Diagnosing drug abuse has never been a problem to the client and the counselor because it can be identified with much ease compared to establishing whether an individual is dependent on drugs. If either the client or the professional wishes to determine the extent to which an individual is dependent on drugs, the only thing he or she would have to do is read the individual’s behavior. For instance, an individual who fails to conduct their duties as expected is said to be a drug addict. Similarly, some individuals may be prone to committing crime whenever they utilize drugs, and they may go to the extent of injuring others or causing harm to the entire society (Perkinson, 2012). Establishing whether an individual is dependent on drugs is problematic for both clients and professionals. Various tests would have to be conducted to ascertain drug addiction level before ruling out whether the individual is dependent on a drug. Studies show that abusing medicine is different from being dependent on a similar substance. The professional has no chance of identifying whether the client is dependent on imports unless the affected person is willing to share the information.
First Response-Ja La
According to Ja la, identifying whether an individual is dependent on drugs is difficult instead of ascertaining whether an individual is a drug abuser. In his view, an individual is said to abuse drugs in case legal suits are filed against him or her frequently or if the person fails to live up to the societal expectations whereby his or her responsibilities are rarely fulfilled. For instance, people believed to be drug abusers are often accused of causing physical injuries to others, breaking up relationships, and causing agony to their families. Ja la observes that identifying whether a client is dependent on any substance would be problematic given the fact symptoms show up rarely. Ja La’s thinking is valid because drawing a line between abuse and dependence on imports has always been a big issue for many professionals.
Second Response-Jen Galo
Jen Galo starts by identifying some of the symptoms that would help a professional identify whether a client is an abuser of drugs or dependent with the aim of differentiating between substance abuse and over-dependence on drugs. One of the signs indicating that an individual is addicted to drugs includes failure to carry out responsibilities effectively, especially for students, development of hazardous behaviors, and disorderly conduct. Similarly, Jen Glo notes that it is a challenge to identify substance dependence as compared to establishing whether an individual is an abuser of various drugs in the sense that dependency calls on the professional to be keener on observing and analyzing the client’s behavior.
Third Response-Shanie H
Shanie’s observation is not any different from others because she believes identifying substance dependence is challenging as opposed to establishing whether a client is an abuser of drugs. Similarly, she notes that abusers of drugs are likely to be failures as far as fulfilling their responsibilities is concerned, engaging in hazardous behaviors, being found on the wrong side of the law, and causing instabilities in families. In trying to identify whether a patient is dependent on a substance, tolerance and withdrawal are rarely noted, yet they are the significant assessors as regards dependence on imports.
Reference
Perkinson, R. R. (2012). Chemical dependency counseling: A practical guide. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.