Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work, 2003. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

O uso de drogas de abuso pode levar a alterações neuroplásticas duradouras no encéfalo, entre elas a sensibilização comportamental (SC), um fenômeno relacionado à dependência. O enriquecimento ambiental (EA) permite estudar a influência do ambiente na resposta a diversas manipulações, entre elas o tratamento com drogas de abuso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do EA sobre a SC ao etanol, e sobre a expressão de proteínas envolvidas nas respostas às drogas de abuso: BDNF, TrkB e Egr-1. Para tanto, camundongos foram expostos ao EA, e então tratados repetidamente com uma dose baixa (1,8 g/kg) de etanol. Outros grupos foram submetidos ao protocolo de SC e posteriormente expostos ao EA. O EA protegeu os animais de desenvolverem a SC ao etanol, bem como promoveu sua reversão. O EA diminuiu os níveis de BDNF no córtex pré-frontal e de TrkB no hipocampo, e aumentou a expressão de Egr-1 no córtex insular. O EA pode ser considerado uma estratégia útil para a reversão dos efeitos da SC, que está associada à fissura e a episódios de recaídas na dependência. / The use of addiction drugs can lead to long-term neuroplastic changes on the brain, such as behavioral sensitization (BS), a phenomenon related to addiction. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a strategy used to study the environmental influence on the response to several manipulations, including the treatment with addiction drugs. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of EE on the BS to ethanol and on the expression of proteins related to the response to drugs of abuse, as BDNF, TrkB and Egr-1. Thus, mice were exposed to EE and then repeatedly treated with a low dose (1.8 g/kg) of ethanol. Other group of mice was first submitted to the BS protocol and then exposed to EE. EE protected the mice from developing the BS to ethanol, and promoted its reversion. EE decreased BDNF levels in the prefrontal cortex and TrkB in the hippocampus, and increased Egr-1 expression in the insular cortex. EE can be considered and useful strategy to block BS effects, a phenomenon related to craving and relapse.

D.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / The present study investigates a modus operandi for doing therapy with the sedative-hypnotic/opiate drug abuser with borderline or narcissistic tendencies. Definitions of the latter are based on the work by Kernberg and Kohut respectively. Unstable patterns of attachment in infancy and childhood are thought to contribute to a sense of lack or deficit in the drug abuser. This lack or insufricient structuralisation is associated with compulsive dependency on an external obj ect , in this case, the sedative-hypnotic or opiate drug. In order to wean the drug abuser off his drug, it is proposed that, initially, the therapist needs to take over the function of the drug which is to act as a sUbstitute for psychic structure. In other words, the therapist becomes a self-object for the drug abuser until such time as he is sUfficiently structuralised and relatively tree ot the compulsion to drug. The nature of the selt-object' transference and the therapist's role therein are explored in this thesis.

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Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (February 16, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-55)

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this research was to understand the lived experience of a person with a substance addiction that uses or has used alternative therapies for treatment. A single-case study approach was used to understand the lived experiences of Jason, a male in his mid-forties who is healing from a substance addiction. Through in-person interviewing and reading personal manuscripts written by the participant, data were collected. The data were analysed and interpreted using phenomenological and integral hermeneutics. Through the interpretations, it was clear that a major contributing factor to Jason’s drug use was the negative experiences he was carrying from his past. Once he was able to let go of the negativity and let his higher power guide him, his healing journey took a positive turn. Today, Jason lives in the moment and does not need drugs to heal the hurt he is feeling inside. He uses his ultimate alternative method, derived from within himself, to guide his journey in recovery. / viii, 155 leaves ; 29 cm

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1995. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [64]-66).