Case Study about alcoholism

8/19/2019 Case Study about alcoholism

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INTRODUCTION

The consumption of alcohol is not a new concept; it’s a problem all over the world.

Problems related to alcohol abuse have been associated to different factors, regardless of the

causes attributed to the phenomenon. The fact that alcohol consumption and dependence increase

the risk of social, work, family, physical, legal and violence-related problems deserves attentionand is by itself considered a public health problem.

Problems related to alcohol abuse have been associated to different factors, regardless of

the causes attributed to this phenomenon. Alcohol consumption and dependence is considered a

public health problem and deserve attention because of the social, work, family, physical, legal

and violence-related risks it represents. This study aimed to identify the effects of alcoholism on

family relations and, by means of case management, to encourage the recovery of these

relationships. The results show that the problems caused by alcohol abuse impose profound

suffering to family members, which contributes to high levels of interpersonal conflict,

domestic violence, parental inadeuacy, child abuse and negligence, financial and legal

difficulties, in addition to clinical problems associated to it.

BACKGROUND

Alcoholism can be defined as a chronic disability manifested by persistent drinking. !t is

a chronic illness characteri"ed by habitual drinking of alcohol to a degree that it interferes with

physical and#or mental health or with normal social or occupational functioning. Among the

$andi community, alcohol was brewed mainly at home for family consumption and,

occasionally, for celebrations or ceremonies like weddings, initiation and even during naming of

children where beer had a symbolic function, that of blessing. !t was drank at home and only

after work, apart from special occasions. !t was most unusual for people to drink in the morning.

%hen taken in the morning, one’s &udgment is impaired, reducing productivity and

interfering with efficiency because an inebriated person is whimsical and incapable of

sustained attention and concentration. %omen, young men and children were not allowed to

consume alcohol. 'ut, today, this has changed( the once valued abstinence among women and

men has decreased dramatically.

BODY

)aren

)aren is a *+-year-old woman who started drinking regularly in high school. There is a familyhistory of alcoholism, and )arens paternal grandfather was killed when he fell off a ladder,

which her family believes was likely because of his drinking. )arens adult life revolved around

drinking, as her husband, his family, and several of their friends also drank heavily. or )aren

alcohol was performance-enhancing/ because she was usually shy, and alcohol allowed her to

sociali"e better, a trait that helped her work in sales. 0er ability to drink large amounts1a 23-

pack of beer a night, or three to four bottles of wine, or beer plus si4 to seven mi4ed drinks1

became almost a source of pride./


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About four years ago )arens employer suspected she had a drinking problem, and voiced

concern to her. 5ubseuently, )aren tried to stop drinking on her own but became very sick. 5he

returned to drinking but was embarrassed, as indicated by her special efforts to get rid of the

evidence/ of her drinking. 5he passed out one night and left her dog outside, and in the morning

yelled in frustration at her dog for being outside all night. )aren felt she had hit bottom.

)aren had become so tolerant of alcohol that when she drove to the treatment center the day after

a night of heavy drinking, her blood alcohol level was 6.78. 5he underwent deto4ification and

began outpatient counseling, which consisted of group therapy three to four times a week and

individual therapy when )aren desired it. 5he also started 23-5tep therapy, initially five to si4

times a week and later once per week.

About two to three months after deto4ification, )aren was offered acamprosate because of its

track record in some 9uropean studies and its recent approval in the :nited 5tates. )aren hadhad difficulty controlling alcohol cravings that were triggered by her environment. ertain cues,

such as the sound of a popping bottle or beer can, smells, and associations of alcohol with certain

meals and daily activities, were all positively associated with alcohol. 0earing stories of alcohol

at 23-5tep therapy meetings even stimulated cravings. !n an effort to curb cravings cued by her

environment, )aren had moved furniture around in her home to make it look like a new place.

%ith the use of acamprosate, though, )aren said cravings and thoughts of alcohol stopped

entering her mind,/ and her surroundings no longer made her desire alcohol.

)aren stressed that acamprosate was helpful to her only in combination with counseling. 5hecited a time when she was unable to have acamprosate for several days and was tempted to drink,

but the coping skills she developed in therapy helped her overcome her temptations. dosed three times a day?. 5he currently keeps different pill bottles indifferent locations in case she forgets a dose. )aren has not e4perienced any side effects, but she

noted she felt more irritable and less able to handle stress when not taking the medication. 5he

has recently celebrated her first anniversary of sobriety.


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%hen one reali"es that no matter how much they may know about theoretical drug problems and

alcohol problems, it is still possible to be staring in the face of a full on alcoholic and not know it

until after the fact. Alcoholism and drug problems, much like other chronic illnesses, are not

things one can identify &ust by looking at someone’s face. 0owever, if one pays attention there

are probably warning signs that are indicative of a substance abuse problem. 0owever subtle the

signs may be, they are usually consistent. A story, with not so subtle signs, may be in order to

properly illustrate the point(

@eorge is a *6 year old &unior marketing e4ecutive. 0e shares an apartment with his brother and

is not in a relationship. @eorge has a very active social life. Almost every night of the week,

@eorge can be found at some sort of festivity that is at a bar, club or restaurant. At all of these

occasions, liuor is present. @eorge often &okes about how he must look like an alcoholic

because in most pictures he is holding a drink. !n addition, the woman he has begun a flirtation

with finds that every time she calls him he is drinking. 5he thinks nothing of it, since this man

must &ust en&oy one or two social drinks. The fact that he drinks every night does not flag him as

an alcoholic in her eyes. They have spoken on the phone scores of times, spent time together and

been in constant communication for a two month period. !n addition, he really is such a nice guy.0e casually mentions that his mother has asked him to promise not to drink. They laugh about

how parents often refuse to view their children as adults.


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comes into play @eorge succeeds in alienating his new friend. 0e spills salt all over the bar then

begins dancing sloppily and says more than a few insulting things to his date. 'y the end of the

evening the young lady wants nothing more to do with him. @eorge can’t understand why.

@eorge is in a state of denial about his drinking problem. The main issues here include thefollowing(

An inability to stop drinking

!nability to see conflicts arising subseuent to drinking

5pending e4cessive money on drinking to the point of putting oneself in a financially precarious

position

eopardi"ing e4isting relationships

=amaging potential future relationships=oes not correlate his poor decisions with the outcomes they procure

$ot understanding the concern those around have for him and his poor behavior

@eorge continues to drink e4cessively, regardless of the concern e4pressed by his family and

friends. 0e holds that he does not have a problem and does not seek help. !n the long term,

@eorge is never able to find a more secure &ob position or maintain a serious romantic

relationship with any woman he meets. The issues here are many. @eorge’s inability to stop

drinking will also eventually erode his body functioning. This will result in a financial strain both

on @eorge, his family and society. The most common health risks for alcoholics include strain on

the liver and kidneys.

5hould @eorge ever decide he wants to stop drinking, what he may not reali"e is deto4ification

from alcohol unsupervised can be life threatening. The purpose of writing down @eorge’s story is

his e4perience may be able to help someone you know. !f you read this anecdote and see a bit of

yourself in it, or someone you know please contact someone who can help you.


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onclusion

Bedication may not be a viable option for some patients or patterns of drinking. 0owever, these

e4amples indicate clearly that currently approved medications can assist alcohol-dependent

individuals to achieve and sustain sobriety. %hile all of these patients acknowledged medications

helped them achieve sobriety, they all said medications would not have worked withoutcounseling. %orking with a counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, and peers helped each patient

learn how to deal with her cravings and change her behavior so that alcohol and drugs were no

longer an unhealthy coping mechanism for day-to-day problems.

Although each of these patients largely credits her success to the support she received, all of

them share a persistent commitment and determination to change their unhealthy behaviors. This

motivation and strength were vital to their recovery and are necessary for all dependent

individuals to achieve sobriety. ! want to thank $ikki, ennifer, )aren, and $ancy for sharing

their e4periences, and hope you find their e4periences instructive to your own practices.

Case Study about alcoholism

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