Role of Self Help Programs in Brief-TSF

Participation in self-help groups is central to Brief-TSF and is regarded as the primary agent of change.

Specific objectives within Brief-TSF include attending regular AA meetings, getting and using members’ phone numbers, getting a peer sponsor, and assuming responsibilities within a meeting.

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What symptoms of alcoholism does Brief-TSF address?

Many signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse may not be apparent even to a close relative or friend.

However, some can be easily seen and some may be hidden by other symptoms; or denied by the drinker.

The Brief-TSF course describes the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and provides ways of uncovering them.

Medical symptoms of alcoholism.

The medical symptoms of alcoholism are;

• Hangovers,
• blackouts,
• injuries,
• lethargy,
• weight gain or loss,
• poor coordination,
• high blood pressure,
• impotence,
• vomiting,
• nausea,
• cirrhosis of the liver,
• pancreas disease,
• brain damage, and
• tolerance to alcohol.

Psychological signs of alcohol dependence.

The psychological symptoms of alcohol dependence are;

• Poor concentration,
• sleep problems,
• cloudy thinking,
• depression,
• anxiety/stress,
• aggression,
• loss of control of drinking and
• denial of the effects of alcohol.

Social aspects of alcohol abuse

The social aspects of alcohol abuse are;

• Difficulties and arguments with family or friends,
• difficulties performing at work or home,
• unemployment,
• withdrawal from friends and social activities,
• legal problems and
• financial insecurity.

Spiritual affects of alcohol addiction.

The spiritual affect of alcohol addiction are;

• Dysthymia or mild chronic depression,
• restlessness,
• irritability,
• discontentment,
• self-centeredness,
• insecurity,
• self-pitying,
• resentful,
• fearful and
• feeling useless.

Partner Brief-TSF

Brief-TSF includes intervention with significant others in an alcohol dependents life. Significant others may be

• partners of alcoholics,
• children of alcoholics,
• adult children of alcoholics,
• parents of alcoholics,
• grand parents of alcoholics and
• work colleagues.

Partner Brief-TSF has similar goals and methods to Brief-TSF. The overall goal is referral of the significant other to Al-anon or Alateen.

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Spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous: A Valuable Adjunct to Psychiatric Services

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is described as a spiritual fellowship by many of its members, but its spiritual orientation needs to be better understood by clinicians and researchers. Spirituality is a latent construct, one that is inferred from multiple component dimensions, such as social psychology, neurophysiology, and treatment outcome research.

Mechanisms related to its role in promotion of recovery in AA are discussed from the perspective of these findings, along with related options for professionally grounded treatment, such as Twelve- Step Facilitation. This discussion illustrates the importance of further research on AA and spirituality and of employing them in the provision of psychiatric services.

Research By Marc Galanter, M.D. Psychiatric Services 57: 307-309, 2006

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On completion of BriefTSF, you will be able to use Brief-TSF as adjunctive therapy and;

Understand and use questionnaires for assessing alcohol use.

• Separate the differences between alcoholics and problem drinkers
• Guide alcoholics to self-assessment and acceptance of their condition
• Gauge suitability of alcoholics for Alcoholics Anonymous

Understand the barriers to alcoholics acceptance of their condition

• Understand alcoholism as an illness
• Help an alcoholic to work through denial, and self defeating thinking and emotions
• Understand the stages of change in recovery from alcoholism
• Understand the impaired thinking and behaviour of alcoholics
• Foster rational and spiritual responses to dangerous drinking reminders and situations
• Help the alcoholic understand the key remedies to craving and compulsive thinking.

Understand the self help methods of Alcoholics Anonymous, Alateen and Al-anon

• Be able to work with recovering members of self help groups such as AA, Al Anon and Alateen.
• Help and support prospective members in contacting an AA or Al-anon Peer Sponsor

Understand the ‘tools of recovery’ and practices of the AA program and culture.

• Support prospective and new members of AA in their quest for sobriety using AA meetings, slogans and AA members.
• Detect the barriers to ‘doing the program’ in AA
• Discuss remedies for dangerous actions and thinking with the alcoholic
• Promote relapse prevention and better responses to relapse
• Support an alcoholic in using the tools of relapse prevention
• Help alcoholics gain new motivation, hope and action after a relapse

Partners of Alcoholics

• Understand the thinking and actions of partners, children and parents of alcoholics
• Help with understanding of alcoholic family forces and the enabling of alcoholism
• recognise symptoms of child, youth and adult abuse within alcoholic families
• Recognize impaired and healthy caring actions of significant others
• Guide partners of alcoholics to self assessment and acceptance of their condition
• Judge suitability of partners and children of alcoholics for self help groups such as Al-anon or Alateen

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The goal of this study was to more fully understand readiness for treatment in a pre-treatment sample of 446 substance abusers.

Researchers used Structural Equation Modeling to:

• examine the relationships between readiness factors identified in the Pre-Treatment Readiness Scale; and
• identify the effects of predisposing, illness, and inhibiting determinants on the factors.

As with any condition ‘problem recognition’ was found to influence readiness to change. One needs to understand the scale of a problem before it is ‘accepted’ as needing action.

Problem recognition was associated with ‘desire for change’ not necessarily ‘desire for help’. In other words recognizing a problem does not necessarily mean one will change or seek help. The problem is only accepted at this stage. Thus, ‘treatment reluctance’ was also associated with desire for change in the study.

Fixed characteristics such as age and gender had minimal influences on readiness factors, as did inhibiting characteristics that reflected recent functioning.

Illness characteristics including drug severity and perceived treatment barriers had a more robust influence on readiness factors.

When problem recognition, desire for change, treatment and help seeking reluctance (denial), awareness of drug use and illness severity are combined substance abusers are in a catch-22 situation. They want to change, they see the problem(s), but are fearful of asking for and seeking help.

Brief-TSF is designed to overcome these barriers. By using a tested structured process alcoholics and addicts are coaxed through their fears and inhibitions to seek help in an effective manner.

This article is based on the research report of; Richard C. Rapp, Jiangmin Xu, Carey A. Carr, D. Timothy Lane, Cristina Redko, Jichuan Wang, Robert G Carlson. Understanding Treatment Readiness in Recently Assessed, Pre-Treatment Substance Abusers. Journal of The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse. Volume: 28 Issue: 1

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