Cultural Issues in Dealing with Addiction - Term Paper Example

Cultural Issues in Dealing with Addiction Affiliation Introduction Addiction is a mental or physical that results from a person consuming a substance or engaging in an activity that can be enjoyable but the sustained engagement becomes compulsive and interferes with a person’s daily life. Addiction is a chronic condition that affects the brain’s reward and motivation systems. Persons with addiction are unable to control their actions, or make rational decisions regarding their behaviors even when they understand the adverse consequences. The person ingests substances such as alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, cannabis, prescription medication or food. People get addicted to activities such as gambling, shopping, sex, the Internet, social media, pornography, gaming or work. The continued use of the substance or engagement in an activity stimulates adaptive alterations in the brain that cause physical dependence, uncontrollable yearning and relapse after treatment. Addiction gets to a point where quitting becomes difficult and induces severe physical and psychological damage from withdrawal. Physical addiction is a state in which the body adjusts to the existence of a substance in their body so that the substance no longer has the same consequence. This biological state causes tolerance in the individual. Due to tolerance, withdrawal occurs when the use of the substance is discontinued. Physical addiction is also the overreaction of the brain to certain substances. Psychological addiction is a state where a person engages in an action or uses a substance as a reaction to emotional stresses such as fear, pain or depression. Symptoms of addiction include craving, loss of control over substance or behavior, low confidence, depression, withdrawal and compulsivity. Physical effects of addiction include cancer, organ damage, hormonal imbalance, fertility issues and disease. Emotional effects of addiction include irritability, depression, anxiety, paranoia and mood swings. Legal consequences of addiction include jail sentences, arrests, suspensions and fines. Social effects of addiction are divorces, strained family relationships and divorce. Therefore, addiction needs to be treated appropriately in order to help a person with an addiction disorder to recover and lead a normal life (OBrien, 2011). Cultural Issues in Dealing with Addiction Many factors influence addiction and recovery. Such factors could be social, cultural, psychological, ethical and biological. The consideration of cultural factors is crucial when handling persons with addiction. Culture describes a group of people with shared characteristics, language, values, norms and beliefs. Differences between different cultural groups influence the cause and treatment of addiction. Addiction can affect people from all races, ethnicities, attitudes and cultures. The country is broadly cosmopolitan, having people from different cultures, races and religions. During the treatment of addiction, the relevant factors affecting the addicted person should be taken into keen consideration in order to make the process successful (McLellan & Meyers, 2004). Counselors need to understand the culture and beliefs of the patient seeking help for addiction. Cultural competence is important in order to gain the trust of the client. Because it is inevitable that the counselor will handle people from different cultures and backgrounds, they should take the issue of cultural competence seriously. Having cultural competence will ease the communication between the counselor and the patient. Cultural competence will also assist in the process of making the patient understand the situation and make the necessary life changes. The counselor should put aside their prejudices, biases and stereotypes regarding the culture of the person seeking help for addiction. Understanding the addict as a distinctive individual and their beliefs are paramount to understanding the cause of addiction. In some cultures, discussion about certain topics is considered taboo. The addict could feel uncomfortable when discussing issues that they consider taboo in their culture. The counselor should know the taboo topics and formulate a reasonable way of handling the subjects. Gaining the trust of the patient will make it easier for them to communicate freely and thus give information that will be crucial to the whole treatment process. When the cause is determined, it becomes easier to treat the addiction (DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004). Treatment for addiction is successful when the services offered are compatible with the person’s views, beliefs and attitude. By understanding an individual’s language, religious beliefs, and cultural norms, it is easier to devise a method for treating the patient. The patient is likely to be more receptive of the treatment process if it tightly follows their beliefs. Patients are less likely to continue therapy if an aspect of the treatment goes against their values or religious beliefs. Addiction varies between different cultural groups because of culture and beliefs. Suggesting the treatment that conforms to the patient’s beliefs will care and improves the rate of recovery. Culture is a powerful influence when it comes to treatment because some methods could be considered wrong in some cultures. In understanding the patient’s culture, the counselor can know which cultures to emphasize and which cultures they should discourage. The beliefs of the patient’s family should also be given consideration. Family members will be more supportive of the treatment process if they feel that it does not contradict their values (DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004). Religion is a crucial factor in dealing with addiction. Addiction is present in people with different religious inclinations. The counselor should understand the religion of the client before methods of treatment are suggested. Some religions are not tolerant towards people with addiction. Such religions discriminate and stigmatize people dealing with addiction. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the patient’s religion in order to make them feel welcome and accepted. This is a critical step towards building trust with the patient in order to enhance the treatment process. Some religions offer addicts support and acceptance. This removes the stigma associated with addiction and makes it easy to handle the addiction. Some churches offer counseling and guidance services to members of their congregation who are trying to overcome addiction. Some religions have groups for people recovering from addiction who meet and share experiences. Referring the recovering addict to groups in their religion that offer support will hasten the recovery process (Cook, 2004). Language barrier is an impediment when dealing with addiction. When the counselor and patient share a common language, it becomes easier to understand the client, offer advice and remit treatment. In situations where the counselor and the addict speak or understand different languages, it becomes difficult to handle the addict. Communication is essential to the treatment process. Limited understanding of the addict’s language could lead to misdiagnosis and treatment problems. Misunderstanding is probable to occur when the addict has limited communication abilities. Language barrier can be problematic when dealing with addicts with serious conditions. When the patient has problems understanding the counselor, they are very likely to drop out of treatment. The counselor could involve the services of an interpreter in order to bridge the language gap. Interpreters who share the addict’s native language and culture are recommended. The counselor should also use language that is comprehensible by the addict. Improved communication will aid in the diagnosis and treatment procedure. If the counselor understands the patient’s language, they should use it effectively to understand the client’s situation. The counselor can also utilize non-verbal cues when dealing with patients with different language skills (McLellan & Meyers, 2004). Societal views and cultural biases should be addressed when handling patients with addiction. Different cultures view various forms of addiction differently. An addiction that could be vilified and criticized in one culture may not be received with harsh treatment in another culture. Some cultures have no problem with people being addicted to work while other cultures could stigmatize workaholics. In some cultures, alcoholism is considered a norm while the rest discourage it. When the addict’s culture stigmatizes the patient’s addiction, the counselor should offer support and understanding so that the patient can overcome the feeling of being an outcast. Patients who hail from cultures that are receptive of the addiction should receive specialized treatment because their capability to relapse is higher. The counselor should also put aside their cultural beliefs when handling an addict in order to serve them better. Culturally compatible treatment yields more results among addicts than general treatment (Freedman, 2009). Race and ethnic differences are a challenge when dealing with addiction. Addiction to different substances and activities varies among different races. Due to different attitudes and beliefs, the levels of addiction are significant between various ethnicities. The counselor should understand the race of the addict in order to handle them appropriately. Addicts from a minority group may offer more resistance and hostility to a counselor from a majority group. Patients from majority groups may have feelings of spite towards a counselor from a minority group. When sensitivities towards the addict’s ethnic group are overlooked, feelings of hostility and mistrust arise. Stereotypes and prejudices that are held by both the counselor and addict become an impediment during the treatment process. Addicts could also have problems undergoing some forms of treatment because they could face negative stereotyping from their ethnic group. The counselor should not just view the addict as a unique individual but also as a representative of the racial community from which they hail. Understanding the patient’s beliefs and attitudes that they acquired from their culture is important when offering guidance (Freedman, 2009). The differences between the genders in different cultures are a challenge when dealing with addiction. Different cultures view addiction in women and men differently. For example, some cultures demonize women who smoke while in some cultures smoking among women is considered normal. Women and men think and act differently. When handling addicts from either gender, the counselor should take into consideration the gender and the roles that are associated with that gender. In situations where the counselor and the addict are from different genders, the counselor should understand and treat the patient appropriately. Feelings of mistrust could cause hostility and reservation from the patient. Conforming to the addict’s gender makes the diagnosis and treatment easier. Some forms of treatment are more successful in one gender than another. The counselor should consider all these aspects when offering treatment (Tuchman, 2010). Family ties and peer relations are an issue when dealing with addiction. Addiction affects relationships with family members. Seeking treatment will mend broken relationships and improve the bond between family members. In some cultures, families are not open to exposing people in their family with addiction (Freedman, 2009). Instead, the families try to help the addict without seeking professional help. This could aggravate the addiction and make treatment in later phases difficult. In other cultures, families openly seek treatment and help family members who have addiction. This helps in early diagnosis and treatment. Peer influence is a major cause of addiction. People are more likely to get addicted to a substance or activity when their friends are also addicted. Addicts are more likely to relapse into addiction if their peers are addicts too. Friends could encourage the addict to seek treatment for their addiction. The counselor should form close ties with the family members of the patient in order to understand the addict and seek proper treatment for them. The treatment should also be acceptable to the family members in terms of their views. The counselor should also understand the peer circles of the addict in order to offer better guidance (DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004). Conclusion Addiction affects both individuals and their cultural groups. Sociological factors cause entire cultural groups to be more vulnerable to addiction. People from vulnerable cultural groups are more likely to indulge in the addictive activity. Historical injustices on minority groups such as Native Americans and African Americans have also affected cultural, and family ties causing these groups to be more vulnerable to addiction. Cultural practices passed on through generations have affected different communities contributing to their vulnerability. People affected by cultural factors find it hard to drop their addiction. Addicts are usually not aware of the cultural and social factors influencing their habits. Cultural factors such as sexual orientation, marital status, disability, employment, age and nationality influence addiction. Knowing and appreciating the culture of the psychotherapist and patient is a crucial when handling addiction. Addicts should put themselves in a cultural environment that will help them recover and reduce chances of relapse. References Cook, C. (2004). Addiction and Spirituality. New York: Wiley. DiClemente, C. C., Schlundt, D., & Gemmell, L. (2004). Readiness and Stages of Change in Addiction Treatment. American Journal on Addictions. Freedman, R. (2009). Genetic Investigation of Race and Addiction. American Journal of Psychiatry. McLellan, T., & Meyers, K. (2004). Contemporary Addiction Treatment: A Review of Systems Problems for Adults and Adolescents. Biological Psychiatry. OBrien, C. (2011). Addiction: Addiction and Dependence in DSM-V. Tuchman, E. (2010). Women and Addiction: The Importance of Gender Issues in Substance Abuse Research. 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