The case study’s main theme revolves around Lee’s alcoholism. His high blood pressure, body weight, difficulty falling asleep at night, daily lethargy, and physical withdrawal are all biophysical issues it is causing him. According to the text, he drinks a glass of scotch every day, and then he enters a therapy program (Ashford et al., 2017). Lee went through physical withdrawal that made his hands tremble. The family is convinced he has also experienced blackouts brought on by drinking.
Alcoholism has a wide range of psychological impacts. First off, because alcohol is a depressive, it is a factor in Lee’s overall depression problems. He claims that drinking helps him deal with guilt and feelings of worthlessness he has after losing his work, but alcohol makes these bad emotions worse (Ashford et al., 2017). From Lee’s perspective, his drinking contributes to his feeling anxiousness, melancholy, and lack of inspiration.
Over time, alcohol’s impact on Lee’s personal life has changed. He claims to have been drinking since he was a young adult and used to do so socially since he liked to entertain and enjoy drinks with friends. He claims that he now only has one buddy and finds it difficult to maintain good relations with his family as a consequence of his alcoholism and depressed moods. When faced with his alcoholism, Lee has been yelling at his family and complaining that nobody wants to be his buddy while making no effort to establish new acquaintances. He pulls his children away and tells them to keep out of it when they express worry for his wellbeing.
Lee would profit from addiction counseling, family counseling, and individual therapy based on his alcoholism and the symptoms it has caused in him. Due to his preconceived notions about alcohol addiction (AA), which are preventing him from attending meetings, Lee may find that addiction counseling is more useful than AA meetings. He asserts that they are “too twisted up” and too religious to be able to assist him (Ashford et al., 2017). Lee could benefit from family therapy to repair his ties with his family. This would give his wife a venue where they could discuss openly with professional aid and mediation as she struggles with seeing Lee’s active addiction. In addition, Lee claims he utilizes alcohol as a coping mechanism for his despair and feelings of worthlessness, which signifies that he would substantially benefit from individual treatment (Ashford et al., 2017). Even if the alcohol exacerbates his depression symptoms, he could feel much better if he had a place to discuss what is making him feel this way openly. If it is determined that Lee requires anti-depressants to aid in his emotional coping, a therapist may also recommend that he see a psychiatrist.
Reference
Ashford J., B., LeCroy, C. W., & Williams, L. (2018). Human behavior in the social environment: a multidimensional perspective. Cengage Learning.