During an assessment a patient with multiple substance addictions asks why the need for drugs and alcohol is so great. What should the nurse include when responding to this patient?
Select all that apply.
1. "Substance abuse is sign of weakness and boredom with life."
2. "Alcohol reinforces the transmission of opioids in the system."
3. "There is a human tendency to seek pleasure and avoid stress and pain."
4. "It really depends upon genetic makeup and if your parents used drugs."
5. "One substance in the brain, dopamine, is responsible for drug-seeking behavior."
Correct Answer: 2, 3, 5
The human tendency to seek pleasure and avoid stress and pain is partially responsible for substance abuse. Although far from definite, evidence implicates the endogenous opioid system in the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors. Current data suggest that alcohol increases endogenous opioid neurotransmission and that this activation is partly responsible for its reinforcing effect. Dopamine has been identified as the primary neurotransmitter responsible for sustaining the addictive quality of drugs and for increasing drug-seeking behavior. The reinforcing properties of drugs can create a pleasurable experience and reduce the intensity of unpleasant experiences. There is no evidence to support that substance abuse is a sign of weakness and boredom with life. Genetic makeup and biological factors do contribute to substance abuse behaviors; however, there are other explanations.
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