2.1.

6 Engage in research- informed practice and practice informed

research
Practice Behaviors:
Use research evidence to inform practice; Use practice to inform scientific
inquiry
Term Paper Phase III
SW 3810
In this term paper I was asked to research a subject of my choosing. This was a three part
term paper in which I was to research and discuss my subject. I choose to discuss the effects of
opiates and opiate addiction, as it relates to those in my community. Opiate use has become more
commonly used and a leading cause of death in the past 20 years. In this section of my term
paper I research drug therapy and other detox programs that are used for those seeking help to
end their addiction.
In this paper I use research to learn about this drug treatment and how it has been helpful
or not to those who have tried it. I found an article that I discuss the 12 step program for drug
detox and how it pertains to opiate use. This article is useful as it discusses the outcomes of short
term and long term effects of this program as it is useful to its participants.
Using this research I am able to relate these findings to Social work practice. How a
social worker can use this to implement practice, and help their clients. it is important for social
workers to use and understand research as their professions are always evolving as the human
nature does.

Term Paper Phase III

Kayli Sheehan
Ek7956
Wayne State University
SW 3810

Term Paper Phase III

In terms of opioid drug abuse what is the effectiveness of Long term Drug therapy
programs verses rapid detox for long term sobriety? (WebMD,2014) An opioid dependence is
most commonly known as the abuse of prescription pain killers. The effect of opiates in the
body are that, when prescribed they attach themselves to opioid receptors in the body that reduce
the perception of pain (NIH,2014). Those who are not prescribed or abuse opiates may feel

euphoric, they may also use the medications in ways they are not prescribed such and snorting or
injection (NIH, 2014). I can be very easy for one to become addicted to painkillers, due to
withdraws, that can result from no longer using the drugs. These withdraw symptoms can
include, cravings, diarrhea, abdominal pain, chills, nausea and vomiting and more (WebMD,
2014). These withdraw symptoms can make it very difficult for one to quit using opiates without
help of drugs or therapies, or a rapid detox.
Drug addiction and treatment is a very important issue for social workers. Being
knowledgeable about addiction and its properties is important for social workers to help people
every day. Knowing the difference between specific treatments and their outcomes will help
social workers when they provide their clients with information. Having knowledge is power
when it comes to becoming clean and staying clean.
It is important for social workers to understand the effects that opiates have on the body,
mind and mentality of the user. It is important to understand the strength and willpower that it
takes for an addict to seek help, accept help or continue help. Having a better understanding of
treatments and therapies to offer the clients are important. To offer information to clients
regarding how they can seek help, and how it works. It is also very important for social workers
to me empathetic to the disease of addiction that their client may be experiencing.
The article that I choose, was one that will discuss the therapy method for drug addiction
known as the 12 step program. Within this article they conduct a test to determine the
outcomes of immediate and long term sobriety with its members. Within this 12 step method
their goal is have the drug users completely refrain from using drugs (Mette Deding et al, n.d.).
Through the 12 step program users will abstain from the use of drugs, to achieve long term
abstinence and sobriety (Mette Deding et al, n.d.). They use individuals who are drug users

already in this program, they choose them randomly not based on age, race or drug addiction. I
chose this article because as my question refers to the difference in therapeutic approaches or
quick detoxes using drugs to effectively produce long term sobriety.
In order to find this article the first thing I did was searched the Campbell collaborative. I
used a few different searches starting with opiate dependences, and therapies for opiate
dependence. I was unable to find any related searches using these two things. Then I searched
effectiveness of drug therapies for opioid dependence. When I searched this one article came up,
this article was the 12-step programs for reducing illicit drug use: protocol for systematic
review In-text citation: (Mette Deding et al, n.d.). This sparked my interest as I am familiar
with 12-step programs since my brother was recovering addict, and had been enrolled in this
program when he was a teenager. I know a little about the program from what he told me, and I
remember it helping him a lot then, and he expressed positive emotions about it to me at one
point. I believe this article is a good choice for my research because it talks a lot about the
outcomes of the 12-step program and its effectiveness for its members.
In this article the sampling is based on identified drug users who are enrolled in a 12-step
program. They choose certain participants at random from the program without knowing their
age, race, ethnicity or even there type of addiction ( Mette Deding et al, n.d.). There are some
advantages and disadvantages of using this sample method. An advantage of using this sampling
method are that the participants have already taken the first steps into recovery, and due to this
the researchers are able to get a larger amount of positive results in the outcomes of their
subjects. The disadvantage of choosing those who are already enrolled in the 12-step program is
that they have a weighted result for the program in comparison to another program. A advantage

of this sample method is that because their subjects are in the program to become clean they are
more likely to participate in the study, the disadvantage of this is that due to the fact that they are
drug addicts they may also be inconsistent or leave the program at any time because of the
difficulty of becoming clean. It can sometimes be troublesome to keep the clients on track due to
the severity of their conditions.
Some of the key variables in this study were the clients participation in the 12-step
program. As this was the only stipulation for the participants in the study, they were chosen
based solely on if they were active member of the program. The other important variables in this
study were their drug use. Although they were not picked for their study based on their drug use,
the participants would not have been in the 12-step program without an identified drug addiction.
The outcome of the study, which was to see the effectiveness of the 12-step program for drug
addiction and long term sobriety (Mette Deding et al, n.d.). Is reliant on the addiction of its
participants in the beginning the 12-step program and their success or lack thereof upon
completion. In this article these variables were very important for the outcomes of the study for
these reasons. Had any of these variables been different the results would have been impacted as
well. If the variables were changed in any way then the results would be completely different, for
example if the participants were not enrolled in a 12-step program, but rather attending another
intervention for recovery of their drug use then the measure of the 12-step programs
effectiveness could not be measured. The same issue goes for the participants drug dependence.
If the subject being viewed does not have a drug dependence then there out come with be a
skewed result based on the fact that the program will only maintain their positive choices and
healthy lifestyle. This study was conducted in a manner that could provide the best results

without jeopardizing the success and integrity of the program due to these very important
variables that are being measured.
In this study the data was collected using three types of models these were, randomized
control trials, quasi random control trials and quasi experimental studies with a control group.
Random control trails when they were pick completely randomly throughout the control group,
in this case that is the participants in the 12-step program. These can be informational and are not
biased when chosen completely randomly but these are not always the best results due to the
randomness of the control group. The quasi random and quasi experimental models can give a
little more information. Some advantages of Quasi experimental type of models is that this
allows the agencies to conduct the evaluations with semi limited services and to use the
limitations the social worker would like (Rubin, 2014). These results may have been different
with different types of methods. These results could have been different in that they may be
completely random and do not take all things into account. The results maybe different also in
the way that they are received and that can contribute to the way in which the client interprets the
experiment.
My target population for this research is those with opiate dependence, this article does
apply to my target population because a 12-step program can help any addict. The purpose of a
12-step is to help any person who has become unable to control their drug or alcohol use,
through complete abstinence and therapy (Mette Deding et al, n.d.). The 12-step program ranges
to help anyone with addictions no matter what their drug of choice maybe. This article is a based
on a study that shows the success that the 12-step program has shown in these cases for long
term sobriety. My target population is impacted by this study due to the fact that long term

resistance from the use of opiates would be an ultimate goal for them. This article helps to prove
that long term therapies rather than rapid detox is proven to be successful in long term
teetotalism. The 12-step program is sensitive to this topic in particular since it is an individual
and group therapys that are used to make each person facing addiction to have a safe place to get
clean, stay clean and provide each other with the same. The article addressed some of these
issues and other ethical issues by doing a great job of explaining everything that the 12-step
program is used for, as well as provides for is participants. In the article they state that the
members of the 12-stpe programs are fluid which can mean that they are getting clean and
moving on or dropping out, but also due to their anonymity these studies can be hard to complete
(Mette Deding et al, n.d.). Ethically it is important for any client in counseling and in a
rehabilitation group to have the promise of confidentiality. Another ethical principal from the
article is dignity and worth of a person, going hand and hand with confidentiality there are many
other aspects of displaying dignity and worth of a person. This can be a sensitive aspect when
dealing with an addict in these types of programs. In this article they state a few different things
that are said to help promote the success of these programs for example, the resilience on
positive reinforcement and behavioral modeling have also been proposed as an underlying
mechanism for change (Mette Deding et al, n.d.). some other things that are stated is the out
pouring of social networks and a concerned family, spirituality, confidence and self-efficiency
(Mette Deding et al, n.d.).
I intervention that has been identified in this article identifies the practice need from
phase one because it directly answers the question about the success of therapeutic rehab versus
rapid detox. In the article it talks specifically about the 12-step program for rehabilitation from
drugs and alcohol. The article talks about the benefits of abstaining from drug use and attending

group therapies to maintain sobriety. The idea of the theory for the 12-step program are that
though these interventions and complete abstinence from drug use that the members will fulfill a
long healthy life free of drugs. These theories coincide because the use of the therapy shows
successful where as a rapid detox in this case has not been tested to show rewarding for the
participants involved.
To implement this experiment several types of practitioners could be used. To implement
a rapid-detox type of program there would need to be medical doctors as well as drug therapists.
It is important for this that a medical doctor is used to produce a plan for their patient with the
correct amount of drugs to counter act the withdraw that their client will be experiencing. The
rapid detox is a way for the drug user to experience little or no painful or extenuating withdraw
symptoms. There would also need to be a therapist or drug counselor present to provide therapy
or create a plan for the client after detox has been completed. For their furthering sobriety to
prove successful the counselor will need to conduct a plan with the client to help keep them
sober once they are no longer using the detoxifying drugs. This is different than a 12-step
program where the client is to quit using any type of drugs all together. The rapid detox allows
the user to slowly stop using drugs and to maintain health while they prepare their mind and
body to no longer use the drugs or alcohol. For the rapid detox it is important for there to be both
a medical doctor and a drug counselor.
The challenges that could make it difficult to implement the intervention may be the
clients themselves. It can be difficult to find clients with drug problems that want to be clean.
Addiction can be a difficult disease to treat, due to the unwillingness of its victims. A user who is
addicted to opiates is going to be more likely to undergo a rapid detox due to the fact that they

can continue to use the drugs, and not physically experience the withdraw. The mind of an addict
works differently than the mind of a person with a different type of sickness. If an addict knew
that they were being tested on their success with sobriety they may feel uncomfortable with the
experiments. It is important for all involved with the process to have full support and confidence
in the clients ability to get clean and remain clean. A 12-step program or a long term
rehabilitation can be intimidating to an opioid user due to the reality and severity of their
situation. Another barrier that might cause difficulty with the intervention maybe funding, due to
the fact that not all insurance companys cover these types of medical interventions it can be
difficult to fund these types of programs. In a typical situation a person with a drug addiction has
not saved very much money and sometimes doesnt even work, this can be a reason to not seek
treatment. If the agency cannot find funding to conduct the experiment or cannot provide their
clients with the help that they need due to money then this can be a barrier.
Using all of the information that we know about these intervention models we can say
that they are both still feasible ways for one to become clean from drugs and opiates. Using the
article about the 12-step programs it has shown that this model has proven successful in many
cases. Having no proven cases here about rapid detox and its long term success rates that
determination cannot be made at this time. Therapies, group support and long term rehabilitation
can be assured to create a positive outcome for an addict if they wish to become clean for long
term.

References
Mette Deding et al.. (n.d.). 12-Step Programs for Reducing Illicit Drug Use: Protocol for a
Systematic Review. Campbell Collaboration, No-volume (No-number), 1-47. Retrieved 23 June,
2015, from www.campbellcollaboration.org/lib/.../Deding_12_Step_Protocol.pdf
NIH. (2014). how to opioids effect the brian and body? national instittue of drug
abuse. viewed on http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/researchreports/prescription-drugs/opioids/how-do-opioids-affect-brain-body.

Rubin, A & Babbie, E. (2014). Essential research methods for social work. (Fourth Edition ed.).
United States of America: Cengage learning.

Web MD. (2014). treating an addiction to pain killers. Web MD. viewed on
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/breaking-an-addiction-topainkillers-treatment-overvew.