Examples Of Substance Abuse

Alcohol abuse is a disease that is characterized by the sufferer having a pattern of drinking excessively despite the negative effects of alcohol on the individual's work, medical, legal, educational, and/or social life (Dryden-Edwards, 2016). Substance abuse occurs when someone consumes a substance in excess that could cause harm to the consumer and to those around them. Alcohol consumption is one example of substance abuse and in 2015, substance use disorders resulted in 307,400 deaths, up from 165,000 deaths in 1990 (“Substance”, 2017). Some people may exhibit alcoholic tendencies from the moment of first intoxication, while most people can drink socially without ever becoming addicted (“Substance”, 2017). Looking at a specific case, we

Robert was married to Colleen for the past 44 years in which they both had two daughters, one of which is named Harriet. Harriet initially reached out to find out if a Family Intervention Plan would help to address Robert’s drinking habit and by Harriet’s actions, it shows that she is concerned about her father’s condition. Colleen expressed she noticed changes in Robert’s drinking because he would begin drinking in the late mornings just as soon as he could get his chores and errands done. They were also sleeping in separate bedrooms. Robert began going to bed earlier and Colleen now believes it was his way of getting away to avoid addressing the problem with

The family dynamic lacked balance and if that balance if broken, other family members adapt to the substance use behavior to seek balance. In Roberts case, the family spent years dealing with his addiction to alcohol. Excuses were made as a way of blinding the truth until the behavior evolved from temperance to solidarity. Colleen spent years denying the addiction because it was an everyday occurrence. Colleen changed behaviors to cover up the behavior and sacrificed her own needs for the sake of protecting the addict and the family system. It was important to involve family members to seek a possible course of intervention. Harriet was asked to contact potential participants and ask them to give the Interventionist a call so they might discuss their concerns and to see if they would be appropriate members of the intervention team (Intervention Solutions, 2012). Each family member that agreed to participate, was given a homework assignment to write a letter voicing their concerns and feelings (Intervention Solutions, 2012). Including family members in counseling sessions in an integral part of treatment (Capuzzi & Stauffer,