Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Professor Volstad

February 28, 2019

Sarah Wood

Introduction
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

Social work is the profession that treats individuals, families, groups, and communities in

efforts to enhance social functioning and overall well-being. The area of social work the paper

will consist of is working with addicts. Social workers are leaders in the substance abuse disorder

field and often work in substance abuse disorder education, prevention, assessment, treatment, or

resource coordination and case management roles. In many cases, families who deal with this

issue do not have anyone in their corner. This is where a social worker comes in to play. It is

their job to help people and make their lives better. Social workers have the authority and some

power that most people in these situations do not have. They will always have their clients best

interest.

Social work is meant for anyone who enjoys helping people and impacting lives. This

profession can be difficult to manage emotionally when dealing with certain cases. This is a very

rewarding job. This career brings meaning, diversity, action, and satisfaction to someone within

this profession. There are many areas of social work one can choose. Fields a social worker can

go into can be administration, community, criminal justice, medical, child and family, mental

health, and military. A mental health and substance abuse social worker will have to deal with a

lot. They deal with people who have disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as

well as people who suffer from substance abuse. To become this type of social worker, it

requires a master's level of education. When focusing on substance abuse most students will have

an opportunity to pursue a certificate in substance abuse as a part of the MSW program (Social

Work Licensure).

As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act pushes for change in the fields of

health and behavioral health, social workers are given the opportunity to make structural changes

at many levels that will positively impact low-income clients with substance abuse disorder.
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

Social workers should seek specialized education and credentialing in substance abuse disorder

services, know how to help clients apply for health care coverage, and advocate for integrated

substance abuse treatment and health care programs and an expansion of Medicaid in their local

communities (McCabe 2016). Social workers are in high demand across the nation. Changes in

insurance coverage due to the Affordable Care Act increases the demand for social work

clinicians.

Prescription opioid use has become a crucial issue in public health in the United States,

“In 2015, more than 2 million persons had an opioid-related substance use disorder” (Chan

2018). Research done in the past has linked opioid misuse and mental health issues. The study

addresses how having someone in your family who uses non-medical prescription opioids can

cause distress and strains in relationships. The study included 38,775 adults. Results of this study

showed exactly how opioid misuse was associated with psychological distress. Another analysis

examined how adults who misuse opioids that have children in their household, distress levels

were even higher. When comparing to non-users the results of distress were very low. This study

is important for public health to take into account when considering how resources should

address opioid use within families. Social workers are imperative to serve adults who live

with/have children affected by this issue. They can play a vital role by screening, assessing, and

delivering mental health services for this at-risk population (Chan 2018).

Authorized opioid use often leads to long-term usage and possible misuse and addiction

in adults. Many people deal with chronic pain and opioids are a very common pain reliever

medication. Opioid medications can include codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl, and

others. Opioid medications are very commonly abused in the United States. The abuse of this

drug can lead to high rates of overdose death, and people seeking treatment for opioid
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

dependency. The misuse of medications varies from being addicted. The misuse of a prescription

can be someone misunderstanding the instructions, self-medication, and compulsive use driven

by an opioid use disorder. Abuse of opioids can be used with no prescription, or for the feeling.

While the epidemic for opioid misuse is being looked at many different levels there is much

more to be done (Brady 2015).

There are many strategies social workers may use when involved in a substance abuse

disorder case. One strategy is, to begin with, an assessment. To effectively do this a social

worker will need to develop a therapeutic alliance with their client/patient to better understand

the role a substance plays in someone's life. The assessment also needs to include an

understanding of how ready the client wants to make a change. After a social worker collects this

information it then should be synthesized into a well thought out plan made to create short and

long-term goals their client wishes to meet (Mancini 2012).

Motivational interventions can have a positive effect as well. Motivational interviewing

has been developed to single out motivation to change as a way to increase the probability that

an individual will lessen their substance use and explore additional treatment. “Several recent

meta-analyses and empirical reviews highlight the strong existing evidence that brief

motivational interventions are effective”, therefore social workers are able to identify individuals

that would be suitable for brief motivational interviews (Ilgen 2012).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) consists of many interventions that consider how

learning processes are included in evolving and maintaining unfit thought patterns, behavioral

and emotional reactions. These processes help interventions target the ending or reduction of

substance abuse. This system can be very valuable to social workers. It is very effective for many

problems, especially substance abuse (Granillo 2012).

Social Work and its Effect on Addicts