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Full-Text Articles in Mental and Social Health

Deadly Combinations: Factors That Are Associated With Simultaneous And Concurrent Polysubstance Use, Laura Lightfoot Jan 2022

Deadly Combinations: Factors That Are Associated With Simultaneous And Concurrent Polysubstance Use, Laura Lightfoot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Mortality reports show that most overdose deaths include more than one substance. In addition, there is a gap in the literature that discusses risk factors for polysubstance use. The objective of this study was to explore what factors relate to the likelihood of engaging in polysubstance use, defined as using more than one substance. Specifically, the goal was to evaluate predictors of simultaneous (i.e., the use of alcohol and another substance at the same time in the past six months) polysubstance use and concurrent (i.e., the use of any two substances in the past six months) polysubstance use, vs. no …


Assessing The Feasibility, Acceptability, Appropriateness, Barriers, And Facilitators To Implementing Naloxone Distribution In Residential Areas At Ucf, Isabella S. Arguello-Howe Jan 2022

Assessing The Feasibility, Acceptability, Appropriateness, Barriers, And Facilitators To Implementing Naloxone Distribution In Residential Areas At Ucf, Isabella S. Arguello-Howe

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the rise of accidental fentanyl overdoses and recreational opioid use in college-aged populations, the need for campus-based overdose prevention and harm reduction measures is at an all-time high. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, is an FDA-approved, lifesaving, medication which can be intranasally delivered by laypersons. Naloxone reverses opioid overdose, essentially buying time until an overdosing individual receives emergency medical attention. While some previous studies have examined access to naloxone on college campuses, to my knowledge no study has explored distribution of naloxone in residential college areas, such as dormitories and within Greek housing. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was …


Evaluating Fatal Overdose Deaths In Orange County Florida From 2019-2021, Brian Hall Jan 2022

Evaluating Fatal Overdose Deaths In Orange County Florida From 2019-2021, Brian Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

This study sought to investigate fatal overdoses in Orange County, Florida during the years of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Data for this project was provided by the Orange County Medical Examiner's office. Each overdose death was coded for age, sex, race, and cause of death. The purpose of the study is to identify trends to inform policy reform. The results reveal that fentanyl overdose deaths are continuing to rise as heroin overdose deaths decrease. Additionally, there is greater upward trends in polysubstance opioid overdose deaths as compared to non-opioid polysubstance overdose deaths. Ultimately, a specific type of overdose death cannot …


An Examination Of Street-Level Drug Enforcement Tactics And Court Outcomes, Nicholas Paul Jan 2022

An Examination Of Street-Level Drug Enforcement Tactics And Court Outcomes, Nicholas Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

While there is a substantial body of placed-based evaluations of drug enforcement strategies, little is known about the nature and effectiveness of the routine tactics used by local police to target individual drug offenders. This study used a mixed-method approach to build on existing research on the efficacy of drug enforcement by documenting the nature and consequences of street-level drug enforcement at the local level. First, a focus group of drug enforcement experts was conducted to identify the tactics used to generate arrests and various types of evidence believed to strengthen drug cases. Next, official data in the form of …


A Fall From Grace: The Rising Rate Of Attorneys With Substance Abuse Disorders, Chemical Dependencies And Addictions, Amy M. Yost Jan 2022

A Fall From Grace: The Rising Rate Of Attorneys With Substance Abuse Disorders, Chemical Dependencies And Addictions, Amy M. Yost

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis is a continuation of research and scholarly writing that the author completed for a published article that appeared in Volume 5 of the University of Central Florida Undergraduate Law Journal, Spring 2022. The rising rate of attorneys with a self-reported substance abuse disorder, chemical or alcohol dependency, as the data reveals, is the highest in our country’s history. Although the notion of attorney addictions and dependency issues may come as a surprise to those outside of the legal community, these issues are not breaking news. Rather, the data has been slowly emerging due to the increasing number of …


Social Stigma, Public Health, And Addiction In Albania, Ediola Malkouari Jan 2020

Social Stigma, Public Health, And Addiction In Albania, Ediola Malkouari

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Drug use is considered in many countries the plague of today's society. Researchers from medical, psychological and sociological fields, as well as lawmakers, are interested in finding more answers to this widespread phenomenon. All over the world there are known conflicts related to drug producing, transportation routes and distribution, that harm the economy and social standing of the involved communities or countries. Policies towards drug use vary from country to country, but this research focuses on how stigma affects the lives of individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) in Albania. Substance use disorder is not often considered a disease, …


Prescription Drug Abuse Amongst The Elderly, Michael O'Blenis Jan 2020

Prescription Drug Abuse Amongst The Elderly, Michael O'Blenis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

This thesis attempts to document and illuminate the growing issue of prescription drug abuse among the elderly population. The average elder in the U.S. takes at least one prescription drug per day, depending upon their health status. Likewise, elders that suffer from multiple chronic conditions are more likely to take multiple prescription drugs. As the lifespan of humankind grows well into their 90's and older, even more elders will be placed on prescription drugs. As part of this study, a narrative literature review was conducted to summarize the topic of prescription drug abuse amongst the elderly. The findings suggest that …


The Efficacy Of Meditation-Based Treatments In Relapse Prevention For Persons With Substance Use Disorders, Florence C. Bates Jan 2019

The Efficacy Of Meditation-Based Treatments In Relapse Prevention For Persons With Substance Use Disorders, Florence C. Bates

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Substance abuse is a global problem that has contributed to a variety of societal, financial, health, and familial strains. An increasing prevalence of illicit drug, prescription opioids, and alcohol abuse has created a need for re-evaluation of recovery and relapse treatments. This literature review examines the efficacy of meditation-based treatments for relapse prevention in persons recovering from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). A comparative analysis of Mindfulness Based Relapse Programs (MBRP), an adapted MBRP-W program, and a Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention was used to examine the success of meditation-based interventions. Research supports improvements associated with the meditation-based interventions including significant reductions …


Mapping Addiction: A Digital Psychogeographic Approach To America's Addiction Epidemic, Clayton Benjamin Jan 2019

Mapping Addiction: A Digital Psychogeographic Approach To America's Addiction Epidemic, Clayton Benjamin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Focusing on policy consultation, my dissertation consults on the current US addiction epidemic and aims to answer, "What is our disposition to addiction?" Borrowing and clarifying Ulmer's MEmorial method, as established in his text Electronic Monuments, the dissertation combines the ancient Greek practice of theoria, Deleuzian theory, and psychogeographic counter-mapping methods to trace ways in which ideological apparatuses construct addiction. The aim of the dissertation is to reveal an abject value by constructing MEmorials which provide space for individuals to mourn loss and see their relation to that loss. Through mourning, individuals strengthen their ties to other community members and …


Alcoholism, A.A., And The Challenge Of Authenticity, Patricia Madden Jan 2005

Alcoholism, A.A., And The Challenge Of Authenticity, Patricia Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the possibilities of living an authentic life for an alcoholic, both in and out of Alcoholics Anonymous. Authenticity is explored using the existential models put forth by Jean-Paul Sartre and Soren Kierkegaard. Alcoholics Anonymous figures prominently in this analysis. It is suggested that A.A. acts inauthentically in its claims that it is not a religious organization. A.A. creates special problems for female alcoholics because of the sexist and masculinist nature of its primary literature. While A.A. claims that its message is the only way by which an alcoholic can recover, other treatment methods exist. Suggestions are made …