Addictions Counseling

• The individual is not intending to take action in regard to his or her substance abuse problem in the foreseeable future. Tasks: Try to increase awareness of the need to change; increase concern about the current pattern of behavior.
• Goal: Serious consideration of change.

• the individual exames the current behavior and the potential for change in a risk-reward analysis.
• Tasks: analyze the pros and cons of the current behavior and of the costs and benefits of change.

• The individual implements the plan, takes steps to change, and begins new behavior patterns.
• tasks: Implementing change, revising the plan as needed sustaining commitment in the face of difficulty.
• Goal: successful action for chaning behavior and a new pattern of behavior established for a significant period of time. (3-6 months)

• The new behavior is sustained for an extended period of time and is incorporated into the lifestyle of the individual.
• Tasks: sustaining change over time and integrating the behavior into the person's life.
• Goal: long-term, sustained change of the old behavior and establishment of a new pattern of behavior.

• Patients at different stages of motivation strategeis to keep them moving toward recovery, and these stages are not static.
• patients in the precontemplation stage underestimate the benefits of change and overestimate its cost. They are not aware that they are making mistakes in judgement and htey believe they are right.

Persons in the prepration stage have a plan of action to cut down on or quit their addictive behavior in the near future. These patients are ready for input from professionals, counselors, or self-help books.They recruited and motivated for action. Action is where the patient is changing his or her behavior to cut down on or quit the addiction. These are the patients who have entered early recovery and are actively involved in treatment.

In the maintenance stage, the patient is still changing his or her behavior to be better and is working to prevent relapse. People who relapse are not well prepared for the prolonged effort it takes to stay clean and sober.

Nonproblem usage: if the patient is engaing in low-risk addictive behavior, you should provide positive prevention messages that support the patient's continued positive lifestyle. Patients with a positive family history of addiction should be warned about their increased vulnerability to addiction and the need for vigilance.

Problems with addiction: The patient who has had reccurent problems due to addiction should be encouraged to abstain from, or at least reduce his or her addictive behavior. The patients should be strongly encouraged to abstain from all illegal drugs.

Addiction: Addicts need to have their diagnosis carefully discussed with them and a treatment plan negotiated. you need to be empathic and address the problems that seems to be casued by or exacerbated by their continued addictive behavior. patients need to hear that this illness.patients should also be told about the benefits of drugs like naltrexone, acamprosate.

• substance or behavior is readily available
• substance or behavior is cheap
• addictive chemicals reach the brain quickly
• addiction is a pain reliever
• addiction is more common in certain occupations
• peer group is addicted
• addiction is preferred in deviant subcultures
• there is social instability
• there is genetic predisposition
• family is dysfunctional
• there are comorbid psychiatric disorders present

• Prevent
• Bi-TechNostix
• Random Drug Screens, Inc.
• Drug Screens, Inc.
• Hair screens
• pharmchec drugs of abuse patch

• Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test
• CAGE Questionare

• Substance Abuse subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)
• Measures defensiveness and the subtle attributes that are common in chemically dependent persons.

Addiction severity index (ASI) and the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI)