Question:
Discuss about the Management of Excessive drinking and drug taking in the family.
This report outlines the main concept related to the social issue of excessive drinking and drugs taking by the people and it will be explained by taking the real life case study. This report will also provide some recommendation and treatments to manage these kind of issues. These problems are growing in the country at very fast speed. There can be many reasons for the excessive alcoholism and drug problem in an individual. These reasons can be psychological, social, biological or physiological. The whole report is based on a case study that depicts how the alcohol ruin the personal as well as professional life of the human being. Also, the report focusing on the different risk criteria’s as well as the treatment of these problems .
Clara, a 57 years old woman has been in the habit of drinking alcohol for 45 years. After the death of her husband, she become addicted to it and lost her job due to non-fulfillment of her duties at work. She faced legal problems due to drinking alcohol while driving. Her children fell apart from her because of her drinking habits. She faced anxiety and depression due to this problem (Marcia, Reinaldo, & Pillon, 2008).
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, V states about the diagnosis of the mental disorders which happens to the individual due to the usage of particular substance e.g. Alcohol or drug etc. The importance of DSM-V lies in the fact that it makes classification of the mental disorders and laid criteria for the treatment, investigation and diagnosis of these mental disorders. The diagnostic criteria of alcohol and drug abuse is as under:
Impaired control: Impaired control can be seen when there is a strong craving for the alcohol or drug and in spite of the efforts of the addicted person, he is unable to live without these substances. In the above said case Clara shows all the symptoms of craving for Alcohol. She used to drink for the psychological reasons e.g. to relieve her stress or depression. She had no control over her drinking habit (Birech, Kabiru, Misaro, & Kariuki, 2013).
Social harm: Social harm is a kind of substantial harm caused due to the excessive and repeated use of Alcohol or drug. The addicted person continues to use these substances in spite of the fact that he is not fulfilling his family and social obligations. Addiction can be analyzed from the fact that the addicted person is mostly involved in making arguments with another family member and lose the patience and control which a normal person has. As a result he lose the important relationship and friends. Laura feels isolated from her children. She thinks her children blame her for their father’s death. She is not enjoying a social life and get isolated from friends and family.
Risk factor: The major issue of this criteria is that the person continue to use alcohol or drug in spite of the fact that it is dangerous to his life and affect the life of the persons who are attached to him e.g. friends, family etc. For example, he continues to use the drug while driving the vehicle or operating a machinery. The person continues the use of these substances causing physical and psychological problems. In this case Laura has to face legal issues due to drinking alcohol while driving.
Pharmacological signs: Tolerance and Withdrawal are the signs of advanced stage of addiction. Tolerance arises when the addicted person increases the use of alcohol or drug when he does not get the desired effect. When the body of an individual developed a tolerance to a particular drug and on the cessation of that drug, the person feels illness or sickness in the body. This is called the withdrawal symptom. At this stage, medical assistance is needed. The person will be diagnosed for both substance use as well as substance withdrawal. The withdrawal from alcohol or drugs can be fatal to the body if the person is in the continuous or repeated use of these substances. In the abovesaid case Clara is facing the same issue and need to be diagnosed according to the abovesaid criteria (Matowo, 2013).
Alcoholism and drug problem is a chronic illness which is not easily identifiable on seeing someone’s face. Physical signs of alcohol consumption are slurred speech, clumsiness, stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, redness on the face, oversleeping and loss of consciousness. Excessive use of alcohol affect the respiratory system. The behaviour of an alcoholic is often dangerous due to which he faces legal, financial and health problems.
Excessive use of alcohol and drug both has adverse effect on physical health as mental health. Intoxication and dehydration is a short term effect while changes in the metabolism of brain and liver is a long term effect. It not only effect the health life but also the personal and professional life of the individual. The most common negative effect of excessive alcoholism and drug problem is the inability to fulfil social and work related obligations, physical injury, legal problems, short term memory loss, impulsivity and relationship problems with family, friends etc. The main bad effects of alcohol on human body are that it increase the risk of heart related disease. The lever and nerve can be damaged. The risk of the cancer of mouth and throat also increases. Apart from this it affect the sexual life of a human being. It can cause impotency in a man and infertility in a woman (Guiney, 2015).
Excessive alcoholism and drug addiction is such a mental state in which an individual starts depending on a particular substance which is difficult to treat. In order to overcome this addiction, the services of a mental health professional is needed. When the dependency on alcohol and drug increased, the individual reach on such a stage where he feels illness or sickness in case of sudden absence of alcohol or drug. He feels the need of alcohol or drug the whole day. An alcoholic or drug addicted always avoid the company of the non-users and likes to spend time with the users of alcohol or drug. The problem arises when he feels unable to quite these things.
There can be many reasons for the excessive alcoholism and drug problem in an individual. These reasons can be psychological, social, biological or physiological. An individual starts taking alcohol or drug for the fun purpose. But it can also be taken due to the depression or financial problems. A person can be more vulnerable to addiction if there is a family history of the abuse of alcohol or drug. If a substance is more easily available, it can also increase in developing alcohol or drug problem in an individual. Apart from this when a person starts using these things on regular basis, he becomes physically dependent on alcohol or drug and he makes continuous use of this in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms (NCBI, 2017). Alcoholism can also be a genetic problem which tends to run in families. There are many people who face emotional and psychological problems and they start consuming alcohol or drug to self- medicate.
In the abovesaid case Clara is facing the same situation. She is facing emotional trauma due to the death of her husband. The separation and emotional detachment with children further lay stress on her. The anxiety and depression leads her to increase the consumption of alcohol. She wants to quit this excessive consumption of alcohol but is unable to do it due to the reasons beyond her control. She is facing withdrawal symptoms. She feels illness or sickness in her body in the absence of consumption of alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms arise 4-12 hours after the stoppage or reduction of alcohol use. Symptoms of Alcohol withdrawal can be very unpleasant. Sweating in the body, insomnia, nausea, anxiety are some of the common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. In some cases alcohol withdrawal can be fatal and leads to the death of the person. This situation can be dealt with only medication and proper treatment (Siglow, 1999).
The excessive use of alcohol and drug is a very complicated and serious issue. There are many reasons which make a person addicted to alcohol or drug. The reasons are genetic, environment, mental health etc. Treatment by chemical dependency specialist is advised in this regard. Otherwise stopping the alcohol consumption without the help of a medical practitioner can lead to the risk of life. The risk of the death of the person is increased in this case. So there is a need to prevent this disease through proper medication and treatment. The more important thing which needs to be taken care of is the support of the family. Without the support of the family, it is difficult to treat the individual as many emotional aspects are related with this disease. So it is necessary to understand the psychological condition of the individual. The individual can regain control over himself if proper treatment is given to him (Klingemann, 2001).
The effects and consequences of use of excessive drug and alcohol on family are distressing. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Report 2012, In United States more than 10% children live with parents who has alcohol problem. There is a risk of mental health problems to such children e.g. depression, nervousness, low esteem, addiction etc. The parents who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are more often neglect their children and family members. The emotional detachment also comes between them. Financial problems are often increased in such families as most of the money is spent on purchasing alcohol and drug. Legal problems can also arise due to the use of drugs or alcohol or drug leading to the separation between the family members. Where the children are addicted to alcohol or drugs, the parents may feel unable to solve the issue of addiction of children. These parents can take the help of a councelor or a social worker in redressing the issue of addiction of their child. The best way is to keep the child away from alcohol and drugs by showing love, faith and trust. The emotional bond between a parent and child can easily overcome this disease (Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, Inc., 2017).
Alcohol and drug problem puts a lot of stress on family members. The only focus of the drug addicts is shifted on getting and taking drugs. They lie and gets involved in theft to buy alcohol or drugs. There are often fights in the family due to the usage of excessive alcohol or drugs. The reputation of the family also get affected.
The whole family is affected even if one of the family member is addicted to alcohol or drugs. Timely response and treatment of the addicted person can prevent the health problems to increase and the emotional attachment between the family members can become stronger. The family play the key role in curing any kind of heath related problems including drug addiction. Family therapy is an important source of help in the process of treatment. Family therapy is an healing approach which believe in family level assessment and involvement. In family every part is interrelated. Family therapy serves two purpose. Firstly, assets and strength of the family is used to find ways to live without the use of alcohol or drug. Secondly it improve the impact of alcohol and drugs on the addicted family member. Frequent discussions and problem solving sessions help the addicted person to overcome the problem of addiction (Dodd & Saggers, 2006).
The main goal of family therapy helps in the prevention of addiction moving from one generation to another. A healthy family structure can deal with the problem of drug addiction effectively. Treatment of an adolescent drug addicted can decrease the risk of criminal behaviour and continued drug addiction in adults.
From the medical history of Clara it appears that she need a medical detox. In-patient hospital detoxification program can help her to overcome this disease. Detoxification help the patient to withdraw the addiction of alcohol or drug slowly and safely. Second option can be taken of recovery and outpatient medical detoxification program. Both these options can help her to deal with the problem of excessive drinking of alcohol. Exercise and a nutritional diet plan can further decrease the impact of this addiction. The help of a counsellor can be taken who will give guidance to Clara about how to deal with this addiction and education about the ill effects of excessive alcohol should be given to Clara. Loss of job, loss of reputation, separation with family and the grief over the death of her husband all can induce her to commit suicide. The help of a counsellor will be beneficial at this stage to deal with the situation of depression (Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2005)
In the end, the support of the family will increase the possibility of getting rid of the addiction of excessive alcohol. The children should show support towards Clara and spend maximum time with Clara. It is also necessary that the children should make her realize that she is not responsible for the death of her husband. Excessive drinking habits was the actual reason behind the demise of her husband. She needs to get out this situation. There is a need that the emotional bond between her and children to be stronger. Only a healthy family relationship can give strength to cope with every difficult situation including alcohol or drug addiction.
Conclusion
As a result , the report highlights the life of Clara and her drinking habits., that is an example for others to stop taking drugs and alchol. As the Clara was suffering from many problems because of the drugs. Clara spoiled her professional, physical and personal life as a whole. The death of the husband, children avoidance, diseases and loss of jobs are the results of her excessive drugs and dinks. It is recommended that the people should not ruin their life by making these drugs and alchohol as their habits. Moreover, the whole family is affected even if one of the family member is addicted to alcohol or drugs. Timely response and treatment of the addicted person can prevent the health problems to increase and the emotional attachment between the family members can become strongerThe final outcome of these drugs is the death only. The strong family relationships are the best medicine or the treatment for these type of social issue
References
Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, Inc. (2017). The Impact of Substance Abuse and Addiction on Families. Retrieved from https://www.bhpalmbeach.com/recovery-articles/impact-substance-abuse-and-addiction-families
Birech, J., Kabiru, J., Misaro, J., & Kariuki, D. (2013, August). Alcohol Abuse and the Family: A Case Study of the Nandi Community of Kenya. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(15), 137-145. Retrieved from https://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_15_August_2013/16.pdf
Copello, A., Velleman, R., & Templeton, L. (2005, August). Family interventions in the treatment of alcohol and drug problems. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7532603_Family_interventions_in_the_treatment_of_alcohol_and_drug_problems
Dodd, J., & Saggers, S. (2006). The impact of drug and alcohol misuse on children and families. Cowan University. Retrieved from https://www.aracy.org.au/publications-resources/command/download_file/id/143/filename/The_impact_of_drug_and_alcohol_misuse_on_children_and_families.pdf
Guiney, E. (2015). Parenting Positively Helping teenagers to cope with A Parent’s Problem Drug or Alcohol Use. Tusla- Child and Family Agency. Retrieved from https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/Teenagers_coping_parents_Drug_abuse_d4.pdf
Klingemann, H. (2001). Alcohol and its social consequences – the forgotten dimension. WHO. Retrieved from https://www.unicri.it/min.san.bollettino/dati/E76235.pdf
Marcia, A., Reinaldo, S., & Pillon, S. (2008). Alcohol Effects On Family Relations: A Case Study. Retrieved from https://www.scielo.br/pdf/rlae/v16nspe/05.pdf
Matowo, A. (2013). Cause, Effect And Remedial Measures Of Drug Abuse Among The Children. Retrieved from https://repository.out.ac.tz/862/1/DESSERTATION-Hananasifu-final.pdf
NCBI. (2017). Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64258/
Siglow, J. (1999). Alcohol and its Effects on the Alcoholic as well as the Family. The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, 2(13), 64-69. Retrieved from https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=ur
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