Midterm 1- Lesson 1-16 Flashcards
Identify the types of alcoholics who are most likely to do well in treatment.
Alcoholics who come from high socioeconomic backgrounds and who are in highly socially stable environments (that is, who have a regular job, an intact family, and a circle of friends) do very well in treatment programs, achieving success rates as high as 68%, whereas alcoholics of low socioeconomic status (SES) with low social stability often have success rates of 18% or less.
Describe the goals of treatment programs such as AA (3)
- Breaking the reinforcing properties of alcohol.
- Teaching new behaviors for dealing with stressful situations or ones that have been associated with drinking in the past.
- Reinforcing other activities.
Name the types of behavior modification techniques used in alcohol treatment.
- For hard-core alcoholics, the first phase of treatment is detoxification. Once the alcoholic has at least partly dried out, therapy is initiated. The next phase often involves self-monitoring, during which the patient charts situations that give rise to and maintain drinking. Contingency contracting is frequently employed that rewards gains while imposing psychological or financial costs for setbacks.
- Some programs have included medications for blocking the alcohol-brain interactions that may contribute to alcoholism. One such medication is naltrexone, which is used as an aid to prevent relapse among alcoholics. It blocks opioid receptors in the brain, thereby weakening the rewarding effects of alcohol.
- In some cases, stress management techniques are substituted for as methods of coping with stress. Relaxation training, assertiveness training, and training in social skills help the alcoholic or problem drinker deal with problem situations without resorting to alcohol.
- Family therapy and group counseling are offered as well. The advantage of family counseling is that it eases the individual’s transition back into his or her family.
List the factors that determine the effectiveness of alcohol treatment programs.
- Identifying factors in the environment that control drinking and modifying those factors or instilling coping skills to manage them. This involves changing the pattern of events, social interactions, and other situational cues that give rise to drinking.
- A moderate length of participation (about 6 to 8 weeks).
- Outpatient aftercare.
- Active involvement of relatives and employers in the treatment process.
Give examples of how social engineering can be used to deal with alcoholism.
Social engineering approaches include: banning alcohol advertising; raising the legal drinking age; strictly enforcing the penalties for drunk driving; and placing taxes on alcohol.
Identify two advantages of promoting moderate drinking versus abstinence.
- Moderate drinking represents a realistic social behavior for the environments that a recovered problem drinker may encounter.
- Traditional therapeutic programs that emphasize total abstinence often have high dropout rates.
Discuss the political impact of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Programs such as MADD have been founded and staffed by the parents and friends of those killed by drunk drivers. Increasingly, the political impact of these and related groups is being felt because the organization has: pressured the state and local governments for tougher alcohol control measures; called for stiffer penalties for convicted drunk drivers; lobbied for legislation that hold hosts/hostesses accountable for drunk driving by their guests
List the beneficial effects of moderate drinking.
Moderate alcohol intake (approximately one to two drinks a day) appears to: reduce the risk of experiencing and dying from a heart attack; lower blood pressure; lessen the thickening of the arteries; reduce the risk of heart failure; increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels; and decreases the chance of stroke among the elderly.
detoxification
The process of withdrawing fro alcohol, usually conducted in a supervised, medically monitored setting.
