Substance Abuse
IDS 402: Milestone 4
Jackie Hale
Southern New Hampshire University
April 11, 2021
2
Substance Abuse
Natural and Applied Sciences
A person can use the natural science lens to help better understand substance abuse. The
definition of this lens provided by Cambridge College is, "Natural sciences deal with the
physical world and include astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics" (1970). By
using these subjects, a person can learn more about the drugs themselves to understand the
effects that they have on individuals, whether in short- or long-term use. The opioid reversal
drug, Narcan, was created to help someone who has overdosed, but not yet died (National
Institute on Drug Abuse, 2021). When someone is starting to overdose on a drug their breathing
slows
and eventually stops. This drug makes the individual's breathing speed up again before it
completely stops and the individual dies.
The creation of this drug was made possible by using the lens of the natural sciences to
study the issue and then was then put into place by using the applied science lens. The definition
of this lens is, "Applied science is the process of applying scientific knowledge to practical
problems, and is used in fields such as engineering, health care, information technology, and
early childhood education (1970). There are many different forms of Narcan, but the most
frequently used is the nasal version. Scientists realized that people were not going to stop using
drugs and made a way to reverse the effects so people could get a second chance if needed
Substance abuse is an issue that has no concrete solution, but Narcan is just one way that has
been discovered that can help resolve this issue.
Social Sciences
Substance Abuse
This issue of substance abuse interacts with the social sciences and impacts social issues
in many ways. When someone is being affected by substance abuse, that individual's struggle is
generally chalked up to be a behavioral issue or behavioral addiction. Karen Bergamark in one of
her publications debated this issue by simply stating the following, ".. .the option of considering
the signs of behavioral addiction as coping strategies explained by an underlying disorder, such
as depression or problems of impulse control" (Bergmark, 2018). This section of the article is
stating that some individuals go through more things than others do in a lifetime and every
person has a different coping mechanism. Substance abuse is one of those outlets which is why it
has not gone away throughout the years.
When dealing with substance abuse, alcohol and/or drug use should not be the only
aspect that should be referenced. Therapy should be put into place, and it generally is through
AA meetings or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. These meetings are designed to help
individuals that struggle with these types of issues by providing an environment that is safe and
includes individuals struggling with the same issues (Mendola & Gibson, 2016). Many of these
people that struggle with substance abuse are lonely and think that al