This is Your Brain on Drugs
From Learning to Working
This course may be my favorite course that I have taken in my college career thus far. This course allowed me to understand the science behind substance use disorders, an issue that is incredibly misunderstood in today's society. I grew up in a very small town that was struck with a bad opiate epidemic during my middle school years. At one point, we sadly had 50 people overdose in one week. Most people in my town blamed the individuals taking the drugs for their addiction. "They should not have taken the drugs." "Don't do drugs, and you won't overdose." These are some of the many phrases that swirled around my small community. Unfortunately, I was one of these individuals. I could not wrap my brain around why someone would intentionally put a deadly substance in their bodies. Happily, I was able to break the stigma revolving around substance use disorders by understanding the physiological changes that occur in the brain to create a physical addiction to a drug.
With my new ability to understand substance use disorders, with help from my great professor, Dr. Griff, I have found a new mission in life. This course convinced my to pursue a career in clinical psychology. The mental illnesses that can form from abusing drugs can be extremely detrimental to the lives of individuals, and I want to have the abilities to help them. Because of the stigma around individuals that use drugs, many people do not receive the treatment that they deserve.
I am grateful to receive a job at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services working as a PATH Case Worker. In this job, I am able to help individuals experiencing homelessness receive mental health services and also be connected to housing agencies. I decided to apply for this job because of the insights I experienced while taking This is Your Brain on Drugs. This job will start me off on a good note on my path to helping as many individuals with mental illnesses in my lifetime as possible.
With my new ability to understand substance use disorders, with help from my great professor, Dr. Griff, I have found a new mission in life. This course convinced my to pursue a career in clinical psychology. The mental illnesses that can form from abusing drugs can be extremely detrimental to the lives of individuals, and I want to have the abilities to help them. Because of the stigma around individuals that use drugs, many people do not receive the treatment that they deserve.
I am grateful to receive a job at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services working as a PATH Case Worker. In this job, I am able to help individuals experiencing homelessness receive mental health services and also be connected to housing agencies. I decided to apply for this job because of the insights I experienced while taking This is Your Brain on Drugs. This job will start me off on a good note on my path to helping as many individuals with mental illnesses in my lifetime as possible.