Understanding Maladaptive Behavior Substance Abuse

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                <p><img
src="http://recovery2day.org/images/stories/maladaptive_behaviors.jpg"
border="10" alt="Is Maladaptive the Right Word?" hspace="10" vspace="10"
width="200" height="299" align="left">The key to understanding Abuse is
found in one word, "recurrent."</p>
<p>This does not sound good at all, to most people if they are classified
as being "maladaptive." However, if we look closely at what it means, it
takes the sting out of the word, if we take the words separately, and
work backwards; it's not as bad as it may sound. Adaptive is one word
and mal is the other and behavior describes an action. Adaptive means
flexible or having the ability to adjust to conditions as the need may
arise. Your body adapts to conditions constantly. In the hotter summer
months, it sweats to lower your body temperature. Our eyes adapt to
lower lights, or bright lights, your pupils expand or contract depending
on light conditions. We are built to "adapt." The human body is a
marvelous subject, in its adaptive qualities. Therefore "maladaptive"
starts to mean, something is not adapting or behaving normally.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>What would happen if you did not sweat, or your eyes could not filter
out bright lights?</p>
<p>Â </p>
<h2><strong>Defining Maladaptive</strong></h2>
<p>Â </p>
<p>If we take this word and apply it to different conditions, and study
its meaning, we can see what the term is telling us or implying. When our
behavior does not meet the status quo or normal behaviors around a
certain event that is taking place can be considered maladaptive. If we
look at simple examples that could be considered "maladaptive" the term
becomes less offensive. We could say wearing a tight black bathing suit
to a formal wear black tie event, could be seen as being maladaptive. The
behavior does not match the event. Where it could be problematic is if
this happens more than once. Repeating the same behavior, after the
conditions of the formal event had been thoroughly taught and made
perfectly clear. No, it was not a black tight event; it was a black Tie
event. And the person agrees, "It will not happen again, I understand the
dress code and the rules."</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>If we thought of what could be "adaptive behavior," in the same
scenario, a person invited to the same formal event may rent a tuxedo or
a nice suit. But is that what they mean when the APA describes
maladaptive behaviors when the criterion of substance abuse is
described?</p>
<p>Â </p>
<h2>What is the criterion of Substance Abuse?</h2>
<p>Â </p>
<h3>Substance abuse the APA criterion starts out this way:</h3>
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<p>Â </p>
<p><em>Substance abuse is defined as a maladaptive pattern of substance
use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as
manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month
period:</em></p>
<p><strong>Substance Abuse Piece by Piece. </strong></p>
<p>It says the definition of Substance Abuse is: a maladaptive pattern
followed by substance use, which leads to an impairment which is another
word for harm, hurt, injury or not doing something as efficient or in a
diminished capacity.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>If we take all that, and look at what they are saying, if one or more
things are happening as the result of using, or misusing a substance,
<em>and a pattern develops</em> that stops a person from behaving
normally, causing hurt, harm, injury on a recurring basis, or resulting
in less than normal capacity.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p><strong>Substance Abuse Example Number One: </strong></p>
<p><em>1: Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major
role obligations at work, school, or home (e.g. such as repeated absences
or poor work performance related to substance use; substance-related
absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; or neglect of children
or household).</em></p>
<p>Sometimes people who use a substance have serious problems at home,
work or school-such as:</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>-neglecting their children <br> -missing work or school <br> -doing a
poor job at work or school <br> -losing a job or dropping out of
school</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>Question: <em>During the past 12 months, did using a substance cause
you to have serious problems like this either at work, school or
home?</em></p>
<p>Notice: Here the key word is "recurrent" so this is happening "more
than once", and it could be you missed work, got kicked out of school or
forgot to pick up the kids at school.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p><strong>Substance Abuse Example Number Two:</strong></p>
<p><em>2: Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically
hazardous (such as driving an automobile or operating a machine when
impaired: hampered or held back from being able to do some mental or
physical task. by substance use).</em></p>
<p>Question: <em>During the past 12 months did you regularly use a
substance and then do something where using that substance that might
have put you in physical harm?</em></p>
<p>Notice:Â Here the key word again is "recurrent" and this time is
making poor decision, getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and impaired.
We can call that "drug driving or drunk driving."Â Does picking up the
kids from daycare hung-over count?</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p><strong>Substance Abuse Example Number Three: </strong></p>
<p><em>3: Recurrent substance-related legal problems (such as arrests for
substance related disorderly conduct).</em></p>
<p><em>Question: </em><em>During the past 12 months, did using a
substance cause you to do things that repeatedly got you in trouble with
the law?</em></p>
<p>Notice: Here they introduce the legal problems that can happen, how
many "drunk driving" arrests does it take per year? One does not
constitute Substance abuse, since we are looking for "recurrent" legal
problems, is two in the same year a danger sign? Since that is
"recurrent."</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p><strong>Substance Abuse Example Number Four: </strong></p>
<p><em>4: Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent
social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of
the substance (for example, arguments with spouse about consequences of
intoxication and physical fights).</em></p>
<p>Question: <em>During the past 12 months, did you have any problems
with family or friends that were probably caused by your use of the
substance? Did you continue to use the substance even though you thought
it caused problems with family or friends?</em></p>
<p>Notice: Here they are talking about a behavioral change,
"interpersonal problems" induced while they used, misuse a substance that
would normally not happen.</p>
<p><em>B: <strong>The symptoms for abuse have never met the criteria for
dependence for this class of substance.</strong></em></p>
<p>Â </p>
<h2><strong>Substance Abuse Conclusions:</strong></h2>
<p>Â </p>
<p>If you read this do you see anything "repeated?" the key to "abuse" is
"recurrent" behaviors that "normally" do not happen.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>The term "Maladaptive" and "recurrent" work together. The behavior
adapts in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>Continued problems at work or home, continued legal problems,
continued relational problems.</p>
<p>Â </p>
<p>Grim, is the term Carlton Erickson used to describe the "abuse"
category. If you look over any of the events happening, none of them are
typically anything you would want. And this behavior can be treated and
altered, by coping skills taught in <a rel="nofollow"
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