ALCOHOL ADDICTION AS A HEALTH ISSUE
Alcohol Addiction as a Health Issue
Alcohol addiction happens to be a major global issue. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Office of the Surgeon General (2016), alcohol addiction led to the death of about 88,000 people in the United States in 2014. In addition the economic impact of alcohol addiction per year happens to be approximately $249 billion. Further, alcohol addiction is associated with a wide range of social concerns and health problems which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; property crimes, injuries, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, sexual assault and rape, neonatal abstinence syndrome, mental disorders, breast cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - US; Office of the Surgeon General, 2016). To reduce the burden that is associated with alcohol addiction, it would be prudent to prevent the said addiction early before treatment interventions can be put in place. Prevention interventions in alcohol addiction are important in public health given that they help prevent progression of alcohol use and also delay the use of alcohol (i.e. among young persons). In this essay, I will include prevention interventions that are aimed at reducing the cost and disease burden related to alcohol addiction using a health promotion program.
While coming up with a health promotion program for alcohol addiction, a persons behavior changes at various levels. The socio-ecological model includes the said levels which create sustainable solutions to societies and individuals who are at
Essentially, the socio-ecological model includes five levels, i. e. individual level, interpersonal level, community level, organizational level, and policy or enabling environment (McKenzie et al, 2013). The factors that should be considered in a health promotion program at the individual level are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; economic status, sexual orientation, education level, and age. At this level, the behavior of a person is affected by factors such as beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge. Essentially, individual level is related to issues of self-concept and personal skill (Vantamay, 2009). If a person believes that alcohol addiction has negative health impact on them, then they will change their behavior. However, the reverse is true if the same individual has the belief that alcohol addiction does not have any negative effects on their...
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To address alcohol addiction, it would also be prudent to build or organize the community. Through community organizing, the communities can identify goals or problems and then come up with strategies to meet the set goals. To gain entry into a community, organizers require awareness and sensitivity about the culture of the community (McKenzie et al, 2013). There are various ways through which an organizer can be aware, sensitive, and humble with regard to the culture of the community. In this case, the organizer needs to know the root-cause of the problem, i.e. with regard to where the problem originates from. This would come in handy in efforts to come up with meaningful interventions. Various stakeholders could also be roped in to help rein in this particular concern. Also, in seeking to solve the problem, clear goals and priorities need to be set. It should also be noted that as McKenzie et al. (2013) indicate, to get more insights about the problem and derive even more effective interventions, alternative solutions for the problem can be examined in terms of cost, short and long-term effects, approval by the community, and…
