Treatment of Alcohol Abuse: The Case of Jay W - Essay Example

? Treatment of alcohol abuse: The case of Jay W Treatment of alcohol abuse: The case of Jay W There are rising concerns about the numbers of people who are resorting to taking alcohol. Whereas alcohol is associated with far reaching implications, especially those that touch on human health, number of people joining alcohol abuse group has been on the increase. This comes despite the adoption of various anti-alcohol policies. Globally, alcohol abuse is among the most serious threat to human health. Alcohol is to blame for 5 percent of the global disease burden and 3.4 percent of all premature deaths. This translates into 59.5 million disability-adjusted life years with 1.9 million deaths (Babo, 2003). Clearly, the situation is critical yet alcohol abuse also accompanied by other far-reaching consequences. This paper seeks to demonstrate a typical assessment and recommendation to the alcohol attitude. It is divided into two sections. In the first section, the patient’s attitude and behavioral characteristics are detailed in a filled form. The second part offers a diagnostic impression based on the assessment form and includes the modality recommendation to the attitude. PART 1: FILLED-IN CHEMICAL USE ASSESSMENT FORM Name: Jay W. DOB/Age: May 2, 1991 Dates of Interviews: Evaluator: REASON FOR ASSESSMENT: To assess and recommend the treatment for Jay’s alcohol attitude. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Interview BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Don’s father is a neurosurgeon while his mother is a research scientist. His father has a history of drinking alcohol and Binge but not his mother. CURRENT STATUS: INDICATORS OF USE/ABUSE/DEPENDENCY: Attitude and Behavior of Jay The attitude under assessment is that pertaining to the alcohol abuse. The Jay’s behavior is reported to have begun as early as 12 years. His parents considered his initial drinking behavior as an experimental one, but worries started mounting when the attitude towards alcohol worsened as he grew older but attributed his early drinking stages as teenage indulgence. Social Functioning of Jay As far as the social functioning is concerned, the history of the client does not give any indication of the social problems. It is documented that pregnancy that bore him was normal and that there were no complications during the labor periods and delivery. It is also cited that Jay met all developmental stages and even rated as an advanced baby. Socially, Jay is also in the position of recognizing that his friends exhibit drinking behaviors as his. As a result of alcohol use, Jay has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend of two years, yet he insists that he truly loves the girl. The reason given for the break-up is because does not like the kind of friends that she associated with. Jay does not think alcohol is the cause of the break up with the girlfriend and even objects to seeking counseling, insisting that he is figuring out on other ways that would enable him to win his girlfriend. Occupational Functioning of Jay As far as occupational functioning is concerned, Jay performance at school was considered satisfactory before he arguably began indulging in alcohol. Jay was even referred for assessments after failing his first year in college and this even killed the aspirations of ever becoming a chemical engineer. The Jay and his parents started attending AA together but Jay would drop out citing lame excuse. Financial Aspects of Jay As far as the financial aspects are concerned, there are certain points that could be noted from the assessment. Based on the assessment, Jay reportedly spends as significant as seventy dollars per week on drinking alcohol. Secondly, the money that he receives does not last until the end of the month. Furthermore, Jay attributes his lack of money to the failure of the parents to adequately offer him the financial support. Even intriguing is the fact that his parents give him as substantial as 1000 dollars for use on a monthly basis. Familial Relationships of Jay Jay has had an alcoholic father who exhibited heavy alcohol and binge drinking, especially when he was not on duty call. However, Jay’s father is reported to have quit the drinking behavior upon noticing that Jay had a similar problem. Even Jay’s father’s father had a similar drinking pattern. Legal History of Jay Jay has some incident of a tarnished legal history. His parents report that, at one time, he totaled his first vehicles only at 16. In the event, Jay lost the driving license and even charged with the DUI offences. However, Jay thinks it is normal because even his friends had lost the driving license and that his parents were simply over-reacting. Health History of Jay In the assessment, there is no health history that has been given. Spiritual History of Jay In the assessment, there is no spiritual history that has been given. DIAGNOSTIC IMPRESSION Part 2: Alcohol Abuse a. Psychological, Physiological and behavioral Implications Based on the DSM-IV-TR, the addiction to alcohol is characterized by various behavioral, psychological and physiological elements. First, alcohol is characterized by incidences of recurrent alcohol intake, which is accompanied by the failure to fulfill roles and responsibilities, such as domestic and job responsibilities. Secondly, addiction is characterized by increased use of alcohol in the situations that are considered to be physically hazardous, for instance, driving under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol abuse is also characterized by the increased encounters with legal problems. Thirdly, alcohol abuse is also characterized by the continued alcohol abuse, even when victims are aware of the inherent problems such as domestic squabbles that they cause. It is worth noting that this criterion does not meet the dependence on alcohol because there are other associated indicators. For instance, the abusers may attribute the reasons of weaknesses of failures to other factors instead of alcohol (Doweiko, 2009). Alcohol abuse is associated with adverse health risks and social consequences relating to the alcohol intoxication, dependency characteristics, as well as its toxicity. Globally, alcohol abuse is among the most serious threat to human health. Harmful use of the alcoholic drink is associated with about 70 types of diseases alongside other health conditions, which include non communicable diseases, mental disorders, cancers, intentional, as well as unintentional injuries. Other risks associated alcohols include high risk behavior such as use of psychoactive substances and unsafe sex. However, there are no health complications that are reported in the assessment and this may allude to the fact that the attitude towards drinking is not particularly severe. It is also worth acknowledging that there are various reasons that compel people to engage in the alcohol and this is also imperative to diagnostic impression. There are various accounts on why people resort to taking alcohol. One of the dominant views is that Alcohol intake is considered as a means of overcoming stress. Thus, people engage in alcohol abuse because they need to reduce stress. Secondly, some people resort to alcohol drinking as a fashionable form of leisure. This is also an area that peer influence is cited to play a very crucial role. Eventually, such habits become reinforced so that people continue engaging in taking alcohols because they are addicted. As far as the assessment is concerned, Jay’s drinking behavior is attributed to the influence from the peer, as reported. Thus, in recommending, there would the need to give consideration to this point. Based on this assessment, it can be inferred that Jay’s attitude and abuse of alcohol is that which has not reached the advanced stages. This can be derived from the following points, as documented by Bailey, Fiore and Cohen (1996). First, is that Jay’s drinking behavior is still under the influence of the peer. More often than not, alcohol abusers in the advanced cycles indulge in alcohol without influence from peers. Secondly, Jay’s health is yet to be severed. Bailey, Fiore and Cohen (1996) observe that in many cases it is only in the advanced stages that the health of those who indulge in alcohol abuse is likely to be severed. Recommendations for Treatment of Alcohol abuse The main focus of the treatment for alcoholism is fostering abstinence. However, this is dependent upon the degree of alcohol dependence (Ksir & Charles, 2002). Social support and motivation is recommended for alcoholics whose health has not been severely affected. Success in the treatment of alcoholism is often measured by the length of abstinence period, reduced alcohol intake and improved health and social functioning. Advanced stages of alcoholism may require psychiatric and even medical interventions. These are often determined by the comorbidity issues and may be aimed at treating the symptoms, as well as motives and urges associated with alcoholism to enable victims to cope. For instance, Benzodiazepines and naltrexone may be administered to alcoholics to reduce detoxification and craving for alcohol, respectively (Ksir & Charles, 2002). Noting that the Jay’s attitude towards alcohol is not in the advanced stage, the most appropriate approach would entail social support and motivation, which is also appropriate for alcoholics whose health has not been severely affected such as Jay’s. Motivation is also needed to shun negative influence from the peers. References APA. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th edition). Washington, DC. Bailey, C., Fiore, M. & Cohen S. (1996). Smoking cessations. Clinical practices guidelines no. 18. AHCPR publication no. 6-0692. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  Babo, P. (2003). Alcohol: No ordinary commodity: research and public policy. New York: Oxford. Doweiko, H. (2009). Concepts of Chemical Dependence. Oxford University press. Ksir, O. & Charles, P. (2002). Drugs, society, and human behavior. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Reading on Psych Social History of Jay W. Signature Date Read More