Alcohol and Substance Dependency and Addiction - Coursework Example

Alcohol and Substance Dependency and Addiction Over the years, cases of alcohol and substance dependency and addiction has been visible in every community and may be found in quite a number of families. There had also been a number of research studies to understand these cases and create or structure a program to, if not to eliminate, minimize these cases, especially involving teenagers. It is said that majority of the factors an individual can get involved in alcohol and substance abuse comes from their homes, community and friends. In a particular scenario, an individual living in a place with family members with the same problem can be one strong factor of a young individual’s involvement in substance use and abuse, the cause is clearly due to internal family influence. Another case may be that the individual is fed with negativity in his home environment in which a lot of cases pushes them to relax and forget about all the stress and problems. Another factor that causes an individual to be involved in alcohol and substance abuse is the community and people he spends most of his time with. The more time you spend with people, a certain level of relationship is developed. This relationship can somehow turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing. When an individual is under stress and has problems, they, most of the time, turn to friends to keep them company and release the stress and forget about the problems one way or the other. This is where drinking sessions starts, and, most of the time, the risk of involving addictive substances are high. A good community and a group of people with a good objective is the ideal environment an individual could get to avoid alcohol and substance abuse. The higher the environment’s community and people are involved the higher the chances or risk an individual could get involved in activities that will later on result to alcohol and substance addiction (Miller, 1991). Alcohol and substance addiction is seen in two ways, since it is a fact that a large number of individuals who are dependent on alcohol and illegal substances has a lot to do with influence, it is determined that this case can be called voluntary use or willful behavior (Henningfield, 2007). The other way of how alcohol and substance abuse is seen is as a disease that can be treated. The study showed that no matter what the influencing factors may be, alcohol and substance abuse still depends on the individual’s capability to control oneself. Since alcohol and substance addiction is a matter of self control, the release and availability of alcohol was again legalized. This action has given individuals to take control and manage the situation but at the same time letting the public be aware that alcohol and illegal substances are addictive (Henningfield, 2007). Alcohol contains dopamine which acts on the sympathetic nervous system. The common effect is for the user or drinker to feel good. Psychologically, an individual would crave for more of the sensation alcohol and illegal substances. That later on becomes the reason for addiction. Campaigns for alcohol and substance abuse prevention have been very vigilant over the years. Local government has created a lot of awareness programs on these cases. But the situation of these cases is still unresolved and in fact has increased over the years. Prevention and awareness programs are initiated by various groups and organizations to help the community avoid involvement or alcohol and substance addiction. But these campaigns will not be effective if the community itself don’t practice or use these prevention steps. In most cases, high risk prevention programs for alcohol and substance abuse are given to families which have parents who are actually alcohol and substance dependents. The program is based on how children could cope up with the situation and control themselves not to be influenced by their parents (Miller, 1991). However, this program may only be effective if all members cooperate and follow rules and prevention processes. Having this prevention programs would still depend on how much effort a family member can exert in the process and the involvement of each family member. Training and therapy must be problem-oriented. This is because the structure and actions that should take effect in the process will have to depend on the relationships and people involved in the therapeutic process. There is no standard structure that can be used for these kinds of therapeutic cases. This is because the people and environment of the alcohol and substance dependent will be different from one case that is why it should not be method-oriented (Powell & Brodsky, 2004). Defining Codependency There has been a variety of terms used to describe a person living with, or having a committal relationship with the substance dependent subject. The terms that have been used in several studies are co-alcoholic, para alcoholic and co-dependent. The interchanging use of these terms often confuses the subjects as to what is the exact definition of the said concept. The literal meaning of “co” is with, joint, in the same degree, fellow, and operating together. With this in mind, the use of co-alcoholic as a term for a person living in a committed relationship with the abuser is not appropriate. Co-alcoholic literally means someone who is also an alcohol user and abuser, the same as the abuser. It does not literally refer to someone who is non-alcoholic. What is shared within the relationship is not the disease of substance abuse, but the dependency, not meaning to the addictive alcohol or substance but on the relationship between the abuser and the partner or family member. Alcoholism, then, can be seen not as a family disease but a family problem. A member or two in the family might have the disease, but the rest of the family does not share the disease but instead share a common problem in dealing with the dependency, abusers with the addictive substance, and the family with the relationship with the abuser (Carruth & Mendenhall, 1991). This indicates that alcohol and substance abuse becomes a family problem because of the effects of the dependency of the abuser on the substance. Dependency becomes a link between the abuser and the family members. And this becomes a problem since the link is caused by the abuser’s disease. The stressful conditions that the entire family goes through during the condition of dependency cause a psychological and physiological burden in the members. The concept of dependency as what it has been termed emerged at the latter part of the 20th century though the concept existed before but different terms where given to it. Dependency has been focused upon just recently in order to establish the patterns of behavior between the relationship of the abuser and the family member (Doweiko, 2008). Codependency is seen as an unhealthy relationship between the abuser and the person directly or closely involved with the abuser (Doweiko, 2008). The person closely involved with the abuser acts and reacts in a way that, instead of mitigates and improves the condition of the abuser, allows a continuity of the addicted behavior. It can also be seen as a dysfunctional way how the abuser’s need for a caretaker, caused by an increasing inability to meet his basic needs for survival, is met by the codependent’s need to control the behavior of the abuser (Doweiko, 2008). In this manner, the codependent becomes the one who is being controlled by the abuser since she acts and reacts according to how the abuser wishes. This behavior also becomes an enabling behavior in which the codependent actually becomes tolerant of the abusive behavior of the alcohol and substance dependent partner or family member. The core aspects of codependency are: over-involvement with the abuser, obsessive attempts to control the abuser’s behavior, extreme tendency to use external sources of self-worth (approval from others), and the tendency to make personal sacrifices in order to cure the disease of the abuser (Doweiko, 2008). This indicates a very negative behavior of the codependent. In this way, the codependent creates and maintains a maladaptive way of facing the stress and emotional burden from the created tension of the behavior of the abuser. The codependent tends to become negative towards personal values and tends to direct oneself in the values that are important for the abuser, such as care and guilt. Codependent behavior have pattern in which it involves being not okay with oneself. These are: it’s not okay for me to feel, it’s not okay for me to have problems, it’s not okay for me to have fun, I’m not lovable, I’m not good enough, and I’m responsible for people’s bad behavior and actions (Doweiko, 2008). This emphasizes the maladaptive ways of coping with the stress and emotional burden of continuing a relationship with an abuser. These actions and perspective does not, in any way, help the abuser face the consequences of his actions but it actually shields him from it. Instead of facing the problem, both the abuser and the codependent live in a dysfunctional relationship which pulls both of them downwards. The abuser, then, is deprived of a learning experience and is deprived of the knowledge that alcohol or substance abuse is becoming a problem with him and with the people around him (Carruth & Mendenhall, 1989). Codependents have a lower self-esteem and self-worth than other people though they may seem to be healthy and happy outside. They are prone to feelings of depression, helplessness and hopelessness. They live trying to control the behavior of the abuser and when things don’t go the way they wanted it to be they blame themselves because the abuser did not become better. Codependents find it hard to get of the dysfunctional relationship because the see it as an affirmation of their self-worth when they are able to ensure the suffering and the pain of the situation. It becomes a defense against their feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. They think that they are controlling their behavior when they stand ground in trying to help and cure the abuser. They lose out of touch with themselves and live their lives trying to cure the abuser’s alcoholic and substance abuse problems. The process of codependency starts with the act of concern, care and love. Eventually, it becomes an over involvement in the abuser’s situation wherein it becomes a negative perspective about oneself, that there is something wrong with themselves because the abuser is not changing his behavior (Carruth & Mendenhall, 1989). The Process of Therapy In cases of alcohol and substance abuse therapy, the process of the structured therapy begins in the individual’s home, this is because there are family members who can attend to his needs and provide support for the individual’s treatment and progress. But most of the time these family members are affected with the behavior of the family member undergoing therapy, the effects may be emotional or psychological. When family members are directly involved in the therapy process, it is a must that they have to be emotionally and mentally stable in order for then to be of any support to the individual undergoing therapy. They will be seeing and experiencing the difficulties and uneasiness of the individual in every stage of the therapeutic process. And since they have a certain relationship, they tend to be more lenient in the process. If this happens the motive and the design of the therapy process will be compromise and will lead to failure. This is why some people prefer or some are advised by experts to have their family member take their therapy inside an institute with professionals who are equipped in handling such cases. Experts see this to be more effective if the evaluation of the family members does not pass the emotional and mental criteria that would be essential for the individual’s therapy and recovery process, the home and community environment is also taken into consideration in such cases. The goal is to let the individual gain self control, but there is a thing that experts call the withdrawal syndrome, these are symptoms that occur when an abrupt discontinuance or sudden change in something that an individual is used to. Since the said family member or individual is dependent in alcohol and illegal substances, a slight change that particularly decreases the amount of the usual intake may result to the occurrence of the withdrawal syndrome. This stage will be particularly be difficult for the family member that is undergoing therapy, if the mental and emotional state of the family member that serves as a support for the individuals therapy and recovery process, he or she will definitely feel pity for the family member who is undergoing the therapeutic process. Most cases result to the family member giving in to the craving of the individual on therapy, and by doing so, the design of the therapy and recovery structure will be compromised and will result to program failure. In this regard, the family member must also undergo therapy for codependency. The therapy for codependency can almost be similar to the abuser’s therapy in which it is regaining control over one’s life and behavior (Sterman, 1990). This also involves regaining self-worth, trust and confidence. As the abuser accepts that he has a problem, the codependent must also accept that he has a problem too. In this way, it is easier to treat both of them because they have accepted the fact that they need treatment to function first as individuals before looking out for another individual. Conclusion Codependency can be found in families with alcohol and substance abusers since there are family members that take it into themselves the responsibility of taking care of the abuser. Substance abuse and codependency co-exist since it is a maladaptive coping mechanism of closely involved individuals with the abusers. The issue with codependents is the behavior of dependency. The abuser becomes dependent with the substance they are abusing while being dependent upon the codependent while the codependent becomes dependent with the abuser in terms of control, self-worth and self-esteem. Codependents and abusers needed to be treated at the same to allow them to create a healthier relationship that does not put one individual over oneself. Codependency is seen negatively by critics because of the way how it places the responsibility of the abuser’s behaviors towards the codependent. The codependent is seen as enabling the addictive behavior of the abuser and emphasizes negative and dysfunctional relationship in which they themselves affirm. On another perspective, it emphasizes the effects of substance abuse not just to the abuser but also to the people closely involved with him, mostly family members or partners. In this way, it shows a dysfunction in the family system that can be studied for patterns of correction and mitigation. References Carruth, B. & Mendenhall, W. Co-dependency: issues in treatment and recovery. NY:Haworth Press, 1989. Doweiko, H. Concepts of chemical dependency, 7th ed. CA:Cengage Learning, 2008. Henningfield, J., et al. Addiction treatment: science and policy for the twenty-first century. Baltimore:JHU Press, 2007. Miller, N. Comprehensive handbook of drug and alcohol addiction. NY:Informa Health Care, 1991. Powell, D. & Brodsky, A. Clinical supervision in alcohol and drug abuse counseling: principles, models, methods, 2nd ed. NY:John Wiley & Sons, 2004. Sterman, C. Neuro-Linguistic programming in alcoholism treatment. NY: Haworth Press, 1990. Read More