Alcoholism Brian Reynolds Jessica Boll Zane Mehl

Effect on Family Youth and Teen Use Resources Rehab/Treatment Process

Alcoholism is a family disease. ‰ 18% of adults (1 in 5) have alcoholism in family ‰ 38% of adults have a relative with alcoholism ‰ 10 million married to someone with alcoholism ‰ 27 million Children of Alcoholics (COAs). ‰ 13-25% of COAs develop alcoholism (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 2010)

Codependency Family members addicted to the alcoholic’s behavior Hiding problem, covering up, trying to “help” the drinker Forget about own needs Don’t bring others home Maintain family image Usually denial of the problem Sometimes turns into enabling (Parsons, 2003)

Alcoholism Affects… Fetuses Children Teenagers Adult Children Spouses

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Leading known preventable cause of mental retardation Causes brain damage Babies are born small Have problems eating, sleeping, seeing, and hearing Behavioral and neurological problems- trouble in school, employment difficulties later in life (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2009)

( ncy/imagepages/19842.htm) FAS can also cause unusual facial features

Children Children of alcoholics (COA) are four times more likely to develop problems with alcohol than the general population Many other factors besides genetics increase the risk of becoming an alcoholic (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2007)

COA, cont. Low self esteem, loneliness, depression Problems in school- hard to study at home, hard to start or keep relationships Behavioral problems- truancy, stealing, lying Younger: bedwetting, nightmares, no friends, afraid to go to school Older: hoarding, obsessive perfectionism (try to please parent), introversion, phobias (Parsons, 2003)

Adult Children of Alcoholics Do not associate problems with parent’s alcoholism Depression, aggression, impulsive behavior, difficulty maintaining healthy relationships “Problems with intimacy,” difficult to trust others (Parsons, 2003)

Spouses Take over both parenting roles Avoid friends and family Financial difficulties- loss of job, money spent on alcohol Hiding the problem, taking care of the alcoholic (Parsons, 2003)

How many minors drink? National Local & State

Drinking Behaviors

Alcohol use in minor populations

Alcohol and Risk

Other Issues – Lack of information – Developmental issues – Long term health issues – Social issues

Prevention + Interview Elva Giddings – Working in the field – Services available – Issues in the field – What can be done

Drug and Alcohol Prevention Services (WWU) Catholic Community Services Pioneer Center North Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) -

Alcohol/Drug 24-hour Help Line Statewide service Crisis intervention line No charge

Al-Anon/Alateen Relatives and friends of alcoholics Share experience, strength, and hope Belief- alcoholism is a family illness; changed attitudes can help recovery. Many meetings weekly in Whatcom County

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - National Assoc. for COA National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

Pioneer Human Services Provides treatment and counseling for chemical dependency Non-profit, but earns income through sale of products and services Based in Seattle, local branch in Whatcom County Interview with Gregg Ronney

Alcoholism Treatment Plans Two main types of treatment: individual and group Needs of clients vary, but group treatment is more common than individual. “Treating alcoholism is more treating the underlying issues rather than treating the addiction itself.” -Gregg Ronney, Detox Specialist/Intern Case Manager

Individual Treatment 1.Meet with a counselor 2.Create a problem list: relationship issues, work issues, relapse, mental health, etc. 3.Create a treatment plan based off of the problem list. Individual Treatment is specialized

Group Treatment Plans The idea of group sessions has been around since colonial America More personal support, less specialized Two types of Group Treatment: open ended and close ended

Close Ended Group Sessions Linear Focus on education (about 95%) Less discussion/relating than open ended, but more bonding (E.G.: Core) 12 step program is close ended (but individual)

Open Ended Group Sessions Non-linear Start with topic/theme, move on to open discussion Focus on identifying with others who share the same problem and engaging with them Alcoholics Anonymous

Learning Activity Today we will be simulating an open ended group session.

Alcoholism is a Disease Genetically determinable Hereditary Trait Not a moral deficiency or personal weakness (Ketcham, Asbury, Schulstad, & Ciaramicoli, 2003)

Alcoholism is not a Disease “It is pitiful that a society has to resort to seeing people as sick in order to be compassionate towards them” (Dreyfus, 2003, p. 16). Calling alcoholism a sickness is a form of labeling and causes us not to relate to alcoholics as people. If they are suffering from a disease, people are more likely to pursue treatment. There is no responsibility taken for compulsive behavior. (Dreyfus, 2003)

Websites - Opposes the disease model National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – For teens, info on alcohol and resisting peer pressure