Treatment of Alcohol Abuse with Psychodynamic Therapy - Essay Example

 Treatment of Alcohol Abuse with Psychodynamic Therapy Abstract This paper discusses patients with alcohol abuse and the psychodynamic therapy used to help them. It aims to focus on what alcohol abuse and psychodynamic therapy really is. With reference to another research article, this essay reflects on the diversity of reasons relating to why substance abuse found in people, and concerns around a case that had to face ethical and legal issues pertaining to drug abuse. In psycho dynamic therapy the patient goes through a session of volunteering, where he is made to realize that his actions can make him end up in a real bad situation. He is made to realize that he can cause himself a great mental and physical damage if doesn’t mend ways. The attendants of this therapy are informed about the ethical and legal conditions which they are likely to be violating as a result of substance overuse. They are informed about all the risks associated with their health. Alcohol Abuse When talking about abuse of any substance, alcohol in our case, there are always two aspects that need to be considered. These aspects help to identify the cause for why a person might be over doing their drinking. The first aspect is to search whether or not there is an underlying psychological reason triggering the need for alcohol. The second aspect is loss of control over a regularly practiced activity which in this case, is consuming alcohol. Psychodynamic Therapy In psychodynamic therapy the subconscious of a person is dealt with. In the therapy a person is asked to reveal everything in their mind that they think might be making them ask for more of something particular. Most of the times when a patient over uses a substance, there is usually an underlying reason for doing so. And such patients feel that substance over–use helps them get through their problems. An perfect example of such a case would be a student who abuses alcohol thinking it would help him perform better in examinations. Psychodynamic therapy helps patients realize what they are doing is wrong and they can do much better if they stop with substance abuse. The therapist in psychodynamic therapy helps build the self-esteem of patients and boost their confidence, letting them know they are not dependent on a substance and can do well their own. Psychodynamic Therapy for Alcohol Abuse Patients often, in attempt to save themselves from embarrassment in front of their therapist lie to them or give them the wrong information. Sometimes they try and justify their actions and attract sympathy from their therapist to get in agreement with them. In times of going through alcohol abuse, it is said that the subconscious mind of the patient makes them desire of unwanted things. In any substance abuse case for psychodynamic therapy some diverse points about the patient are to be kept in check. The information asked from them, their medical, social, educational, family and substance abuse history should checked twice, thrice if needed with any close members of the family, a significant other and friends or anyone close to the patient. This will ensure that sufficient information is gathered to treat the patient when the need arises. Alcohol abusers also tend to lead a life which involves not giving serious thoughts to their actions, so it is always better carry out a criminal history check on them. During therapy the patient also needs support from everyone close to him as they would encourage the patient to carry out the actions that the therapist advices them. Patience and lack of judgment should be kept in mind when dealing with them or they will end up despising the therapist and leave therapy first of all. Coming into touch with any other psychological reasons that might make a person continue their abuse is also necessary. Dealing with alcohol abuse would be of no help if the reason that is making the person do the abuse isn’t dealt with. Ethical Issues and Legal Issues The most common word used for abusers of a substance is addict. Alcohol addicts have to face multiple issues along with their undying need of a substance. The pressure from their own mind of wanting something constantly makes it hard for them to adjust in ordinary environments. The constant desire inside them makes socializing a difficult task when they don’t have alcohol by their side. With this they go through self-doubt that they cannot do without alcohol and makes them look at themselves as weak. Also, they feel that they do not meet the social criteria of being independent and therefore their self-esteem worsens. Socializing without alcohol gets hard for them and socializing, while being drunk makes it hard for other people to accept them. With increased alcohol consumption come physiological and psychological effects of their own type. A person is unable to better interact with their emotions and personal relationships and end breaking up. Alcohol consumers often with the contradictions of their own mind, start getting deceptive of other people. Their mind gets them to think that other people look down upon them. Sometimes when a person ends up over using alcohol they lose their right state of mind and end up falling in a pattern of hallucinations. The loss of right state might differ from person to person with being manipulative to losing control of emotions such as anger or patience. During this state, more than inflicting harm on others the person ends up doing things they regret later and fall in a pit of self-doubt yet again. Helping them with a different outlook of things and letting them know how to choose one thought over the other will help them stay away from the reasons their minds gives them for abusing alcohol. Also avoiding situation like drinking in bars, in the start of the therapy helps. People who abuse alcohols tend to avoid help or therapy because they fear that their identity might be exposed to other people in their life. Abusers have a life of their own and prefer confidentiality when it comes to treatment. With the confidentiality kept in mind, when rechecking statements or history provided by the patient one needs to make sure it should be with their consent. It is always better to discuss it with the patient how many limitations they want to impose on their therapist when it comes to sharing information. It is also to be checked that the patient is in therapy with a willing behavior to change and to not just waste the therapist’s time and efforts. The patient should inform the therapist constantly about their behavior and concern over anything that might be having difficulty coping with (Goodman). The therapist should also ask the patient if they are coming in only from peer pressure and not with their own willingness. If there won’t be any personal consent, the patient will never want to learn because in their eyes they are not doing anything wrong. If the patient seeks therapy on their own consent then information about someone close should be obtained to keep information shared, to ask them to provide checks on the patient’s behavior or to contact in case of any emergency. It is always better to discuss all the necessary things with the patient himself before the therapy begins to avoid any future problems. The psychodynamic therapy has proved to be a success in dealing with the people addicted to alcoholism. The national institute of drug abuse conducted a 24 trial in which the users of tobacco, alcohol and cocaine were treated with psychodynamic therapy. The result of these trials were pretty much positive and in the favor of this therapy. According to the studies conducted, this therapy was proved to be more effective than the others. In some cases different result were analyzed. In some cases the therapy was proved to be equivalent to the other therapies for alcoholism. Psychodynamic therapy and pharmaceutical treatment was also studied, to see their effect on alcoholics. The result showed that psychodynamic was more reliable in treating the user or addicts of alcohol than pharmaceutical treatment. Diversity And Psychodynamic Therapy Patients who come for psychodynamic therapy often come from different and diverse backgrounds. In such a case it becomes the therapist’s duty to dead with every patient on a case to case basis as every patient would have a different story. Care must be taken here that what seems acceptable to patients of some cultures might not be acceptable to patients of other cultures. For example, some cultures forbid talking about sex and if the therapist asks sexual details from such a patient then it would really offend him. Therefore, therapists need to take extreme care when dealing with diverse patients. References Goodman, S. (n.d.). Psychodynamic Approach to Addiction Treatment [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.caronrenaissance.org/media_center/files/PsychodynamicApproachtoAddictionTreatment.pdf Read More