Social Work Program For Prevention Of Alcohol Abuse By Teenagers - Research Paper Example

? Social work program for prevention of alcohol abuse by teenagers Problem ment Every year, more than 120,000 Americans lose their lives due to alcohol and drugs. The government is forced to allocate more than $294 billion every year in its budget for preventable health care, law enforcement, road accidents, various crimes and loss of output in the economy. According to an estimate, around 9% of Americans are included in the list of abusers of substances. 15 million people are estimated to be addicted to alcohol and another 3 million to both drugs and alcohol. Men are more in numbers as compared to the women who are addicted to alcohol. The youth is an ever increasing consumer of alcohol and addictive drugs which includes people both men and women aged between 18 and 25 (Alcohol Addiction, n.d). Alcohol is considered by many a disease. Probably the only disease legalized, mass produced, advertised, bottled and strategically marketed to the masses. This disease can last for a long period of time or may be a lifelong ailment without immediate or magical cures though proper treatments of this disease have been developed and put into practice by the modern man. Problems related to alcohol are found mostly in youth and least in people aged above 60 or 65. Teenagers like to blend in the trends and the culture governed by corporations and media. These teenagers are the primary targets for the disease of alcoholism as teenage happens to be the age when addictions are diagnosed in people. The ever increasing number of alcohol consumers has raised the problem of teenagers becoming abusers of substances. These teenagers who later become addicted to alcohol pose a threat to the well being of a society and the people around them adding up to the existing economic and social problems (Underage Drinking Costs, n.d). This problem is to be tackled and solved. Social work profession has become a common activity for people from all walks of life. The need for the social work and its growth is due to the ever increasing population and its needs. The greater the population, the more problems people face, thus a necessity arises for social workers to take initiative (Alcohol Addiction, n.d). Causes and Background 1. Influences responsible for teenage alcoholism Teenage is a dangerous age-group. People or youngsters to be specific may be attracted to alcohol and drugs which has become the norm in the modern world. Corporate media is far too powerful than the minds of the teenagers to deceive them into using alcohol and other addictive intoxicants only to become part of the norm or feel ‘grown up’. Consumption of alcohol by teenagers has become a persistent problem in the USA and all around the world. It is the intoxicant most commonly used among teenagers today. Most teenagers consume alcohol for the following purposes as discovered by a survey: new experiences, socializing, peer-pressure, relaxation and to reduce boredom or any kind of anxiety. Factors such as age, gender, beliefs regarding alcohol, peers and media have important roles to play when it comes to assessing factors influencing teenagers to consume alcohol. Easy availability of alcohol along with advertising and other marketing tactics have enforced directly or indirectly the consumption of alcohol in becoming a part of culture in most of the countries. The dividing line between adolescence and adulthood is perceived by many teenagers to be the ability to consume alcohol, something which the elder members of the society don’t want the teens to consume. Let alone the fact that man by nature is attracted towards things he is prohibited to try or consume. Alcohol drinking is considered the transition from youth to adulthood by many teens in the modern society who, under several other influences, accept whatever they are told in favor of consumption of alcohol. Personality, beliefs, opinions regarding risk and esteem, gender, ethnicity and willingness to experience thrill can all have an influence over the young mentality of many teens which may encourage them to take the path to destruction, consuming alcohol and other intoxicants all the way to the dead end. Anxiety, depression and other negative emotions have their parts to play in the lives of teens. These negative emotions usually push the teens and adults as well to consume intoxicants to relieve themselves of the pain. Stress is another reason behind teens choosing the wrong option for easing their problems and pains. There can be a never ending debate or discussion over the reasons and factors which cause these negative emotions. The modern day system, based on competition and free markets with little or no room for external intervention, is such that brings these pains for all who are not totally aware of the consequences of their choices and so enjoy these gifts while drinking bottles of the modern day disease. Alcohol has increased passiveness among the teens which prevents them from facing or solving the problems they face, as a result, they drown further in the well of problems. Family, peers and schools are the main agencies for socializing for people. People learn different behaviors during their adolescence and get accustomed to the norm prevailing in the society regarding the consumption of anything, including alcohol. The family is where the journey starts. Parents have a big responsibility to protect their children from vices such as alcohol. If the family’s elders are consumers or abusers of substance, why will the younger ones not be? Society and the culture prevailing in it is also a major influence on the minds of teenagers. A society where alcohol abuse and drug abuse are common, there is not much chance for a teenager to not abuse alcohol in his or her lifetime. The addictiveness of substance which leads to addiction and abuse is the root of many problems faced by the modern day man or modern day teens to be more specific. The society allows the individual to judge between right and wrong. Something prevailing in a society is less likely to be considered a wrong by a teen. Thus teens are the primary targets of abuse prevalent in a society. Mainstream corporate media has helped the world, especially the young generation; destroy itself by blindly indulging into limitless consumerism, lust, intoxication and dissatisfaction (Alcohol Advertising, 2010). The youth has been and will always be the primary target of the corporate media. The mass produced consumer goods are acceptable to be advertised but certain objections can be raised when it comes to advertising alcohol, intoxicants, lust, glamour, carelessness and other similar vices. Alcohol has been heavily promoted on the media whether it is TV, internet, magazines or the indirect advertising through Hollywood movies. The youth is the current as well as the potential customer of such products which incite thrill, experience and rebellion all of which are desires of the modern day youth. A hint is enough to motivate a youngster, looking for a way to break through, to try something out of curiosity. The media ultimately leads masses of youngsters into the dirty world of intoxicants and social problems (8 Causes of alcohol-related harm, 2003). 2. Bio-Cognitive and Psycho-Social Development Factors People grow up with time. The growth is not only physical but also psychological and cognitive. Cognitive development relates to the capability of reasoning and solving problems. It is not necessary that cognitive development is at pace with the physical growth of a person. The psychological challenges faced by the individual and the ability of the person to meet those challenges effectively are a part of the psycho-social development of the person. Adolescence brings certain tasks for the psycho-social development of a person. In modern day the teens too have some tasks which they have thought over and decided to pursue. Some objectives of teens include standing out as a famous person, fit in with the crowd, take hold of authority. These objectives indicate the needs of the teens which can be the following: Identity/ Independence Affiliation/ Acceptance in the society Sense of achievement Competitiveness 3. The relationship between program goals and individual client goals The program aims to reduce the problem of alcoholism among teens and help them get rid of alcohol addiction. The clients who will be registering with the program will be having the same goals which will be to end their addiction and live a normal life. There is little chance that any kind of conflict of interests may arise as the goals of the program and the goals of the clients will be the same. One difference between the goals of the program and the goals of the clients will be the scope of the program. The clients may be enrolled in large numbers as there is a considerable population in the country suffering from alcohol related problems. The program will consider all the clients on a first come first serve basis with exceptions for chronic cases of alcohol or any other intoxicant abuse. The clients’ goals will be short term, to end the addiction, while the goals of the program will be long term. The social welfare program will also ask the clients to participate in activities organized by the program to make them feel part of the program not subjects only. Program Objective 1. Normative Development Normative development aims to help clients or teen alcohol addicts in this identify the age they are in and what actions or choices should they make in order to live a happy and productive life. Normative development is an important objective of the program since the entire program deals with providing treatments to the existing addicts and preventing potential addicts from falling into the trap of alcoholism. 2. Potential Maximization Human is blessed with many qualities and skills. A person’s potential is maximized through proper training and skill development. People need to learn to live in societies as productive members of it willing and able to cooperate with each other to solve problems. The program’s objective will be to help clients and the target segment of people for awareness raising programs realizes their potential and makes the best use of it. People, either, underestimate or overestimates themselves and fail to do a proper self analysis. The program will help them find better answers to their questions and problems. 3. Available solutions to the problem Several studies and approaches have been developed to prevent teenagers from drinking. The underage drinking problem has become a serious problem for the last few decades. Many researchers and social workers have thought about controlling the problem but none could provide an absolute solution. The problem arises when there is no will to quit drinking by the addicts. Instead they chose to go for preventive measures in order to reduce the amount they consume. But the problem remains of the continuity in consumption of an addictive substance which may in future force the same people to become abusers of substance. College students who are victims of abuse and crimes are usually drunk at the time of committing the crime whether it is rape, theft, fight, murder or any other crime of equal seriousness (Underage Drinking, 2006). Studies have shown that preventive measures do help reduce abuse but what they miss is that they focus on reducing the consumption not eliminating it. The problem thus remains at its place because every year new teens become part of the dirty world of substance abuse (Alcohol Problems & Solutions, n.d). 4. Need of a social welfare program a. The program Social work is a profession which helps people, groups of people, and even the whole society by making an effort to change and restructure the society in a favorable way which caters to the well being of the people living in it. Social work programs support problem solving, social changes, liberation for people and the enhancement of the well fare of the people. Social work is designed to intervene at instances where people intermingle with the society and face different kinds of problems. The profession is based on the values of human rights and social justice. A social welfare program must therefore be based on the aforementioned values and principles and cater to solving some kind of a social problem. In this case, the problem of alcohol abuse is a social problem which requires a well planned social work program to resolve the issue (Amlen, n.d). The social welfare program will include an array of campaigns and methodologies aimed at controlling and eventually reducing the problem of alcohol abuse by teens (Underage Drinking & Teen Drinking Prevention, 2012). These will include the following: Counseling: Simple techniques for avoidance and breathing can be taught by the program volunteers. These tutorials might be evaluated by asking the patients for feedback or reviewing their progress. Other such activities may include time management tutorials, career counseling and other areas which require planning in personal life. Stress management assistance: People under the program are to be put into groups who may share their experiences and problems with each other and learn lessons from each other. These groups may be put under supervision of a volunteer. The activities help reduce the stress of addicts. Self-help activities: Programs organized into steps and offered to patients to apply and learn. These programs include exercises which can be practiced weekly or on daily basis according to the degree of seriousness of the problem. Awareness programs b. How will the program measure its effectiveness? A social welfare program cannot continue to work without any yardstick available to measure and analyze the progress of the program. Firstly, the performance of the individual clients who will be registered with the program will be monitored and assessed. Secondly, progress of all the clients will be quantified into a properly managed record system handled by the experts of the field. Internet can be used to ask the people to provide feedback on the efforts made and the overall performance of the program. Questionnaires can be a good help in such surveys. Donations will be welcomed, as mentioned earlier, and so the donors will obviously ask for performance analysis or progress. The donors, after they have reviewed the performance will be asked to provide feedback to the program’s management regarding their opinion and analysis. The clients’ pre-treatment and post-treatment conditions will mark the progress of the program. Not one client but a cumulative measure of all the clients the program will deal with. c. Awareness and other strategies for prevention of alcohol abuse The following are the strategies which have been tried and recommended by researchers for the prevention of alcohol abuse. These strategies can be categorized on the basis of the agencies for socialization for the teens which include the school, family, extracurricular activities and the law. School strategies Awareness is the key to happy and healthy survival in the modern world. The teens need to be aware of the consequences of their choices and actions. Awareness depends on transmission of properly structured information concerning the use and abuse of alcohol and other intoxicants. Skills should be developed to encourage the teens to resist alcohol use either in public or private. Normative education requires emphasis by the schools as means to prevent teens from consuming alcohol. Teachers need to be interactive with the students while discussing the pros and cons of alcohol use. Teachers will have to be trained on regular basis to keep up with the teens and their increasing interaction with the society and its culture. Morals, values, opinions and priorities need to be addressed. The teens will have to be introduced to new ideas and methodologies to allow them to think and make the correct choice. Family strategies Once again, awareness is the key to success. Parents need to be made aware of the necessity of parent-child relationship. Skills such as effective communication and problem solving need to be introduced to parents and stressed upon. Parents need to monitor the actions of their children. The family bond is to be strengthened to ensure there is no gap between the two generations regarding transfer of ideas and problem solving. Activities will have to be designed which will involve both the parents and their children striving to achieve practical solutions to social problems. Extracurricular activities Teenagers are enthusiastic to participate in extracurricular activities which allow them to achieve something in their teenage. There can be many programs developed for the teens to participate in and compete and cooperate with their fellow participants of the same age in attaining something valuable or desirable to them, like leadership and excellence. Government Government must be aware enough of the harms of alcohol abuse among teens. The preventive measures taken by the government have not proved to be very successful. Taxes on alcohol need to be raised significantly for all. The teens usually get the alcohol from illegal sources as legal sources just will not allow them to purchase alcohol. Tax increases will reduce the overall sale and purchase of alcohol. Besides setting the minimum age for drinking at 18 years, the government has to take measures to control the availability of alcohol. The corporate media, though too powerful to be handled by the government, will have to be regulated as far as alcohol advertisements are concerned. Even films need to be regulated so as not to present alcohol as an easy and acceptable way to get rid of stress or other problems (Komro & Toomey, 2002). Compatibility of Proposed Social Program in Society The society today is full of people having problems related to alcohol or any other intoxicant. The society already accommodates many other social work organizations which pursue similar aims. Families with troubled members will most likely welcome the new program as a possible solution for the problems faced by their loved ones. The program is unlikely to be met with criticism or disapproval. The introduction of the program to the masses will obviously require pre-introduction awareness campaigns to allow the people to know more about the purpose, necessity and prospects of the program. Social Policy Legislation The Social Policy legislation is responsible for setting the limits and regulating alcohol licensing, amusements, gambling and club licensing. The aim of the legislation is to update law according to the conditions prevailing in the society. The legislation also aims to keep the society in order and control. The enforcement framework in a country depends on the legislation of the country concerning anything. The social policy legislation develops measures to handle the problem of drinking and underage drinking in various ways. Taxes on Alcohol are increased by the authorities and should be increased at an even higher level as the rate of underage alcohol abuse is ever increasing the world over. Raising the minimum age legal for drinking is also raised to 21 years of age. This age can further be increased since 21 is merely above the previous age of 18 years and there is no evidence which may prove that human maturity jumps to a much higher level by the age 21. The legislation provides zero tolerance laws for drinking victims. The minimum percentage of alcohol cannot be more than 0.02 percent in drinks consumed by youngsters. In order to prevent traffic accidents on the road due to alcohol, the authorities have permitted the withdrawal of driving licenses without the permission of the court. Warning labels are becoming increasingly important for the prevention of alcoholism. On all the products having alcoholic contents, it has become a necessity to inform the consumer of the harms of the product and the possible harms connected to alcohol. Mainstream advertising of alcohol is reduced but deserves to be banned by the federal or state authorities in order to prevent youngsters specially from becoming consumers of alcohol. Other than the mentioned measures, several programs have been introduced for intervening in the issue and preventing bigger losses. Fund Raising Strategy Funding for the program will require both conventional and non-conventional sources. Bilateral aid also is a good source for fund raising for such programs. The World Bank and the UN are two of the biggest fund providers for social welfare programs. Charities organized and headed by individuals, national and international organizations are capable of attracting enough funds for social welfare programs. These options will be open for the program anytime. Corporate Agencies are often willing to lend a hand by providing money for such social ventures of NGOs. People from all walks of life can be found willing to volunteer for the program without charging any money. These may include family members of the addicts under treatment at the program. Fund raising will probably not be difficult for a program such as this which aims to help the society and its member by making an effort to reduce the alcoholism problem of the teenagers of the country. Charity events will have to be organized to raise the funds from the public. Charity events are a major resource through which agendas can be voiced to a bigger audience. The bigger the audience the better it is for the program’s funding needs. There exist many NGOs in the country which can be reached through personal or professional contacts of people working with the program. Internet has become the modern media for advertising and promotions of all sorts. Viral advertisement do not cost much either. It will not be a bad idea to develop fan pages and website for the promotion of the program along with advertisements on related websites or social groups which have the capability to reach thousands of people within a short period of time. There are many millionaires in the country who regularly make donations for different causes in the country and outside it. These millionaires can be asked to make certain amounts of donations for the program which will promise them good public image and relations in the future, something they all cherish. 5. Code of Ethics and the key principles of the Generalist Model of Social Work Practice The program will fit to the professional values that guide social workers in their efforts to serve their fellow human beings. The professional values according to the Code of Ethics for Social workers are the following: To develop well fare for fellow humans and meet the needs of people oppressed in some way. Improve the effectiveness of social structures Promotion of social justice for every one Help people solving their social problems. Respect for the dignity of people To acknowledge the importance of human relations. Competition in social work observing ethical principles. The program will demonstrate some of the key principles of the Generalist Model of Social Work Practice. There are four principles of the generalist approach to social work: Human behavior is connected and influenced to the social environment. In order to improve or change the functions of social systems, the system itself has to be changes. Multilevel evaluations must be established using similar methods whether for individuals or the whole society. It is a responsibility to work for social justice and promote research in connected fields. As explained earlier, the seriousness of the problem of alcohol abuse by teens will require the social workers to follow all the principles of the generalist model as well as the code of ethics. These principles cannot be ignored as they form the base for any kind of social work with long term goals (Generalist Social Work Experience, 2008). Recommendations It is recommended that the venture for social welfare program be initiated with whole hearted effort in order to achieve the long term aim of reducing alcohol abuse among teenagers. Professional advice may be sought from other organizations working for similar purposes and aims. The professional values of social work and the generalist social work principles must be taken into consideration before making any important decision affecting all the people involved in the program. The Social policy legislations have to be followed to keep the program on track. The programs and legislations introduced and implemented by the authorities must be learnt from and applied in the program without any complications in the process of doing so. Conclusion The statistics of alcohol abuse among teenagers are alarming and thus need to be changed positively. The world will see a dull and addicted generation in the next few decades if these problems are not handled well. Alcohol has proven to be a major constraint for those who are trapped in its vicious addiction and cannot find a way back to normal life until and unless there is a social welfare program that strives to return them their lives and facilitate them in transforming into productive members of the society. The program for the prevention of alcohol abuse will have a long term growth provided the program maintains its values and methodologies in all the stages of growth. It is difficult to start such a venture on a nationwide scale initially but the necessity of the situation and the seriousness of the problem will probably clear the way for the program to establish itself on a national scale as the problem is not restricted to any one particular city or state. References 8 Causes of alcohol-related harm. (2003). Retrieved March 12, 2012, from Ministry of Justice New Zealand: http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/t/the-sale-and-supply-of-alcohol-to-under-18-year-olds-in-new-zealand-a-systematic-overview-of-international-and-new-zealand-literature-final-report/8-causes-of-alcohol-related-harm Addiction – Alcohol and Addiction Trends. (n.d). Retrieved March 15, 2012, from Social Workers Help Center: http://www.helpstartshere.org/mind-and-spirit/addictions/addiction-alcohol-and-addiction-trends.html Alcohol Advertising and Youth (Position Paper). (2010). Retrieved March 16, 2012, from AAFP: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies/a/alcoholadvertising.html Alcohol Problems & Solutions. (n.d). Retrieved March 16, 2012, from Potsdam: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/UnderageDrinking.html Amlen, J. (n.d). Addiction – How Social Workers Help Addicts Learn Stress Reduction. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from LCSW: http://www.helpstartshere.org/mind-and-spirit/addictions/addiction-how-social-workers-help-addicts-learn-stress-reduction.html Generalist Social Work Experience. (2008). Retrieved March 17, 2012, from Pearsonhighered: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/showcase/swcccs/assets/M01_MILE9818_07_SE_C01FF-ebook.pdf Komro, K. A. & Toomey, T. L. (2002, August). Strategies to Prevent Underage Drinking. Retrieved March 17, 2012, from NIAAA: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26-1/5-14.htm Underage Drinking & Teen Drinking Prevention. (2012, March 13). Retrieved March 17, 2012, from Century Council: http://www.centurycouncil.org/underage-drinking Underage Drinking. (2006). Retrieved March 16, 2012, from NIAAA: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm Underage Drinking Costs. (n.d). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from PIRE: http://www.udetc.org/UnderageDrinkingCosts.asp Read More