The Theory Of Drug Use - 1584 Words

On Intervention Canada, Aimee a 26 year old from Ottawa Ontario, has been diagnosed with addiction to Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine. The drugs come in a patch form which is boiled down until there is nothing left. Her addiction consists of a shot of the drug every six hours which she does with a hypodermic needle that gives her a sense of â€Å"high† or euphoria. She has been doing it for the last two years because she feels desperate and upset about her life and this drug gives her the feeling of relaxation. The purpose of this paper is to apply theories of drug use discussed in class to a real case of addiction as depicted in the Intervention video. The three theories related to Aimee’s†¦show more content†¦For example, a child throws a fit, a reward for displaying alternate behaviours and punishing the tantrums will help change how the child behaves in the future (Norman, 2015). To explain human behavi our we place great emphasis on cognitive processes which demonstrates the assumption that we learn primarily by observing and listening to the people around us; the social environment. The continued use of the drug occurs in regards to this theory because it shows that people do whatever they must in order to feel pleasure. Humans are pleasure seekers they will do anything to feel good even if that means harming ones self in the process. Positive reinforcement, is probably the most familiar model of addiction because this theory states that users will say they take drugs because they enjoy using them (Newton et al, 2009). In the episode, Aimee shows that taking Fentanyl makes her feel better about her life and less depressed. This is seen as negative reinforcement because she seeks pain avoidance which is demonstrated by the repeated usage every 6 hours. The effects of exposure to drugs on child development create an antisocial behaviour that it seen as normal in the future. Aimee h as become so used to taking Fentanyl that her body has become addicted to the drug. Without the drug, Aimee cannot function properly therefore making her dependent on the drug. She brings herself to the point of relaxation and calmness where she is not even capable