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Individual Assignment: Case Study

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Individual Assignment: Case Study

Introduction 

This assignment will focus on the case study of Jolee, a 28-year-old female who “has struggled with alcohol use for most of her teenage and young adult life.” It is apparent in Jolee’s case that she suffers from alcoholism. It is evident that her inability to stop drinking and the continued increase in alcohol use are prompting more problems in Jolee’s life, including disconnection from social life and even to the extent of almost losing her boyfriend. Globally, alcoholism is attributed to more than 3.3 million deaths and 5.1 percent of Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs) (Sohi et al., 2021). Alcohol consumption is also related to at least 200 disease and injury conditions. While there is no exact strategy to portray an individual’s drinking habits, it is evident that varying aspects influence alcohol abuse. It impacts any person regardless of gender, age, personal beliefs, ethnicity, or body type (Garcia et al., 2020). As such, alcohol dependence can manifest fast and aggressively, or it may display gradually over a longer duration. Either way, the impact of alcoholism is inevitable, which is evident in Jolee’s case.

Case Study

An Overview of the Case Study

The case study presented pertains to Jolee, a 28-year-old female who has been struggling with alcohol use for most of her teenage and young adult life. Specifically, she started drinking at age 15 when she was in high school and continued this habit to college, where she had to drop out of school for missing a lot of classes. Jolee’s attempts to go back to school twice have failed because recurring relapses keep her out of focus and disinterested in learning. Furthermore, Jolee could not remain sober for more than two weeks in all her attempts to stop drinking because she could not withstand the effects of avoiding alcohol that she outlined as disorientation, shakiness, and nausea. Consequently, she has disconnected from her friends, feels sad daily, and experienced frequent ideas of suicide. These are symptoms of excessive alcohol dependence, which are reinforced by the feeling of worthlessness and guilt for her failure to achieve goals such as completing school and maintaining a stable relationship with people within her surroundings. Her continued increase in alcohol use and decrease in appetite also shows the severity of her alcoholism, an issue that needs timely intervention. 

Issues Displayed by the Case Study

The case study of Jolee presents a series of problems that include addiction to alcohol, suicidal ideations, depression, domestic quarrels, and detachment from social life. The issue of addiction to alcohol is apparent because Jolee cannot stop drinking regardless of the numerous instances where she tried and managed to remain sober only for 2-4 weeks at a time. The fact that Jolee started drinking at an early age is a major contributor to her alcoholism. Alcohol consumption by adolescents is a major concern. Teenagers cannot control the amount of alcohol they consume nor realize when they become addicts, which is the case with Jolee, who began drinking in high school at age 15. As such, teenagers will engage in frequent binge drinking, increasing their likelihood of abusing alcohol later in life, particularly in their 20s and 30s (Garcia et al., 2020). Therefore, the alcoholism problem apparent in Jolee’s case can be attributed to her early drinking years, which continued to her young adult life. Even though alcohol consumption at an early age increases the chances of alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction can affect anyone at any age. 

Another significant problem is suicidal ideation. Alcohol abuse is cited as the primary influencer of suicidal feelings and thoughts (Monti et al., 2018). In particular, alcohol significantly reduces individuals’ inhibitions enough to develop or act on suicidal ideas. Alcohol can suppress the activity or functionality of parts of the brain responsible for inhibition. As such, any cautionary signals that may have kicked in when a person is sober will probably not work when under the influence of alcohol, resulting in actions s/he may not have otherwise engaged in, such as suicide and self-harm (Monti et al., 2018). Suicide can also be attributed to the problem of depression that is evident in Jolee’s case. 

Depression can result from alcohol abuse, where individuals are prompted to experience negative emotions, including anger, anxiety, or depression. Despite the victims being in a positive mood when starting to drink, sadness and anger can still manifest after drinking since alcohol is considered a depressant (Monti et al., 2018). Alcohol consumption slows down the brain and the nervous system processes, thus interfering with the necessary actions the brain needs to engage in to maintain good health. The outcomes include long-term negative feelings and unease that are difficult to deal with. Therefore, Jolee’s sad feelings and suicidal ideations can be attributed to the heavy and regular drinking that disrupts nerve chemical systems that help regulate mood. Jolee’s alcohol abuse is also attributed to the altercations between her and her boyfriend. 

Excessive alcohol consumption can result in a myriad of domestic problems that include misuse of finance, constant arguments, and physical altercations. Alcohol reduces inhibition, impairs judgment, and augments hostility (Skrzynski & Creswell, 2020). As such, alcohol addicts cannot control themselves, which often prompts them to prioritize alcohol over other important domestic factors such as the wellbeing of loved ones and proper utilization of funds. It is evident in Jolee’s situation where she constantly engages in arguments with her boyfriend, and as a result, he has threatened to break up with her. Another significant problem in the case study is Jolee’s withdrawal from her friends, which can be attributed to her feeling of guilt and worthlessness. Specifically, she has been drinking alcohol for more than 13 years and did not finish school. Every time she attempts to stop drinking, she is overwhelmed by the withdrawal effects, and as such, she ends up going back to her initial alcoholic state. She is, therefore, haunted by her consciousness of lack of achievement, especially when she is approaching her 30s. It prompts her to detach from her successful friends and become hostile as an excuse to suppress her feelings of being a failure. 

The Relevance of such Problems to Psychology Today

The issues from Jolee’s case study are common in the contemporary world, where the alcohol consumption rate among the youth is quite high. For instance, it is reported that adolescents and young adults engage in solitary binge drinking that usually results in psychological or alcohol problems, and sometimes young adults and teenagers drink to cope with motives (Skrzynski & Creswell, 2020). Therefore, understanding the issues from the focus case study helps explore the different psychological causes of alcoholism among adolescents and young adults and their resulting effects. Notably, Jolee’s alcoholism can be attributed to the thought and belief system where the core addictive behavior beliefs are projected into consciousness. A good example is a person developing the notion that “recovery is not possible,” and as such, s/he will be reluctant in putting forth any efforts to stop drinking.

Furthermore, the understanding of an individual’s developmental maturity can be enhanced by exploring Jolee’s issues and how socialization can encourage people to align their beliefs and values to their actions (Skrzynski & Creswell, 2020). Psychological risk factors such as loss of motivation and coping styles can be extensively researched to help learners, and community members assist individuals in society in rehabilitating alcoholics and preventing early age drinking. As such, understanding the problems faced by Jolee and what prompted her to start drinking at an early age will inform future researchers and learners to deduce relevant solutions to alcoholism. 

Conclusion

Although there is no clear evidence of what prompted Jolee’s early age drinking, it is evident that she has turned out to be an alcoholic as well as experienced adverse impacts such as the development of suicidal ideations, depression, domestic quarrel, and detachment from social life. These issues are the key consequences of overdependence on alcohol, and establishing adequate comprehension will help understand the challenges encountered by people suffering from alcoholism. This will enable researchers and other psychologists to develop recommendations and interventions that will specifically address the issues and mitigate or prevent future occurrences. Some of the problems include robust awareness that informs the community about the importance of embracing people suffering from alcoholism and encouraging them to abstain through involvement in activities that will remedy the need to drink. 

References

Garcia, O. F., Serra, E., Zacares, J. J., Calafat, A., & Garcia, F. (2020). Alcohol use and abuse and motivations for drinking and non-drinking among Spanish adolescents: do we know enough when we know parenting style?. Psychology & health, 35(6), 645-664.

Monti, P. M., Colby, S. M., & Tevyaw, T. O. L. (Eds.). (2018). Brief interventions for adolescent alcohol and substance abuse. Guilford Publications.

Skrzynski, C. J., & Creswell, K. G. (2020). Associations between solitary drinking and increased alcohol consumption, alcohol problems, and drinking to cope motives in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 115(11), 1989-2007.

Sohi, I., Franklin, A., Chrystoja, B., Wettlaufer, A., Rehm, J., & Shield, K. (2021). The global impact of alcohol consumption on premature mortality and health in 2016. Nutrients, 13(9), 3145.