Alcohol Use Disorder

1) If I were to receive this type of diagnosis, I would want to make sure that all my treatment needs were met. Looking at the ASAM patient placement criteria, I would hope for an individualized, assessment-driven treatment plan. For dimension one, I would say that there is a higher level of chance of withdrawal symptoms because of the “moderate” level of alcohol use disorder. On dimensions two and three, I have several health-related issues that could potentially pose a threat to treatment. This includes obesity, anxiety and depression, and pre-diabetes. My family history also shows a predisposition to alcohol and drug abuse, so this would also cause a concern. My readiness to change will be high because I just received a promotion at work that will help alleviate some financial burdens, which could be a motivator to drink. The chance of relapse for me would be high as I have never sought any kind of treatment in the past. I would need to be educated on how to change my thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in order to maintain sobriety. As for my recovery environment, I would say that I am currently in a place that would be conducive to recovery. My partner does not drink any longer, and most of my family has either stopped drinking and or using or they are currently in treatment themselves. My place of employment also offers an EAP that could be beneficial to this process as well. Looking at these criteria, I would suggest a Level III:1 care plan of residential and or inpatient treatment. This environment would help foster a lifestyle of sobriety before being released from treatment. It would also offer meetings and counseling while still in treatment that I could continue after release.

2) I’ve just been diagnosed with AUD-Moderate. This means that I’ve answered yes to at least 3 of the questions in the DSM-IV model. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, “When placement matching is disconnected from modality matching, treatment is likely to be less effective because it fails to respond to the individual needs of the patient.” (Mee-Lee,1998). So it’s of great importance to make sure that the individual is given the correct care. In the case given to me, according to the placement of ASAM, I would be an III.03. The reason I’ve chosen a level III is that I experience more than 4 symptoms on the DSM-IV scale. Level 3 treatment includes staying in a treatment facility as a resident. Having a .03 severity means that it’s a medium intensity clinically managed program. I think this is the best option because it allows me to only focus on my treatment, unlike level 2 which is only outpatient. An outpatient program means that I would be going to a facility for a few hours for classes and therapy, but I would be released to the world afterward. This would place distractions in my day to day life and might take away from the recovery experience.