Hello, Beautiful (Pollen-Filled) World!
Unfortunately, my allergies have kicked in really terribly, so I haven't been feeling superb since you guys last heard from me. I've basically been huddled up in my room wondering what I'm being punished for (honestly, I'm surprised my lungs haven't exploded out of me since I've been sneezing so much).
I didn't go to my internship from Monday through Thursday, as I normally do; but rather went for more hours on Wednesday and Thursday since Jessica (my amazing, front-desk buddy 💞) took those two days off (basically, I helped cover for her). Oh wait! I forgot to mention that I'll be taking next week off as my spring break 👏; so YAYYYY!!!! But don't you guys worry, I will still be coming in for an hour to A New Beginning to meet with a yet-to-remain-unnamed therapist to do a disorder of the week (so, there will still be a post and everything... I'm really having fun learning about the different mental health issues, and refuse to take a break from it)😆
Other than that, I don't have any exciting stories to tell this week (sorry!), so let's get straight into the disorder of the week (this one was a super-duper exciting one): substance abuse/alcoholism!!!!
As always, here are some general statistics regarding the disorders:
Misconceptions:
Unfortunately, my allergies have kicked in really terribly, so I haven't been feeling superb since you guys last heard from me. I've basically been huddled up in my room wondering what I'm being punished for (honestly, I'm surprised my lungs haven't exploded out of me since I've been sneezing so much).
As always, here are some general statistics regarding the disorders:
- * Substance Abuse:
- In the US, the abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco costs us more than $700 billion annually through healthcare, lost work efficiency, and crime related costs
- In 2009, 23.5 million people (12 years of age or older) required treatment for an alcohol or drug abuse problem
- Of those people, only 11.2% (2.6 million people) received
- ** Alcohol:
- In the US, 86.4% of people (18 years of age or older) have drunk alcohol at some point in their life
- Of the adults who needed treatment for their alcohol-use disorder, only 8.3% received it at a specialized facility (most of them being men)
- In the US, it is estimated that 623 thousand adolescents (ages 12-17) had an alcohol-use disorder
- In the US, this is the 4th leading (preventable) cause of death
Something that surprised me about these statistics was that even adolescents (even those as young as 12!) could have an alcohol-use disorder.
This week, I met with Grace again, and conducted a survey and looked through everyday media relevant to substance abuse and alcoholism before I came in. Starting off the meeting by asking her what misconceptions clients generally came in with to her in terms of substance abuse/alcoholism, I learned that most alcoholics come in with denial, which is the first phase of alcoholism. So, the therapist has to help with that thought process when they say "I'm not an alcoholic." They also come in saying "I can just stop drinking if I want to," which I'll discuss as a myth below. The denial part was very interesting to me because if they don't think they have a drinking problem, why are they seeing a therapist?
From here, Grace and I discussed more about substance abuse/alcoholism using the survey questions as a basis:
Misconceptions:
- Myth: Alcoholism isn't a disease, but a lack of willpower, self-control, and moral failure.
- Truth: Nope! Alcoholism and substance abuse are very much real disorders.
- Myth: Substance abuse and alcoholism come about from lifestyle, not genetics.
- Truth: Genetics is the primary reason that alcoholics have alcoholism, although environment also contributes to it.
- Myth: If one really wants to, he/she can control their addiction on their own or through group meetings.
- Truth: The most successful treatment options are Narcotic Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). These are group meetings in which recovering alcoholics or drug addicts who have a desire to stop drinking/using drugs attend. They become recovering alcoholics or drug addicts when they work the 12 steps with a sponsor and attend the meetings regularly.
- Myth: Using prescription medicines/a patch to control urges are simply replacing the previous addiction.
- Truth: Some alcoholics take Antabuse to help stop drinking; however, it usually doesn't help because alcoholism is just a symptom of a disease, and a therapist needs to help address the spiritual and emotional aspects, as well as physical.
- Myth: Addicts and alcoholics are easily identifiable (low socioeconomic background, unemployed, male, etc.)
- Truth: These are simply stereotypes. Alcoholism is a disease and impacts all society.
- Myth: You cannot abuse prescribed medication.
- Truth: False, because these medicines are just like any other drug (but simply have benefits toward an illness).
- Myth: Relapse means failure and weakness.
- Truth: Because it is a disease and an addictive one, it can be hard to break the habit. Alcoholics have been using alcohol as their main coping skill, and when they struggle with accepting powerlessness over alcohol, they turn to it for help.
- Myth: Drug addiction is worse than alcohol addiction.
- Truth: No! Many take longer to develop alcoholism versus drug addiction, but they both impact every organ of the body and will end in death if the person doesn't get help.
From here, we moved onto the portrayal of substance abuse/alcoholism in the media.
- Days of Wine and Roses
- The main actress role is an alcoholic (due to her husband), and the husband tries to get her sober without going to AA. She ends up dying from her drinking problem. This is a very accurate representation of alcoholism, and the consequences of not getting help.
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Ben Sanderson, the protagonist in the movie, is an alcoholic and it costs him his friends, family, and job. He ends up trying to drink himself to death in Vegas, but build a relationship with Sera. Sera, although she originally agreed to not judge Ben, ends up urging him to go see a therapist, making Ben furious. He doesn't get the help he needs and dies from over-drinking. This accurately shows how alcohol damages personal relationships, and can lead to death without proper treatment.
- The media glamorizes drug use and alcohol (as shown through parties in movies, etc.)
- Our culture advocates for behaviors that they present as "better-living," but are very detrimental.
So where do all of these misconceptions come from regarding alcoholism and substance abuse? Once again, it is our culture and from our misunderstanding of these mental health issues. It's also from powerful organizations that advertise and sell liquor to our environment, which is prone to so-called "better-living" through chemistry.
Before I get to my usual closing line, I was just wondering if you guys have any ideas on what you'd like to see as a product for my project. I have a slight idea, but am not sure if I really want to go through with it... Thank you! You guys are the best :D
I hope you guys like my Week 6 post! Thank you all for following me on this journey, and showing me so much support!
Lots of love 💗,
--Saleena
Sources:
*Trends and Statistics (2015, August). Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
**Alcohol Facts and Statistics (2017, February). Retrieved March 14, 2017, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Hey Saleena, really interesting post today! I was curious as to whether or not there was a certain age group that alcoholism and substance abuse affected the most? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHey Millie! I'm so glad to hear that you found this post interesting :D In terms of your question, it definitely affects young adults (and adults in general) more than adolescents. However, it is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem among the youth as well. I hope that helps :D
DeleteYour topic this week was really intriguing, especially because alcoholism is such a problem in society today. I'm not exactly sure what requirements your final product must have, but if can just be like a website, I'd say a site that helps people realize they're not the only ones with that disease, prompting them to get help, since so many seem to face embarrassment. For the circumstances in which you said one develops alcoholism, it relies mostly on genes, but environment still plays a role. I take this to mean those with a worse lifestyle are more prone to developing this disorder, but how much greater? Are there a lot more people with alcoholism that live in worse conditions, or is it roughly the same as the amount of people with better lifestyles?
ReplyDeleteHey Annalise! Thank you, and I totally agree! Thank you for your suggestion as well for my final product :D In terms of your question, it relies on DNA and the environment you grow up in. I don't know in terms of statistics how much greater the chances are though. By worse conditions, if you are talking about non-nurturing parents, then the risk is greater. However, alcoholism can manifest in nurturing environments as well, just as cancer or diabetes. I hope that helps!
DeleteHi Saleena!
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting post! The statistic of only 11.2 percent of people getting treatment for alcoholism took me by suorise. Do you know if there is a lot of cases where treatment is not successful, or does it usually work?
Hey Layla! Thank you so much for showing so much support :D The statistics were really shocking to me as well. In terms of your question, it really depends on the patient and how well they carry through with the treatment. Treatment is very effective so long as the patient follows through with everything. I hope that helped answer your question!
DeleteThis has been (in my opinion) the most important post you have done. I feel as if alcohol/drug abuse are one of the biggest societal issues within the US. Alcohol and drugs have impaired humans potential years. I like how you touch on the nature vs nurture aspect of alcoholism, as it is influenced by both genetics and your environment. Thank you again for the all your excellent posts.
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Chadwick! I also feel that this is a very prevalent issue in our society today, especially with the rising alcohol industry (and their many commercials). It's a trap many people fall prey to unfortunately, not realizing the long-term consequences. Thank you so much for all of your support and guidance :D
DeleteHi Saleena! Another great post! I think it's awesome that you will still be posting and working next week. How do you pick each week which disorder to focus on? Is it with your mentoring therapist for the week? Can't wait to see more.
ReplyDeleteHey Julia! Thank you so much for all of your support and kind words :D I had so much fun planning out the post for Week 7 (it'll be a good one)!! I don't actually pick a disorder every week as it comes; I planned out a list with Dr. Anne the first week of the SP. She gave me some ideas, and I had some of my own. I ended up presenting the list to the therapists, and they picked and chose which ones they'd like to help me with. This way, I would have more time to find meeting times in their busy schedules. Thank you once again <3
DeleteI hope that there's going to be some relaxing during your Spring Break, Saleena, but it's good to know your enthusiasm for your project carries over into your break!:D Since you were "super-duper" vague in your idea for your final product, I can only propose an idea that may (or may not) relate to your current idea. This may take too much work, but I think making a sort of booklet of all your posts (maybe tweaked a bit to sound more formal or not) that could be set out in the lobby of places like A New Beginning to increase awareness about all the misconceptions. Maybe you could try hospitals, too? I won't be hurt (too much) if you reject this idea, but I hope you at least consider (for a second). Also, any ideas for MY final product would be greatly accepted as well. Thanks, and again have a wonderful Spring Break! :P
ReplyDeleteHey Kiri! It was an amazing spring break, and I do very much love my project :D Thank you so much for your suggestions, and I came up with a product idea just a few days ago! It was very different from anyone's ideas, but I'm so so so happy with it... I hope you don't mind... thank you though!
DeleteHey Saleena!
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy how much of an impact the media has had on issues such as alcoholism and other such disorders. I'm not sure if you've heard, but my sister recently told me that there has never been a report of someone dying of a meth overdose, but there have been thousands of people who've died from alcohol poisoning. Do you know if that's true? Anyway, I think whatever you choose to do for your product of your SRP is going to be great! Have an awesome spring break!
Hey Nathan! It is very shocking :( To be honest, I'm not quite sure how it compares to meth overdoses causing death. But it is very detrimental to our society, and does inflict great harm on a person's life. I hope that helps!
DeleteHi Saleena! Your post this week was really informative--I didn't know substance abuse cost us so much! If the organizations that sell liquor to us are so powerful, how can we change the way they advertise alcohol so that alcoholism is better understood? Also, how often are alcoholism and substance abuse correlated with other mental illnesses like PTSD? Thank you! I'm sure your idea for your final SRP product will be fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHey Nitya! Thank you :D In terms of your questions, comorbid mental health illnesses in terms of with alcohol are high with PTSD, depression, and eating disorders. The liquor industry has made some concessions concerning advertising by stating the risks of abusing. Grassroots organizations on alcohol and drug abuse would be a very good start. I hope that helps!
DeleteHi Saleena! Thank you for another interesting post! It is interesting to see how media, people, and these larger companies have made alcoholism a status symbol and have overall made it socially acceptable t uncontrollable amounts. Something interesting that I just thought I would mention, I read in an old book, about how the Greeks and Romans consumed wine to avoid acidity in their diet, and how now, despite it being a common practice with meals, our stomachs are so developed that that component of a meal is not even needed to avoid acidity and heart burn. Just thought I would share that. It is interesting to see that it even affects 12 year-olds. In your research, did find see any other disorders that often are coupled with substance abuse and alcoholism? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey Sri! Thank you, and I completely agree with you :D In terms of your question, alcoholism tends to be paired with PTSD, depression, and/or eating disorders. I hope that helps!
DeleteHi Saleena! Great post (as usual)! So sorry to hear about your allergies though; I hope you get the chance to rest during your Spring break. I just had a quick and possibly very stupid question. So, one "has" alcoholism only after trying alcohol? I only ask because you said those as young as 12 can have it, but I guess I just can't imagine a 12 year old drinking alcohol (I'm too innocent :P). Anyway, sorry if that was the worst question in the world. Your research is totally amazing, and I can't wait for the next post!
ReplyDeleteHey Korina! Thank you so much :D Claritin has really helped, and I can finally breathe without sneezing or having a stuffed nose. In terms of your question, which is a valid one, one cannot have alcoholism simply after trying it. He/she has to excessively and repeatedly drink it, and have trouble being sober. The statistics shocked me as well :O Thank you for all of your support once again <3
DeleteHey Saleena, I hope you have a great break! Also, thanks for telling me about alcoholism. It's definitely going to help with my future decisions and will help me make decisions in the future. With alcohol becoming more prominent in the world, I guess this shows how careful people need to be
ReplyDeleteHey Chris! Thank you, and break is going wonderfully thus far. Alcoholism and substance abuse is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in modern society, and I'm glad to hear that my blog is helping spread awareness to some scale. Until next time...:D
DeleteHi Saleena! I was wondering if a certain gender is affected more by alcoholism than the other. If so, why? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey Vindhya! I don't know the reason why, but it has been reported that men suffer more from alcoholism than women. I hope that helps!
Delete