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  • Essay / Case study: an individual whose addiction has affected his life

    Table of contentsAddictionGeneral informationTheoretical explanation of Richard's conditionA treatment planConclusionAddictionSpanagel et al. (2013) defined alcohol dependence as the continued consumption of alcohol despite its harmful effects on the user. Alcohol addiction affects the user both behaviorally and psychologically. Research has shown that even if alcohol users try to hide the effects by acting as if nothing is wrong, close friends and family will notice the changes in the users (McCrady, 2017). My case study is based on an individual whose addiction has harmed his life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayGeneral informationMy study subject is Richard, his real name is withheld for privacy reasons. Looking at Richard's case, we can see that alcoholics fall into the trap without realizing it. Richard is a middle-aged man with a single wife and father of two children. While interacting with him, it was clear that the addiction negatively affected his reasoning ability, as he could sometimes repeat the same statement more than twice. However, he still remembers when and how he started drinking alcohol as a newly married young man. This habit was originally a non-routine practice whereby he might drink on weekends after work or while attending club parties. His wife only realized this when they both attended a party at a friend's house where alcohol was served. She was shocked to find him drinking. From that day on, his objection to him going out alone on weekends made his situation worse. He felt like his wife was controlling him too much. Defiantly, he began frequenting clubs and bars. His life suddenly changed; he cared less about his work. He might oversleep and not go to work. This went on for years and the woman had nothing to say because he was always the type of man who got angry easily. When his boss noticed his sudden change in performance, he was summoned and warned not to drink too much. Later that month, he received a termination letter. This dismissal made his life worse. He started drinking too much under the guise of trying to forget what was going on in his life. He abused the family savings and the wife fled with the children because he was even violent at times. His wife's elopement left him in despair. He could not eat well and his health was deteriorating. His brother came to his aid; he talked to him, took him to the hospital and later to rehab where he is currently in rehabilitation.Theoretical explanation of Richard's conditionBased on the available facts about Richard's background life and experiences, his sudden change in behavior which caused him to take more alcohol can be attributed to the frustrations he was going through. His wife was overprotective and couldn't let him go out on weekends. Richard retaliated by being defiant and decided to have more alcohol. Additionally, when he was sacked, he was depressed. His dismissal led him to look for a way to forget his suffering and problems, without knowing what was going to happen to him. Too much alcohol and subsequently his addiction was made worse by his life problems. Before being brought to the rehabilitation center, he was taken to the hospital to see a doctor because he was weak from hunger. He received medication which allowed him to regain his appetite. The doctor also found that his kidneys and..