Motivates Alcoholics to Voluntarily Enter

¶ … Motivates Alcoholics to Voluntarily Enter a Treatment Facily (1997, February 8) Alcoholics heed medical advice. Science News. Retrieved February 24, 2005, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n6_v141/ai This study, performed by Diana C. Walsh of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, focused on the factors that contribute to recovery among alcoholics; t was performed on employees of a manufacturing plant.

It was found that if patients are warned about the adverse health effects of heavy drinking by a doctor, they are more likely to stop or reduce their drinking habits. The beneficial effects of receiving a doctor's warning about alcohol were still in place more than two years later. Walsh found that physicians rarely warn their patients about alcohol, even if it is obvious that the patient has a drinking problem. The methodology of the study included studying 200 men that were identified by their employers as abusing alcohol.

148 of the men had seen a doctor in the past year, but only 33 of them reported getting warned by their doctor about drinking. Two years later those who had received the warnings had lower rates of alcohol abuse. How did this article answer my research question: This article revealed that receiving a doctor's warning about the dangers of alcohol abuse is an effective form of motivation for the alcoholic to seek and respond to treatment. Additionally, insight was given into the need to increase this form of motivation.

Blondell, R.D., et al. (2001, May) Can recovering alcoholics help hospitalized patients with alcohol problems? Journal of Family Practice. Retrieved February 24, 2005 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0689/is_5_50/ai_75244771. This article reports the findings of a study done on over 300 people testing the effectiveness of different intervention methods for alcoholics, by researchers at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The methodology of the study included a comparison of patients in an urban teaching hospital that had alcohol-related injuries.

One group, the control, received the normal treatment given by the hospital. The second group was also spoken to by a physician about alcohol use, in a brief intervention. The third group spoke to the physician and was also spoken to by a recovering alcoholic, utilizing the brief intervention as well as a peer intervention method. For six months after the intervention, the patients were monitored for alcohol use and enrollment into self-help programs.

The third group appeared to receive the most effective treatment, many of them expressing gratitute for the peer intervention. Peer intervention is a part of the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous treatment. How did this article answer my research question: This article revealed that one effective form of motivation for the alcoholic to enter treatment and to be successful in treatment is peer intervention, especially used in conjunction with other motivational techniques such as intervention from a physician. Bower, B.

(1997, November 8) AA's motivational benefits - study finds motivation is vital factor in the success of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs. Science News. Retrieved February 24, 2005, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n19_v152/ai_19997835 This article begins by identifying 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous as the main source of treatment used in the United States for any kind of addiction or substance abuse. These programs are designed to allow the individual to help himself recover.

Programs like this have been popular for many decades but there is little information about why they do or do not work for the person seeking treatment. The author of this article reveals that Jon Morgensten, a researcher with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, has completed a new study to help identify the factors which lead to successful completion of the 12-step program.

Morgenstern's research suggests that the factors which determine the success of the treatment are usually the individual's determination to make the treatment work, the individual's confidence in his own self-control, and the individual's acceptance of needing to use strategies to avoid taking drugs or drinking. These were found to be the same reasons that any drug or alcohol treatments are successful, including those which are self-initiated. The methodology of the study included the study of 93 people completing 12-step programs in one of two hospitals over the course of three weeks.

The programs were designed to motivate the recovering addict by trying to help end denial, give a sense of belonging, and recogniing addiction as a disease. Those who had a strong desire to complete the program in the first place were the most successful and continued going to self-help meetings after the three-week treatment. Those who were not highly motivated to enter the program often returned to consuming alcohol or drugs. The motivational strategies used within the 12-step program were not found to be effective enough.

How did this article answer my research question: This article gave me insight into what motivational techniques are currently being used by popular treatment programs, as well as showing that additional motivational techniques need to be incorporated into treatment or used before sending the person to treatment. Additionally, this article revealed how important motivation is for the alcoholic seeking treatment, because he will not be successful without sufficient motivation. Liepman, M.R. (1989, June) Evaluation of a program designed to help family and significant others to motivate resistant alcoholics into recovery.

American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Retrived February 24, 2005 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0978/is_n2_v15/ai_8543431 This article is about a study done on motivating not only the alcoholic himself but also his social network to encourage seeking treatment for alcohol problems. The social networks in the.