Drug and substance abuse is defined as a relapsing disorder that is chronic and characterized by a desire to inject or ingest drugs that is compulsive. The users also do not have any control over its consumption (Prud’homme et al., (2015). Individuals who get addicted to drugs are incapable of making use of the maximum potential and some are likely to indulge in criminal activities just to get the drugs. The youth, adults and even women who are pregnant abuse drugs. Perinatal abuse of drugs is a global concern today (Alice et al., 2017). Individuals abuse not only illicit drugs but also medically prescribed medicines. It is because of this concern that victims are taken to rehabilitation centers where they can receive help.
Today, there are rehabilitation centers where treatments offered include outpatient and inpatient treatments. Treatments can be done in groups or individually. The helper therapy and reciprocal learning will be utilized in my treatment program (Matusow et al., (2013). The therapy sessions will notify the patients about their disorders and how to deal with them. The issues to be addressed include the relapses and strategies of coping with life. Reports will then be generated from the treatments given in order to determine the progress of the patient. As stated by Connors et al. (2017), these reports include collateral reports and follow up reports of individual or group patients.
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Counseling and therapy is another form of treatment where patients are given counsel in areas of their lives. Professionals will share facts and information on the drugs used by patients such as e-cigarettes which users sometimes know very little about since it is majorly adopted as it is “trendy or cool” (Keene et al., (2017). Counselors will show concern about the health of the patients and will help them quit the dangerous habit. My program incorporates all the various treatments and delivers according to the needs of the patients. Every age group will be well attended to in the facility.
The treatment offered will enable the patients to develop strategies to cope with their withdrawals. Motivational interviews are important because they help the individuals to identify the desires they have and how they can still pursue them. Contingency management is also a strategy that will also be employed in the program where stimuli is used to enhance positive reinforcement in order for addicts to change their behaviors. Information in relation to the background of the victims will also be collected because this will help the counselors in identifying the root cause of the drug use and anger issues. This is because one of the causes could be that the family of the patient has a history with drug abuse and violence where children grow up witnessing them and eventually end up taking up the habits (Bidwell et al., (2015).
In order to know if the program is working, patients will be monitored closely. Information will also be collected from those who live and interact with them. The information collected from the individuals who are constantly around the patients will inform the health practitioners of the improvements made. Tests and trails will also be done in order to observe how patients will react when provoked to anger. The anger levels can also be evaluated using a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is the lowest level and 10 is the maximum. Empathy and sympathy levels will also inform the doctors of any attitude adjustments. The evaluation program discussed by Arseneault et al., (2015) will be adopted where the social, emotional and psychological spheres of the patient will be evaluated.
A self-report and the use of questionnaires will give a clear picture of how many times a patient has been angry or reacted angrily to a situation. This report will be put in comparison with the information collected from those around the patients to monitor their progress. The assessments will be done mid-process. This will allow the practitioners to monitor even the slightest changes in the patients. It will also help in determining whether the method being used is effective or not. A comparison group will be used during the assessment. This is because it will be easier for the patients to understand their own levels of anger in comparison to the other people. This will give them a clear picture of what they need to work on and where they need to improve.
Patients will be encouraged not to drop out of the program because this can affect their overall performance. The dropouts will be given a three-week period after which they have to restart the program all over again should they choose to come back. First time dropouts will be accepted back into the program but not the second timers. This is to ensure the program is given the seriousness it deserves. The time missed out will be compensated during the extended sessions in the evenings or the weekends. Factors that will be considered during the assessments will be the background of the patient, upbringing, personal relationships and commitments. This is because anger has a trigger and once it is identified its management becomes easier.
Trained counselors with first aid training or medical knowledge will deliver the programs. Volunteers will also be part of the system as they can be used in collection of data. The volunteers will have seminars and workshops on how to deal with the addicts while the trained counselors will be expected to provide a certificate in order to prove their status. The facility will always have a trained counselor as the supervisor on daily basis. The supervisor will be given reports about the patients and daily evaluations will be made based on them.
The daily sessions will be delivered in various forms. Therapies offered will include group, individual and animal-assisted therapies. These modes of therapies are aimed at giving the best to the patients depending on their level of anger. Those whose temper is accelerated with drugs will meet the counselors three times a week. The patients who are hot tempered and are also addicted to drugs will be hospitalized for the two to three months period of rehabilitation with random visits to their homes. This is because the anger fueled by drug addiction can be dealt with by handling the addiction. The patient who is not only hot temper but also addicted to drugs will however need more attention. The therapy will take two to three months if the patient is fully committed.
The facility will be publicized in every social media platform and in social gatherings. Hospitals will also be encouraged to make referrals when faced with cases of drug addiction. Fliers will be put in most public places so that even the passersby can know about the facility. Any addict or individual with anger management problems will be welcomed at a fair charge. Those who have chosen to take part in the program will be advised to commit wholly to it and to be actively involved. Those addicted will be allowed to take part in the program while those with anger problems will be evaluated before being allowed into the program.
Mock session
How to handle anger
I let the patient to be calm first by asking questions such how his week had been so far and how his family members are doing. I was also observing the behavioral pattern of the patient in terms of how he sat and how he responded to the questions asked.
Counselor: How has your week been so far?
Patient: My week has been hectic and fruitful all the same. I have been at school during the day and in work in the evenings.
I was able to know the state of the patient through their tone and body language as well. The above excerpt shows the patient is calm and generally a little happy about the week.
Counselor: Did you fill anything in the anger journal?
Patient: Yes. A lot actually.
I noticed the jaws and fists of the patient clenching. The memory of the encounter he faced is still fresh and the wounds are still open.
Counselor: Do you want to tell me about it?
Patient: No! You can read it yourself
The patient became irritated and avoided talking about the encounter. I went through the anger journal and noticed the outbursts mentioned were five in number which is an improvement from the last session.
Counselor: I noticed you have fewer entries compared to our last session
Patient: I chose to walk away and not engage in most of them.
Counselor: That was very good of you.
Patient: I however went to the gym for boxing to release some of that anger
Counselor: That is better compared to engaging in fights. Did you feel like you wanted to address the issue with the other people?
Patient: Yes I did. I, however, knew they would end up in fights so I walked away.
Counselor: I noticed one of the entries is about your father. How did you handle that?
I notice the patient rubbing his hands together, inhaling sharply and beginning to rock on the chair.
Patient: He said things about my past and I lost. He is to blame for everything I went through. He left me and he does not have any right to judge me! I wish he never came back! We yelled at each other and he ended up getting drunk and being abusive verbally so I left.
Counselor: Where did you go?
Patient: None of business.
Counselor: Okay, who were you with?
Patient: People you do not know
The patient became aggressive and refused to open up about his whereabouts. We deviated to talking about how to put the techniques of relaxation into action. I would trigger a memory and he would put relaxation techniques to the test. These techniques included focused breathing, using imagery by visualizing experiences from his past that relaxed and progressive muscle relaxation. The patient was able to master the art of deep breathing while focusing on things that do not irritate him.
References
Ordean, A., Graves, L., Chisamore, B., Greaves, L., and Dunlop, A. (2017). Prevalence and Consequences of Perinatal Substance Use—Growing Worldwide Concerns. Substance abuse: research and treatment, 10, 11771178221817704692
Connors, G. J., Maisto, S. A., Campbell, C. E., To, B., and Sack, D. (2017). Conducting Systematic Outcome Assessment in Private Addictions Treatment Settings. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 11 , 1178221817719239.
Kenne, D. R., Fischbein, R. L., Tan, A. S., and Banks, M. (2017). The Use of Substances Other Than Nicotine in Electronic Cigarettes among College Students. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 11 , 1178221817733736.
Prud'homme, M., Cata, R., and Jutras-Aswad, D. (2015). Cannabidiol as an intervention for addictive behaviors: a systematic review of the evidence. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 9 , SART-S25081.
Bidwell, L. C., Knopik, V. S., Audrain-McGovern, J., Glynn, T. R., Spillane, N. S., Ray, L. A., and Leventhal, A. M. (2015). Novelty seeking as a phenotypic marker of adolescent substance use. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 9 , SART-S22440.
Arseneault, C., Alain, M., Plourde, C., Ferland, F., Blanchette-Martin, N., and Rousseau, M. (2015). Impact Evaluation of an Addiction Intervention Program in a Quebec Prison. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 9 , SART-S22464.
Matusow, H., Guarino, H., Rosenblum, A., Vogel, H., Uttaro, T., Khabir, S., and Magura, S. (2013). Consumers’ experiences in dual focus mutual aid for co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Substance abuse: research and treatment , 7 , SART-S11006.
