Assignment: SUBSTANCE ABUSE "Theory to Practice" RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS
For this assignment, you must submit a WELL-WRITTEN and WELL-RESEARCHED paper on one of the topics below. It must be in proper APA format, and submitted as a Word Document in Blackboard.
You will NOT want to wait until the last minute to work on this as you will have to include interview and/or visits to treatment centers, and that will be difficult to do the last week without planning ahead.
The paper must be at least 5 pages in the body of your paper, but avoid those longer than 8 pages (do not count title, reference, appendix, etc.). Good content is preferable to "fluff" to make it longer.
It must include a variety of perspectives (don't just support one - but consider two or more, even if you choose one to support), and include Christian perspectives and scriptural considerations in your paper.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS/TREATMENTS FOR YOUR PAPER
1. 12-STEP PROGRAM: Visit a 12 -step program meeting such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Celebrate Recovery. Most of these are open meetings, but you may want to tell the leaders you are there for a class project to see how their process works. Interview one or more of the leaders, and even some of the attendant if they are willing. If not, you can base your information on what you observe and casual interactions with the people attending. Inquire how their program works or doesn't work better than others. Ask questions such as whether maintenance is the goal, or complete healing and what they means. Perhaps ask how many replace their drug of choice with another (such as tobacco - or other addiction such as porn, workaholic, etc.) and what that means to recovery. Think of any other questions you want to ask that will help you with your paper, and you may want to do the research portion of your paper first to guide your questions. Be sure to be VERY respectful of the attendants' privacy and their perspectives, even if you disagree with any. Your paper SHOULD NOT name anyone by name. Just use synonyms or something such as "Person 1, Person 2; Leader 1" etc. Be sure to let them know they will not be identified in any way.
2. LEGAL OR SOCIAL: Interview an attorney familiar with substance abuse in the courts (e.g.
District Attorney, Defense Attorney), a Human Resource Office, Politician or Law Maker familiar with substance abuse laws, Judge, or Social Worker who works with substance abuse or otherwise familiar with it. For this option, you may want to research laws and policies related to legal and social aspects of substance abuse and use what you learn to guide your interview with the person. Get their perspectives, what works, what doesn't and what they'd like to see changed in the law and/or polices. One focus of this option should be research and interview perspectives on whether making drugs legal/illegal increases or decreases use/abuse? Be sure to connect this to what the professional research shows. Consider what we DON'T know (for example, if a drug has not been legal, how do you know if legalizing it will be helpful?). For this option, be sure to ask the person's permission to identify them in your paper, and get demographic information on their education, training, and job duties.
3. MEDICAL/PHARMACEUTICAL: For this option interview a medical professional (doctor, nurse, P.A.), a pharmacist, or preferably as Psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse. This option could focus on either (a) the use of drugs in treating drug addictions, or (b) the value of using drugs such as pain relievers in medical treatments given the risk of addiction. The person should be familiar with the pharmacological treatment of substance abuse/addictions and/or the nature and function of the drugs used if you take the first route. You could even consider both areas in your paper. Be sure to include in this discussion and your research, questions about the role of counseling and psychotherapy in conjunction with pharmacological treatment. How well does one work without the other. Perhaps inquire about the "paradox" of using drugs to treat drug addictions. What do the professionals say about this? You may also want to research and ask the professionals question regarding whether or not drug therapies are driven more by the patient/consumer, or the pharmaceutical companies and medical organizations who profit from them? How would it look differently if drugs were 100% free and nobody profited from them? Why is the risk of addictions worth the desire for "cures" and/or pain relief? You could go a number of directions with this one, but do be sure your paper is organized in a logical and clear manner whatever you choose.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.