After Assessing a New Client Who Admits to Opioid Addiction

question 42

Multiple Choice

After assessing a new client who admits to opioid addiction, a nursing student expresses the belief that drug addiction is not a real illness because "people who use drugs do it to themselves." Which response by the staff nurse is appropriate?

• A)"Sometimes a client doesn't show much effort to change his or her behavior."
• B)"We are legally obligated to provide care, regardless of the cause of a client's illness."
• C)"It is important to remain nonjudgmental when caring for any client, even a drug addict."
• D)"You are right. I don't know why we bother."

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Definitions:

Token Economy

A behavioral modification technique where desirable behaviors are rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for various privileges or treats.

Behavior Modification

A therapeutic approach that seeks to change undesirable behaviors through the systematic application of the principles of learning.

Cognitive Therapy

Therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions.

Behavior Modification

A form of psychotherapy that uses basic learning techniques to change maladaptive behaviors to more desirable ones.