Upper Management Starts A Number Of Programs That Inspire The Employees To Decrease Alcohol Abuse Related Issues
Heather is a fifty-two-year-old woman who is the director of the human resources department at a large steel plating company. To lessen the costs related to increasing absenteeism, work related injuries, excessive sick days, employee alcoholism and alcohol abuse, and poor employee work performance, Heather and the other members of upper management created several programs that made the work atmosphere significantly more healthy, safe, and more productive.
As an example, thirteen years ago Heather and the other members of upper management put into operation an Employee’s Assistance Program so that all the workers had access to top shelf psychological counseling for their personal problems that could unfavorably influence their work performance, health, and their personal well being.
The VIPs Assemble a Forward-Looking Workout and Exercise Room Complete With a Personal Trainer During Business Hours, Scales, Weights, Exercise Charts, Exercise Equipment, and Mirrors
As another example, about six years ago Heather and the other VIPs assembled a modern workout and exercise room complete with exercise charts, scales, mirrors, a professional trainer during business hours, many different types of exercise equipment, and weights.
Moreover, around five years ago Heather and the other members of top management invested in a purification system that filters all the water that is accessible throughout the building. In much the same way, two-and-a-half years ago, Heather and the other VIPs started a “walking club” that is essentially intended for employees who want to learn how to boost their cardiovascular system.
The Company Administrators Put Into Operation a Weight-Watchers Class and Employ a Weight-Loss Professional to Manage the Program
As another illustration, roughly a year-and-a-half ago, Heather and the other company leaders established a “Weight-Watchers” class that at present meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM. Moreover, the company executives hired a weight-loss trainer to oversee the program.
Likewise, a year-and-a-half ago Heather and the other members of top management launched a “Stop Smoking Club” for workers who want to learn how to stop or reduce their smoking.
In the last thirteen months, in a joint venture with the Employee’s Assistance Program, Heather and the other members of upper management implemented an “Anger Management” class for employees who want to learn how to better deal with their anger.
Upper Management Launches An Alcohol and Drug Testing Program
In the last four-and-a-half months, Heather and the other company leaders put into operation a drug and alcohol testing program that is tied into their drug and alcohol abuse prevention program. In fact, Heather is the key individual in the company responsible for getting the message out to all the employees about the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program as well as the drug and alcohol testing program.
One of the main components of the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcoholism and Depression” that meets every Monday after work. The fundamental idea with this class is informing workers that excessive drinking and depression often take place in the same individual. It is hoped that understanding this information can help an individual address both medical problems and get the alcohol counseling and mental health counseling he or she needs.
The VIPs Establish an Alcohol Statistics and Facts Class
Another relatively recent addition to the drug and alcohol abuse prevention program is a class entitled “Alcohol Statistics and Facts.” The reasoning behind this alcohol statistics facts class is the reality that more than a few individuals are unsuccessful in their attempt to appreciate the total impact of the effects of alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse without first reading about some of the alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that are available. As a consequence, one of the objectives of this class is to provide a variety of alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction facts and statistics in order to help workers gain a better understanding of the huge number of issues that are correlated with abusive and hazardous drinking and how they can stop these problems from occurring.
Most recently, Heather and the other company executives, through observations from workers, created a class that focuses directly on acute drinking entitled “What is Alcoholism”? This class meets every Thursday morning an hour-and-a-half before work and focuses principally on the differences between alcohol abuse and alcoholism, on the stages of alcoholism, and on the forms of rehabilitation that are available for people who have alcohol drinking problems such as people who drink in an excessive manner.
The Employees Get Inspired By the Changes Established By The Company VIPs
Every single one of these preventative maintenance and health programs was anything but easy on the pocketbook. However, the company leaders think that they are many thousands of dollars ahead due to the fact that they were able to inspire all of their workers to want to work in a safe, more productive, and healthy work environment.
The Relevance Of Solid Relationships And Friendships In An Alcohol Addiction Intervention That Results In The Enhanced Happiness And Positive Attitude For The Alcohol Dependent Individual
June 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
What are the basic factors in a successful alcohol intervention? Why do some alcohol dependency interventions go well while more than a few bomb?
The Need for a Time-Honored Track Record of Intervention Success
Scientific inquiry makes evident the fact that a “winning” alcoholism intervention needs to be supervised by an intervention professional who has a well-known record of intervention accomplishment.
In actual fact this means that rather than opting for a “normal” alcohol dependency healthcare practitioner or psychotherapist for an alcohol intervention, the person who is selected to oversee the intervention needs to be instructed in drug addiction intervention techniques and needs to exhibit a record of effective alcohol dependency interventions.
A Few Elementary Examples of The Most Productive Time For an Alcohol Addiction Intervention
Scientific study and alcoholism facts about interventions has also made obvious the fact that the most fruitful time for an alcoholism intervention is following a significant “happening” in the life of the alcohol addicted person or alcohol abuser. The following represents a few illustrations of these types of significant happenings:
- The alcohol addicted individual or abusive drinker has been caught stealing something of value.
- The alcohol abuser or alcohol-dependent person has been caught lying about something of substance.
- The alcohol addicted person or abusive drinker has been confined for a DUI or DWI.
In events such as these, the alcohol dependent individual or abusive drinker is more likely to feel apologetic or to feel ashamed, thereby making him or her more receptive to getting the quality alcohol therapy that is necessary.
At this time, additionally, it is also important to state that the alcohol abuser or alcohol addicted individual needs to be free of alcohol during the alcohol addiction intervention. In sum, if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual is inebriated during an alcoholism intervention, failure is virtually guaranteed.
The Significance of Strong Relationships And Friendships in an Alcoholism Intervention That Leads to a Better Positive Attitude and Sense of Personal Happiness For the Alcoholic for the Alcoholic
What is more, the importance of strong friendships and relationships cannot be overemphasized in an alcohol dependency intervention that leads to a better sense of happiness and positive attitude for the alcohol dependent person. Simply put, why would a person with a drinking problem feel better about himself or herself by listening to people that she or he dislikes or disrespects?
In much the same way, scientific research has also revealed the fact that the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual has to at least try to listen to what is communicated in an alcohol intervention. That is, during an alcohol intervention, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted individual needs to listen to what his or her problem drinking has done to those who care for him or her the most.
The Significance of Alcohol Treatment For the Alcohol Abuser
And lastly, scientific research demonstrates that the major reason for an alcohol addiction intervention in the first place is to ”push” the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person to get the professional alcohol abuse treatment he or she needs. Stated more accurately, even if the person who administers the intervention has a superior profile of successful interventions and even if the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual actually listens to every word that is said for the duration of an intervention, if the hazardous drinker or alcohol dependent individual is not encouraged to obtain quality alcohol abuse counseling after the alcohol addiction intervention, then the intervention will be a disaster.
Evidently all of these factors are needed for a successful alcohol intervention. If, conversely, the abusive drinker or alcohol addicted person is not inspired to request alcohol addiction treatment after listening to his or her family members express the grief, irritation, and disenchantment they feel about the hazardous drinker’s or alcohol dependent person’s hazardous drinking behavior and the affection they feel for the problem drinker, then every other phase of the alcohol abuse intervention will to a large extent be pointless.
Even Productive Alcohol Addiction Interventions Can Fail to Go As Planned Down the Road
It also needs to be noted that regardless of the fact that the alcohol abuse intervention can be identified as productive in that it helped put the alcohol abuser or alcohol dependent individual in a more “open” mentality and genuinely helped the alcohol-dependent person or abusive drinker conclude that he or she required alcohol rehabilitation or quality help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, the simple fact that the intervention occurred might lead to acrimony, anger, and uncertainty in the future.
In a nutshell, even when alcohol abuse interventions are seen as effective in the short run, in the long run, alternatively, they may go wrong and, thus, may make the family and/or the alcohol abuser’s circumstance even poorer than it was before the alcohol addiction intervention took place.
No matter how inequitable or paradoxical this seems, try to keep in mind that it is basically one of the fundamental alcohol facts that has to be faced when doing an alcohol intervention.
A Reason For Joy and Elation
Also keep in mind how moving and fulfilling it can be when an alcoholism intervention is successful. Why? When an alcohol dependency intervention is successful, this means that the problem drinker understands what he or she has been doing to those who care the most about him or her and is now ready and willing to get treatment and start on the road to recovery.
A Distressed High School Student Manifests More Than a Few Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Psychologist
Dante was a sixteen year old high school junior who was exhibiting more than a few alcohol-related problems at school. Consequently, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be permitted to come back to class.
Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his Mom and Dad. His parents were “relatively traditional” and told Dante that getting suspended from school was not a practical educational game plan. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would most probably be like a lead weight around his legs that could probably impair his educational attainment for the remainder of his life. In addition, Dante’s parents were very let down that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.
His Mother and Father explained to Dante that even though he may be a teen, he needs to understand rather quickly that drinking is the pathway to ill health, failure, pain, and financial problems.
It was apparent that his Mom and Dad were on the same page as Dante’s principal and told Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his talk with his parents, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his third period class.
The Therapist Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior Signaled Such Alarm By the School Administrators
When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once examined all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.
Quite honestly, Dante was unsure why the principal told him he had to see a school psychologist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking situation? Because virtually all of his pals drink about as much as he does, basically, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated more forcefully, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a major problem?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older buddies introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson told Dante that while his buddies may indeed drink more than he does and that they may be an unhealthy influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting kicked out of school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his classmates. What is more, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of class per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson highlighted the fact that due to his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a destructive cycle of excessive drinking that can in time ruin his hopes, dreams and aspirations.
In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to behave like a responsible young man. As pronounced by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your buddies drink beer, wine, wine coolers, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the healthiest thing for you.”
Dante Learns That In Due Course He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Avert Unhealthy, Dangerous, Destructive, and Damaging Situations In the Future
Miss Johnson informed Dante that one’s peers can definitely influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for himself or herself in order to keep away from dangerous, damaging, destructive, and unhealthy circumstances down the road.
Fortunately, Miss Johnson was well equipped for her scheduled time with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that summarized different drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of figures and reports that applied particularly to underage drinkers.
For example, Miss Johnson highlighted the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that individuals who continue to drink in an abusive manner commonly become addicted to alcohol.
Miss Johnson also articulated the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: consuming five or more drinks in one sitting for males and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.
The Psychologist Conveys Several Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Facts and Statistics
Then Miss Johnson articulated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. Alcohol is a contributing factor in roughly fifty percent of America’s suicides, murders, and accidental deaths.
2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among young people.
3. Each year in the U.S., approximately 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die because of underage drinking. This includes roughly 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
4. Research has demonstrated that U.S. teens who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never drink alcohol.
5. Roughly 1,700 college students in the U.S. lose their lives annually–approximately 4.65 a day–as a consequence of injuries that are alcohol related.
6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 stated that they involve themselves in drinking while driving.
7. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 76 million people throughout the world have disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.
8. According to recent alcohol abuse studies, it has been discovered that nearly 53% of the adults in the U.S. have reported that one or more of their close family members is an alcoholic or an alcohol abuser.
Dante Receives A Meaningful Wake Up Call Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Results of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
After Miss Johnson went over the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics, it was plain to see that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to explain the short term and the long term consequences of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to validate what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to everyone, and especially to teenagers.
To be sure, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante immediately comprehended why he should not be engaging in excessive and hazardous drinking with or without his pals any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she reviewed.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol appraisal for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction treatment he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a complete physical and to go through a complete appraisal of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol rehabilitation program right away.
Youth Alcohol Abuse: A Complex Issue
Recent alcohol abuse statistics reveal that alcohol abuse among teens is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Numerous alcohol addiction authorities articulate that wine, beer, and liquor advertisements created by the media are an essential reason for the expansion of teen alcohol abuse.
Other alcohol addiction experts assert that the increase in teenage alcohol abuse is due to the acceptability and accessibility of wine, beer, and liquor in our society.
Still other alcoholism specialists emphasize the point that many of our teenagers engage in dangerous drinking due to the increased pressure that they go through.
From a somewhat different vantage point, because both parents in many families work, the lack of parental guidance definitely has to play an essential role in the rise in adolescent alcohol abuse. And lastly, an assortment of substance abuse experts believe that the spread of adolescent alcohol abuse is due, at least partially, to our “anything goes” society.
Coping Skills Training and Abusive Drinking
One facet of youth alcohol abuse that looks like it is under reported in the alcoholism research literature, nonetheless, is the paucity of educational courses that teach teens how to upgrade their coping skills so that their destructive drinking behavior is radically diminished or eradicated.
More explicitly, science has illustrated the fact that there is an indirect link between poor coping skills and alcohol abuse. In essence, this means that the worse the coping skills, the greater the frequency of alcohol abuse. To the degree that this is a truthful argument, why isn’t coping skills training a major part of the academic curriculum in all of our junior high schools, elementary schools, and high schools?
A Society That Accentuates Adolescent Coping Skills
Let us create a scenario for for the purpose of elucidation. Let us imagine a society in which all individuals are trained how to develop solid coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including the twelfth grade.
In such a society, when life gets challenging, individuals who are “coping skills masters” will be able to respond in a healthier and more rewarding manner, as opposed to others who fail to execute their coping skills.
More explicitly, students who show evidence of solid coping skills will be more able to think clearly and show signs of top quality decision making as opposed to students who, because they do not possess good coping skills, are drawn to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking, alcohol abuse, and teenage alcoholism.
What would happen in the above “ideal” society, furthermore, if teenagers not only obtained first class coping skills education but also got a first class education that focused on the long term and short term harmful results associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Emphasizing these kinds of drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more highly developed coping skills instruction, it is affirmed, would help students keep away from the noticeable appeal associated with underage drinking and, as a result, would significantly diminish the injurious drinking behavior exhibited by teenagers in our country.
Adolescent Hazardous Drinking: Room for Optimism and Hope
There are without a doubt various sound reasons why so many of our teenagers drink in an abusive manner. Such a tricky subject demands an all-inclusive and more applicable preventative and educational response by our parents, educators, politicians, and students so that our adolescents can learn how to cope with life’s difficulties in a more fruitful and responsible way rather than resorting to injurious drinking behavior to solve their problems.