One of the largest hurdles in recovering from a substance use disorder does not concern getting sober, but rather, staying sober over time. Relapse is a constant threat; clients are consistently battling against their triggers to remain sober. Additionally, many recovering users suffer from pain, sometimes due to the initial conditions that led them to use, or from conditions developed through their chronic substance use.
Keeping this in mind, respond to the following questions:
- Evaluate the most common relapse triggers.
- Analyze at least two relapse prevention strategies.
- Explain how pain causes complications in preventing relapse in sober clients.
- Hypothesize the risks and benefits in sober clients using pain medication as prescribed to help manage their pain.
Using information from the textbook, lecture materials, and other scholarly resources, write your initial response in approximately 300–400 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
Assignment 2: LASA 1—Gregory’s Treatment
People that abuse substances have individual reasons for what first drove them to begin using these substances in the first place. Some clients started using them through experimentation, peer pressure, or curiosity. However, many users began using substances as a way of dealing with other issues in their lives, such as depression, anxiety, weight loss, or other physical or mental disorders. In still other cases, mental and physical disorders may result in response to chronic substance abuse. In these cases, it is important to determine what the co-occurring disorder is, as well as the substance abuse problem, in order to determine the best course of treatment.
Read the following scenario and then respond to the questions that follow:
You are a substance abuse counselor. Gregory, your new client, has come to you for help with his alcohol use problem. Gregory is married with three children and works as a sales representative for a large corporation in the city. In your first meeting with Gregory, you discover that his drinking began as a way to alleviate the anxiety he felt in social situations. Over time, Gregory began using alcohol more often. He found that every time he used alcohol, his anxiety lifted and he was able to be more at ease during work, out with colleagues, and at other such public events. Over time, Gregory realized he needed more alcohol than before to get the same anxiety relieving effects.
Two weeks ago, one of Gregory’s coworkers became suspicious that Gregory was drinking at work. That same day, while Gregory was driving home from work, he was pulled over by the police. He passed the field sobriety test and the officer let him off with a warning. These two events served as a wake-up call for Gregory as he realized his alcohol use may be beyond his control.
Gregory has made an appointment with you because he sincerely wants to curtail his alcohol use.
To help Gregory achieve his goals, write a paper that analyzes the components of his scenario. In your paper, ensure that you include the following information:
- Summarize the history and usefulness of the four major contemporary treatment modalities (crisis intervention, individual counseling, group counseling, and family counseling).
- Evaluate Gregory’s dual diagnosis (also referred to as “co-occurring disorders”) and the implications for counseling. Keep the following questions in mind:
- Describe the meaning of dual diagnosis and how it impacts counseling.
- Classify Gregory’s primary and secondary diagnoses.
- Analyze the implications in treating a secondary diagnosis.
- Evaluate the limitations for an alcohol and drug counselor when treating diagnoses other than those related to substance abuse. Describe the circumstances where the four treatment modalities might be useful in a dual diagnosis.
- Recommend at least one treatment modality for Gregory and explain your recommendation using at least two scholarly references.
