193
16. Does Drug Abuse Cause Mental
Problems? 195
Primary versus Secondary Psychiatric Disorders 195
Psychotic Disorders 196