Alcohol
Before checking for alcohol in the blood or urine, a nurse should screen for problematic drinking using the .... tool
the CAGE tool. The CAGE is the most basic, widely accepted brief screening tool for problematic drinking.
True or false: The most significant public health consequence of substance use is death?
True. Ex: Opioid intoxication can lead to respiratory depression and death. Alcohol intoxication and withdrawal can lead to death. Car accidents caused by people under the influence of substances can lead to death.
The ... scale assess for the following signs of alcohol withdrawal: perceptual disturbances (ex: tactile, auditory, visual hallucinations), nausea, tremor, headache, sweating, anxiety, agitation, and disorientation.
The CIWA-Ar scale. A CIWA score is an evaluation of symptoms experienced by a client undergoing alcohol withdrawal. As the score increases, the client's potential for serious complications increases.
True or false: relapse (fall back into old pattern of behavior) is an expected part of recovery?
True! Relapse is expected. The goal after a relapse is for individuals to learn from their set back and get back on track as soon as possible.
If a patient is experiencing alcohol related delirium, what is the highest priority? 1) using therapeutic communication with the patient or 2) maintaining the patient's fluid / electrolyte balance
Delirium Tremens is a medical emergency. You must worry about physical safety first (ex: maintaining fluid / electrolyte balance, potential need for physical or chemical restraints), then psychological safety (ex: creating a low stimuli environment, therapeutic communication)
The long term goal of most addiction treatment services is for the patient to ... using the substance.
The patient should abstain from using the substance. Even after the physical symptoms of addition are treated, this conditioned response will never completely resolve. The patient may easily fall back into addiction if they use the substance again.
Two medications help reducing cravings to use alcohol: naltrexone & acamprosate. One medication punishes alcohol use. What is the name of the medication that is used as a deterrent to use alcohol?
What is disulfiram (Antabuse)? Using alcohol with this medication (ex: purfume, shaving cream, nail polish remover) will cause an unpleasant physical reaction.
Heavy, continued use of a substance can result in what characteristic of addiction? Example: Use of opioid over a long time so that when the individual actually needs the opioid for pain, a standard dose does not work due to ... to the opioid pain medication.
What is tolerance? Tolerance: The continued use of a substance resulting in an increased amount of the substances needed to achieve prior desired effects.
What signs and symptoms of alcohol and opioid withdrawal overlap?
There are a few overlapping s/s of alcohol and opioid withdrawal like nausea, vomiting, sweating, tremors, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, increased pulse rate. (Opioid withdrawal s/s that don't overlap: diarrhea, yawning, piloerrection, lacrimorrhea, rhinorrhea, aching bones / joints, dilated pupils)
One person binge drank alcohol to the point of alcohol poisoning with a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g/dl. They were rushed to the ICU due to being in a coma. A chronic, heavy user of alcohol had a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g/dl but appeared fine. What principle of addiction does this represent?
What is tolerance? Tolerance: The continued use of a substance resulting in an increased amount of the substances needed to achieve prior desired effects.