One of the most important tools, professionals can bring to their work with people with drinking problems and their families, is to educate about how alcohol works — its effects on functioning, its effects in the short and long tern.
Why?
Because most people are woefully ignorant about alcohol — thinking its only heavy daily drinkers who have problems
Because the myth that “one cannot do anything until the alcoholic is ready to stop” is frankly wrong.
And that attitude has undermined prevention and early intervention by professionals approaching alcohol use from the wrong end — treatment — where there are many more factors compounding the rates of success.
Behaviour change has four major components
Information
Values Clarification
Skills
Support
For example: In relation to Smoking Cigarettes.
Some people wanted to and were able to stop because they were convinced by the science that it was bad for their health. It may have been difficult but they stopped. (Information: Nicotine was very harmful)
Some people did not want to stop … and were even willing continue because they liked it so much even though it would shorten their lives . (Values Clarification: Does someone who really values their life take this approach?)
Some people did not want to stop … and were even willing continue because they liked it so much even though it would shorten their lives; BUT stopped because they valued their spouse/partner, children or grandchildren.
(Values Clarification: They clarified what was important to them).Some people wanted to stop because they were convinced by the science that it was bad for their health and others (friends and friends), but had great difficulty doing so. Smoking was helpful maintaining weight loss and dealing stress. Getting help for weight control (such as joining Weight-Watchers) and dealing with stress (learning meditation) gave them the tools they needed to stop
Skills: They learned skills to use to replace the reasons for which they were using nicotine.Some people wanted to stop because they were convinced by the science that it was bad for their health and others (friends and friends), learned skills to help them stop, but still found stopping really hard. They joined a Quit For Life Non-Smoking support group, 5 day Plan with the Seventh Day Adventists and were able to stop and stay stopped.
Support: They needed a different type of support (Herd Mentality)
In this example: there were other factors that led to Australia leading the world in smoking reduction. Large Price Increases (Values Clarification) Laws against passive smoking (Support) Warning Notices on packaging (Information);
With regard to alcohol ¸— what can you do as a professional in each of these areas?
