Substance Use Portrayel in Music

Substance use and addiction are both very prevalent in media today. Substance use is often especially portrayed in current music. In a study, researchers studied the prevalence of substance use in contemporary popular music. Two hundred seventy nine songs were analyzed from 2005. Researchers found that 41.6% of songs studied have a substance use reference of any kind (Primack, Dalton, Agarwal, & Fine, 2008). Approximately 33.3% of the songs contained explicit substance references (Primack, Dalton, Agarwal, & Fine, 2008).  The substances referenced most often were alcohol followed by marijuana. These references varied by song genre. Rap songs contained the most number of references of substance use (Primack, Dalton, Agarwal, & Fine, 2008).

There were numerous reasons represented within the songs for why substance use was occurring. The most common motivations for substance use were peer/social pressure, sexual, and financial (Primack, Dalton, Agarwal, & Fine, 2008). This information could be a major influence on teens and young adults of today because according to the study, the average adolescent is most likely exposed to approximately 84 references of substance use per day (Primack, Dalton, Agarwal, & Fine, 2008).

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, this frequent exposure to substance use is associated with illicit-drug use and problems with alcohol in young people (Chen, Miller, & Grube, 2006). Also, the researchers suggest that the fact that teens and young adults are listening to this music shows their preference. This then may reinforce their positive attitude towards substance use (Chen, Miller, & Grube, 2006). The fact that substance use is so often referenced within popular music today is concerning. It is important for artists and society to be aware of the fact that music is a major influence for young people and that it may even affect their thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.

 

References:

Chen, M. J., Miller, B. A., & Grube, J. W. (2006). Influence of music on youth behaviors. Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter, 22(6), 3-4.

Primack, B. A., Dalton, M. A., Agarwal, A. A. & Fine, M. J. (2008). Content analysis of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in popular music. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004676/

Final Habit Post

The behavior I selected in the beginning of the semester to change was my work out schedule. My overall goal by the end of the semester was to be working out at least four times a week. I chose this behavior because I wanted to try to do something that would benefit me in some way and that would make me feel better about myself. In working out I would be healthier and would feel physically and mentally better. I also know that working out is a good coping strategy for stress. Since this was my most challenging semester since beginning college I felt I needed something to help me to cope. In order to be successful at making working out a habit, I needed to not only be motivated to go to the gym, but also I needed to stop procrastinating and making excuses.

 

At first it was very difficult for me to continually go to the gym at least four times a week. I struggled a lot in the beginning because I often made excuses that I was too busy that day or I would procrastinate and tell myself that I would definitely go to the gym tomorrow. Usually I did not go to the gym the next day. I had to finally accept that I was the problem and that I had to schedule time to go to the gym in order to be successful at this project. When I began scheduling times to go to the gym, it made it a little easier to be motivated to go to the gym. I still had some difficulty though. Since my tactics were not working as well as I had hoped, I decided to ask some of my friends to go to the gym with me on different days. This helped me a lot because they motivated me to go when I did not feel like it or felt like I did not have time. Throughout the semester it became easier to go to the gym continually and I even began going five or six times a week at one point. However, when I went home on Spring Break and for Easter, I had a bit of a relapse. I got out of my routine and when I got back to school it was a little difficult to become motivated again. It was not as difficult as when I first started however. Today, sometimes I still find myself making excuses or procrastinating going to the gym, but I have begun to take notice when I do this and push myself to do what is healthy for me.

 

At first I did not have much support to make working out a habit. However, when I began to go to the gym with my friends it made it a lot easier to become motivated to go and made it a lot more fun. Some days I even looked forward to going to the gym. My friends motivated me to go to the gym when I did not feel like it or when I felt overwhelmed with my work. I think that working out with my friends is a major reason for why I was successful with making working out a habit in my daily life.

 

One thing that I learned about myself through this assignment is that if I work hard I can accomplish anything that I want to. I also learned how much I procrastinate and make excuses for things that I do not want to do. I think that this is human nature to procrastinate when you do not want to do something, but in doing this project, I realized how much this affects my life. Becoming aware of how often I procrastinate and make excuses has helped me in not only being successful in this project, but also in other areas of my life. I have since been working on not procrastinating with school work. If I had not completed this project, I would not have realized how much stress procrastinating causes in my life. I also learned that I need to be willing to accept help. When I began this project I thought it would be easy for me to motivate myself to go to the gym. I did not think that I needed anyone’s help and that I could do it completely on my own. I learned through this project though that it is not always possible in life to accomplish everything on your own. I learned that sometimes, asking for help can be a good thing and that it can help me to accomplish my goals. I also learned not to give up especially when things were difficult. When I began this project, it was really difficult for me to make time in my schedule and to motivate myself to go to the gym. I continued to work at it though because I knew that it would be better for me in the end. Also, a big source of motivation was the fact that I did not want to have to write about how I did poorly on this project at the end of the semester. I learned that if I continue working at something, it will eventually get easier and I will be happier with the success in the end.

 

My habit was a small scale of what we have learned about in class. I feel that a lot of what we learned connects to my experience, which helped me during class. This allowed me to connect what we were learning to something I was actually experiencing, which made some of the concepts easier to understand. One concept that I thought about a lot during my experience was the Trans theoretical Model. The Trans theoretical Model included the stages precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. In a way I watched my progress through this model and it allowed me to see that I was making progress. Today I believe that I am in the maintenance phase in that I am working to continue to work out at least four times a week.

Throughout the semester we talked about the fact that in order to overcome an addiction, it is important to not only change that specific behavior, but also needing to change your thoughts and other behaviors. I experienced this during the project because I realized that in order to be successful I needed to change how I thought about working out and also my other behaviors. I found that when I ate better I was more inclined to go to the gym. I also found that it was necessary for me to be more organized and to plan my day ahead of time. I changed the way I thought about working out in that instead of thinking about it as something I had to do, I thought about it as something that would make me feel better after I was finished.

 

Based on what we have learned in class and my experience, I think that it would be very difficult for a person struggling with addiction to change his/her behavior. As I mentioned above, we learned that in order to overcome an addiction, it is important to change not only that specific behavior but also thoughts and other behaviors. When dealing with an addiction, the individual needs to change his/her whole life and find new ways of coping. I think that this would be a very difficult thing to do. For individuals struggling with addiction, their addiction is their coping strategy. When they stop doing the drug or behavior, they no longer know how to cope with life’s events. They then need to learn a whole new way of living and thinking. Even though my project was a very small scale to what individuals go through when recovering from an addiction, it gave me a small insight into how difficult it must be to overcome an addiction.

 

Based on what I have learned throughout the semester I think that support is a very important aspect of changing behavior. For people who are experiencing addiction, support is the most important thing to them. In order to change a behavior it is important to have people to talk to and to help you to continue to be motivated. It is important to look at the positives of why you are changing the behavior and why it will benefit you in the future. I think that the strengths perspective is very important in this situation. I also think that it is very important to work at understanding yourself and understand why the behavior is so important to you. This will help the individuals to not only work at changing the behavior, but also will help them to find a healthy alternative to the behavior.

 

I do believe that in a way habits can be broken. I think that it gets much easier to avoid doing something; however I think that the reflex is always there. I think that you always have to work at not having that habit, even if you aren’t always thinking about it. I do not necessarily believe that addictions can be cured. I think that individuals can overcome the addiction and can find positive things in their life to replace the addiction, but I think that they have to work every day to not use this substance or do a behavior. I think that over time it can become easier; however it is still important to be aware of yourself and understand that you have to continually work every day. The fact that many individuals who are addicted to a substance cannot use any other substances, such as alcohol or other drugs shows that addictions are not necessarily cured. Although addictions are not cured, they can be overcome, which shows that these individuals have great strength.

 

 

Legalization of Marijuana- Article Summary

Overview:

In the article Legalization of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth, the authors discuss potential impacts on youth if marijuana was to be legalized, briefly touch on medical marijuana, and compares the approaches to the legal status of marijuana. The authors discuss the fact that there are generally two sides to the debate on the legalization of marijuana. One side is those who believe marijuana not to be dangerous. The other side is those who believe that it is dangerous and should be illegal. These individuals often believe that the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana would increase the use of the drug substantially. The authors also briefly touched on the prohibition, decriminalization, and legalization continuum. Prohibition would mean that marijuana would be illegal and there would be penalites for selling, purchase, and possession of the drug. This side of the continuum works to decrease use. Decriminalization would meant that penalties for selling, purchase, and possession would not occur, however it would remain illegal. This prohibits the advertising of marijuana. Legalization would allow for the advertising of marijuana, but like alcohol, use would be illegal until the age of 21 (Joffe & Yancy, 2004). 

The authors also discussed he potential impact of the legalization of marijuana on youth. One concern is the fact taht legalization could result in advertisements of marijuana. These may be direcred towards adolescents, which may increase use. Also, the portrayal of marijuana on television could increase, which could also increase use in adolescents. Since there would also be less of a threat of punishment, individuals may start drug use younger (Joffe & Yancy, 2004).

Connection to Class:

This article connects to what we have discussed in class in that we recently learned about the prohibiton, decriminalization, and legalization continuum of marijuana. It is important to think of the effects that changing marijuana laws may have on adolescents and our society as a whole. It is also important to think about the effects of keeping our laws the same.

Sources:

Joffe, A. & Yancy, W. (2004). Legalization of marijuana: Potential impact on youth. Pediatrics,113(6), 632-638. Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com

Interview Assignment

Interview:

The agency that I selected to call for an interview was The Lancaster Freedom Center. I spoke to an individual who works at the agency. The agency provides outpatient and intensive patient care for individuals who are suffering from chemical addictions and mental health issues. The Lancaster Freedom Center provides outpatient individual therapy, intensive outpatient treatment (IOP), educational group, after care group, and adolescence and family groups. Intensive outpatient treatment is three days a week for two hours everyday. The after care group is the group that some clients attend after intensive outpatient treatment when they are not completely ready to stop the program. The agency's framework is a 12 step model. The Lancaster Freedom Center also uses intervention, education, and provides referrals if necessary to inpatient counseling. This agency serves a few hundred clients, but could not give an exact number. The legal and ethical guidelines that The Lancaster Freedom Center follows includes HIPPA, which has to do with confidentiality. This is even more strict than medical HIPPA because it is important for the counselor to be careful of what they tell the parents if a child is under age.

Connection to Class:

This connects to class in that it allows us to see a specific example of a treatment center and the services that they provide. I was able to understand the services and how they work with individuals who struggle with addictions. I was able to learn about the treatment center and connect the different services with what we have learned about in class.

Ethnic Differences in Alcoholism

Article Summary:

In the article Age and Ethnic Differences in the Onset, Persistence and Recurrence of Alcohol Use Disorder, Grant et al. discuss ethnic differences in the prevalence of alcoholism. This study also touches on some differences in seeking treatment. This study wanted to establish ethnic differences in three components of alcohol use/dependence disorder; onset, presistence, and recurrence. The participants in this study included white individuals, black individuals, US born Hispanic individuals, or Hispanics born outside the US. The authors of this article found that immigrants (Hispanics born outside the US) are at less of a risk for developing an alcohol use disorder. Also, the model of acculturation suggests that Hispanics from the US are at risk for being marginalized. This occurs because these individuals may be at a higher risk of losing their connection with their original culture, but not completely becoming acculturated the the new culture (Grant et al., 2012).
There is also a difference in alcohol-based treatment utelization between different ethnicities. The authors found that Blacks and Hispanics are less likely than whites to seek alcohol treatment. Blacks are also less likely to seek mental health services and Hispanics are less likely to use mutual aid (Grant et al., 2012).

Connection to Class:

This article connects to class in that this week we are discussing racial, ethnic, and cultural issues related to addictions. People of different ethnicities, races, and cultures all define alcoholism differently as well as approach treatment differently. This can cause difficulties in seeking treatment in the US when US culture does not match their specific thoughts or beliefs. This can also create difficulty in that some races or ethnicities may be less likely to seek treatment, and so it is important to tailor treatments to each individual.

References:

Grant, J. D., Verges, A., Jackson, K. M., Trull, T., Sher, K., & Bucholz, K. Age and ethnic differences in the onset, persistence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder. Addiction, 107(4): 756-765. doi: 10.111/j.1360-0443.2011.03721.x
add_3721 756..765

In the Movies: Like Dandelion Dust

Overview:

Picture from entertainmentwallpaper.com

The film that I chose that relates to addiction is Like Dandelion Dust. This film is about two families who are connected through a child. The Campbells is the first family. This family consists of Jack, who is a wealthy business man, his wife, Molly, who is a stay at home mom, and their son Joey, who is six years old. The other family is the Porters. This family consists of Wendy and Rip, who are married. Seven years prior, Rip, who struggles with alcoholism, was sent to prison because he beat Wendy up when he was drunk. When Rip was released from prison, Wendy was very supportive and happy to have him home. He learns that while he was in prison, Wendy had their child and gave it up for adoption. This child is the Campbells adopted son Joey. Wendy did not want to tell Rip about their son while he was in prison and so her mother forged his signature on the adoption papers. Because of this Rip is able to ask for them to have their son back.

The Campbells have no choice but to let Joey visit his biological parents. Throughout the movie Jack and Molly do everything they can to keep Joey, but because the signature was forged there is nothing they can do. Through the movie, both families struggle with the transition of Joey beginning to know his biological parents. Because of all the stress of the situation, Rip begins to drink again. One night he drinks so much that he once again beats Wendy. Because of this, Wendy decides that it is in the best interest of Joey for him to continue to live with his adoptive parents, the Campbells.
Rip then enters treatment for his alcoholism and works to remain sober. He and Wendy realize that his sobriety is the most important thing and that they need to concentrate on that before trying to start a family.

Addiction in the Movie:

I feel that the movie portrayed addiction very realistically. Sobriety did not come easy for Rip, even though he wanted to remain sober more than anything. I think that the movie also portrayed how stressors in life can affect individuals and their quest to remain sober. I think that the movie also portrayed the family dynamics that often take place when addictions are involved. Often, family members are somewhat enabling towards the individual who is experiencing addiction. They do not purposely do this, it is just a natural reaction to addiction. It seems like Wendy was somewhat enabling to Rip in the beginning because she did not step in until he beat her up so badly that she had to call the police. Also, she remained loyal to him while he was in prison and was very supportative of him when he came home. She broke this pattern of enabling though when Joey was involved. She no longer made excuses for Rip, but held him accountable for his actions and did not allow him to hurt the people around him anymore.

I was somewhat empathetic towards Rip throughout the movie. He was working very hard throughout the movie to remain sober and to better his life. When he was released from prison he worked to gain Wendy's trust again, fixed up their house, and got a job. Even when he was experiencing the stressors that were present in his life, he tried very hard to resist alcohol. I thought that it was very honorable of Rip that he was able to admit when he was wrong and did not make excuses for his actions. There were times though when I was not as empathetic towards Rip. I felt that he was somewhat selfish for taking Joey away from the only home and the only loving parents that he had ever known. I did not think that this was fair to Joey and I think that Rip was thinking more about his and Wendy's happiness than Joey's. I also became angry with Rip when he once again beat Wendy up. I felt like he had taken so many steps towards sobriety throughout the movie, and I was upset that he was hurting the person that loved him the most.

As I said earlier, I think that the portrayal of addiction in this movie was very accurate within the family. Also, in the movie when Jack was trying to find a way to keep Joey, Jack tried to pay Rip off because he thought that Rip was only trying to get Joey for the money. I think that this is an accurate portrayal of the reaction of society towards those that struggle with addiction. Society often looks down on people who struggle with addiction and think the worst of them. I think that this occurs because people are not always educated about addictions and how difficult it is to attain and remain sober. It is not fair that society reacts this way, but I think that this movie had a very accurate portrayal of the negative stigmas that are often attached to addiction.


Picture from trulymovingpictures.org

This movie related to what we have learned in class in many ways. We learned about how difficult it is to remain sober and the fact that many people use their addictions to cope with stressors in life. This was portrayed in the movie when Rip used alcohol to cope with the stressors occurring. We also learned about family reactions and societal reactions in class, which was also portrayed in the film.

Chapter 8- Treating Homeless Clients with Co-occurring Disorders

Introduction:

Helping Homeless Individuals with Co-occurring Disorders: The Four Components by An-Pyng Sun is about homeless individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders (CODs) and how to effectively provide treatment to these clients while also decreasing their homelessness. Individuals with CODs are more likely to experience homelessness and so it is important to understand and learn the most effective means for treating clients experiencing this (Sun, 2012).

Article Summary:

In this article, Sun establishes and summarizes four main components that are necessary in treating homeless individuals with CODs. The first is ensuring an effective transition from an institution to the community. This involves numerous different tactics, such as establishing rules regarding discharge planning and developing a thorough discharge plan. This also involves offering critical time intervention. Critical time intervention goes one stop beyond discharge. It pairs the client with a social worker after discharge to help the individuals to remain stable and to have the resources to continue along the path of recovery (Sun, 2012). This step also involves providing motivational interviewing. This increases the chances of clients to attend outpatient appointments and helps them to remain committed to treatment. It is also important to engage clients early and to allocate funds for the client, which involves providing funds for rent, deposits, bills, etc. before they have employment (Sun, 2012).
The second component to treating homeless individuals experiencing CODs is to increase resources available to the clients. Many homeless individuals consider their economic situation to cause their homelessness, not their COD. Because of this, it is important to have economic resources available to the clients, such as government benefits (social security, income support, etc.), and to connect them with employment opportunities (Sun, 2012).
The third component is to link these clients to housing. Many times these clients place housing needs over all other needs. They will not be able to work on substance abuse issues if they are concerned about housing. Therefore, the social worker needs to start where the client is and help them with their most concerning issue (Sun, 2012).
Lastly, it is important to offer co-occurring treatment to these clients. It is more effective to combine psychiatric treatment with substance abuse treatment. In doing this, clients will be more likely to continue on the path to recovery (Sun, 2012).

Connection to Class:

This article connects to our class and our reading in that it is talking about co-occurring disorders. The article talks about how difficult it is to treat individuals not only with co-occurring disorders, but also those who are experiencing homelessness. It is important to understand the most effective treatments because this is an issue that is very prevalent in society and one that is not always focused on. In our reading for this week, the book mentioned treating homeless individuals and how professionals cannot always be sure whether the homelessness caused the disorders, or vice versa. It is very difficult to determine this, and so as the article states, we must start where the client is. I think that this article touched on a very good point when it stated that we need to help clients have stable housing before they can focus on their treatment.

Resources:

Sun, An-Pyng. (2012). Helping homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders: The four components. Social Work, 57(1), 23-37. doi: 10.1093/sw/swr008