week-6-forum-post-responses-5

Forum post response #1

Substance abuse can precipitate a crisis very quickly. For instance, prescription drug abuse is at an all-time high in many states that doctors have to limit on what they can prescribe and how much they can prescribe. Meth is becoming more and more popular. When a state has to start doing projects to keep people safe. The statistics in Montana which is one of the top ten states in meth use. 53% of children in foster care are there due to meth, 50% of adults are in prison due to meth, and 20% of adults in treatment are there for meth (Montana Meth Project). These are high statistics which make it a crisis. Substance abuse becomes a crisis when the statistics increase in overdoses as well. This is becoming more common in teens and college aged people to become addicted to some type of substance.

There are going to be some similarities and differences in the crisis management depending on the substance abused. Substance abuse, in contrast to substance dependence, does not include certain symptoms such as tolerance, withdrawal, or a pattern of compulsive use (Collins, 2005). Substance abuse is usually diagnosed when an individual has just started to use the drug or drink heavily. There are several models you can use to help someone recover from substance abuse. The Brown Model deals with alcoholics in which it outlines the developmental stages and the interacting components that affect recovery with each stage (Collins, 2005). The Gorski model is a model of recovery can be used for alcoholics or substance abuse. It is very similar to Brown’s model. The Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross Model is the stages of change model that was first used to help patients to try and quit smoking (Collins, 2005). This model is more helpful towards addiction recovery than alcoholic recovery. There are also the different twelve-step programs for alcoholics or addicts as well. A lot of times if the family is involved an intervention is done to help the person as well. Someone who struggles with substance abuse will need to make sure they stay with their counseling and help aids that they use because it is an illness that can easily creep back up on you.

Individual A: This person appears to be dealing with visual and audio hallucinations, is threatening, hyper-vigilant, and unapproachable. A lay response might be that the person is high from meth because these can all be signs of meth and the person responding could be a recovering meth addict. I would definitely think some type of drug was involved.

Individual B: This person is lying face down, seemingly unconscious on a city sidewalk exuding a strong smell of alcohol. A lay response would be that the person has drank way too much alcohol and may have gotten alcohol poisoning.

Individual C: This person is at a party where she faints after going to the bathroom Her pallor is white, pupils dilated, and has injection sites on her arms. A lay response would be that she overdosed on heroin or whatever drug she can use through a needle.

Lay responses are sometimes the obvious responses that we first assume by what we first see or smell. These aren’t professional medical opinions but more like observant opinions. It is interesting how the interventions could be similar and different depending on the substance being abused. The important thing is that there is a lot of resources and help for a person dealing with substance abuse.

Forum post response #2

Although loved ones (enablers) of substance abusers can mitigate substance abuse leading to precipitate into a crisis, some counselors would suggest that the abusers’ loved ones would facilitate an intervention to cause the user to arrive at a state of crisis after being informed that his/her unhealthy and risky behaviors will no longer be tolerated. Collins and Collins also mention the importance of the addicted client arriving initially moving into the process of recovery ‘as a result of crisis,’ (p. 258). Professionals can teach loved ones of an addict that the recovery process will start the road to recovery and personal growth.

Depending on the substance being used, there have been different models developed to provide treatment support for individuals and their families identified as being addicted. The Brown Model provides a developmental model for assessing and identifying appropriate treatment approaches for substance abusers of alcohol. The Gorski Model also utilizes a developmental model, with additional process of recovery stages, for use with clients addicted to alcohol or other substances. The Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross Model was developed to treat those addicted to smoking cigarettes. Twelve-Step Support Groups offer self-help support for those addicted to alcohol or narcotics. Providers intervening for clients with substance addiction need to be aware of different community support programs to determine the most appropriate level of care and wrap-around treatment approach for referring clients. It will also be important to consider the loved ones of the crisis client, as they can be experiencing their own levels of crisis as a supporting member and may need appropriate referrals for support.

Lay response options for Individual A may involve assisting with voluntary/involuntary hospitalization support by calling 911, particularly if the person appears to be unapproachable.

Lay response options for Individual B may involve slight shaking or pinching of the person for responsiveness, checking for pulse and breath, turning the person on his/her side, and calling 911 for any signs of unresponsiveness.

Lay response options for Individual C would also appear to include checking for signs of any responsiveness and calling 911 for assistance.

All lay responses should also involve scanning and inquiring for someone around who knows (or doesn’t know) the person being found to need assistance, to have them “call 911” for direct and collaborative efforts. If nobody else is around to team to help, it is the lay person’s responsibility to call for medical assistance.

Forum post response #3

Drug abuse seems to be more of a common thing now-a-days. I can think of multiple ways substance abuse can precipitate into a crisis situation. In the field I work in there have been multiple days where I have seen recreational drug use spiral to of control to become a daily addiction. Ultimately crisis intervention is going to come down to how serious the substance abuse is, and how bad it is impacting the every day life of the user. Things to take into consideration are if the abuser immediately gets high the they wake up, how often they get high, how it impacts their personal relationships, and if it is impacting their work or school life. Another consideration when discussing crisis intervention is who may need to be involved such as the key players. These key players can be coworkers, a significant other, family member or even best friends.

For crisis intervention it is key to remember that intervention helps those who are out of the denial phase. With any substance abuse there is always phases that the abuser will go through. Recovery and Relapse are both apart of those phases. For each addiction depending on what part of their drug addiction they a are at each intervention would vary. For those in denial maybe a family intervention. For those who cannot get out of the drug abuse maybe a live in program. For those who may have their drug use impact their home, work or school life maybe an out patient program. Our lesson offers three recovery models, Brown Model, Gorski Model, and Prochaska, Di Clemente & Norcross Model. Each model offers various stages to which the user goes through. Ultimately these models help the user accept responsibility for the damage caused, make amends to those they have hurt, deal with unresolved childhood issues, and hold oneself accountable for making the changes required for sober living.

Part 2

Individual A appears to be experiencing visual and audio hallucinations, is threatening, hyper-vigilant, and unapproachable.

I would approach this subject in a manner that they understood. Maybe by trying to introduce myself and build rapport with them. My goal would to be trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with them. These experiences they may be having could be due to a mental illness versus drug use. OR could possibly be a combination of both. I would even see if they were up to making phones calls to a professional with me.

Individual B is lying face down, seemingly unconscious on a city sidewalk exuding a strong smell of alcohol.

I would approach this subject, if they are unresponsive I would then call 911 and see what their direction would be. I would let them know that the subject has a small odor of alcohol and they appear to be unresponsive. I would not want to touch or move the subject due to any possibility of injury.

Individual C is at a party where she faints after going to the bathroom. Her pallor is pale, pupils dilated and has what appear to be injection sites noted on her arms.

I would approach the subject and call 911, once I spoke with 911 I would follow their directions, and let them know any and all details the asked. Also I would ask if there was any way in which I could assist.