Drug Abuse Assessment.

Comprehensive assessment of drug addicts is an important step towards treating the person because it establishes the root of the problem allowing the medical practitioner to come up with the right diagnosis and treatment plan for the patient. One of the methods used to provide a comprehensive assessment be by inquiring about the client’s history of drugs. This is necessary to understand the extent to which the client has used drugs and how the abuse results in the disruption of his or her biopsychosocial parts of their life. Another essential aspect to look at is how often does the client take drugs; is it daily, weekly, or is there a trigger that makes him or her do drugs. The type of dosage used to administer the drug is also essential to determine the severity of the drug problem. Also, the age of the client is important because different age groups have different reasons for engaging in drugs and alcohol and require a different kind of treatment. This can affect the assessment if assumed. In addition, another good method of assessment that can supplement the medical and psychosocial review is the use of an Addiction Severity Index (ASI), which is structured in form of a questioner with questions that address the extent of adjustment issues in legal, medical, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, medical, employment or family areas.

When assessing Richard I will use an indirect approach, which means that I will not provoke him aggressively but instead, fact find by using other methods like the Addiction Severity Index to get information that he would otherwise refrain from talking about. This is because, according to the conversation he has with his employer, Richard seems to be unaware of his alcohol abuse and tends to blame it on the problems in his life. His employer indicates that it is not the first time he has shown up at work late, with the smell of alcohol, which means that this could be a long-term problem that requires treatment. Firstly, I will establish what kind of stimulants Richard abuses. There are two types of stimulants primary and secondary. Both have different effects on an addict. The administration method of primary stimulants affects the pattern of use of other drugs while the secondary stimulants are used by alcoholics to facilitate alertness and regulate the tranquilizing effects of a primary stimulant.

Some of the questions will be; how many times do take alcohol in a week? Do you find it hard to resist an alcoholic drink? Have you ever felt that you should stop drinking? Are you mad when your friends criticize your drinking? Have you felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you been late for important programs because you were drunk? Does it interfere with your day-to-day activities and affect others too? These are some of the questions that Richard will answer to help me assess his situation. While assessing I would put into consideration; his age, establish the root cause of his drinking problem, the duration he has been abusing alcohol, and the many time he takes alcohol. This will enable me to assess him better and provide a good recommendation on the kind of treatment he should undertake and whether or not he should continue working. If Richard has an underlying problem triggering his drinking, I will recommend that he goes for mandatory counseling and in the meantime work on probation until the counselor clears him. I would also advise him to join a sobriety group because hearing about others' experiences will help him get better.

Lucy is the type of client that is aware of her alcohol problem but is willing to quit. In fact, she has already quit and only requires a follow-up to prevent a relapse. Because she is not a first-time user, I would use a questionnaire to establish her weakness when it comes to alcohol, the company she spends time with, and her triggers. Some of the questions that will help me assess Lucy properly are; why do you feel the need to drink? What provokes you to drink? Do you drink alone or in the company of friends? Where do you hang out after quitting alcohol? Do you still have the same friends you had before quitting? Do you have an accountability partner? Are your family and friends supportive? What was the initial reason for drinking? These questions will help me establish the steps Lucy has taken after quitting to avoid a relapse. It is very easy for her to relapse because she is not new to it and the most contributing factor would be the friends that she keeps and whether she has someone to hold her accountable for her actions.

Just like many other alcohol abusers is willing to quit but without accountability, it is very easy for her to relapse. One alarming factor that I have already noticed is that she has decided to spend more time in a casino. This is disturbing because she just started the sobriety journey and is barely six months in and she is already engaging in activities that will tempt her to drink again. Casinos are not the best places for a recovering addict whether drugs or alcohol because both are readily available and in plenty. Consequently, the environment in a casino is an enticement for a recovering addict. It would not be surprising three months down the line if Lucy got addicted to gambling, because the environment is conducive, and winning in the games will motivate her to gamble more. In addition, Lucy is now feeling the urge to replace her alcohol addiction with something else, so gambling will serve as the next addiction. She might end relapsing and still have a gambling problem.

Now that I have established Lucy’s alcoholic problem, I would use the direct approach that involves rebuke and being truthful to a client without necessarily withholding information. I think she deserves to know that spending time in a casino will jeopardize the chances of her completely being sober. Playing slots is a completely new problem that Lucy is not ready to deal with and it would seem like she is avoiding addressing the source of the problem that initially pushed her to alcohol abuse but instead wants to engage in another activity that will develop a new addiction. She must be going through a psychological issue that needs to be addressed if she has the hopes of being completely sober. My recommendations for Lucy’s treatment would be, to see a psychologist that will help her deal with the root of her problem. I would also recommend a different activity, for instance, if she were active then outdoor activities would keep her distracted. I would also encourage her to develop new hobbies and make new friends help her focus on other things and hold her accountable.