Motivational Interviewing for Alcohol Abusers
Motivational interviewing is a method used by psychologists to help the client change behavior. It mainly involves client-centered counseling sessions. The aim of these sessions is to resolve the internal conflict within the clients in order to assist in the making of informed decisions by these individuals concerning their behavior. Previous research suggests that motivational interviewing may be used to achieve health behavioral change among elderly persons (cooper, 2012).
Psychologists may use motivational interviewing during the feedback session. This may be useful to help alcohol abusers to recognize some of the symptoms related to alcohol abuse and the connection with their current health (mental, medical, and social). When dealing with an elderly person involved in alcohol abuse, a therapist may use one of the modifications of motivational interviewing. This is whereby the therapists point out the consequences of alcohol abuse that are related to the individual’s age.
It has been determined that older persons fail to recognize the harmful effects of alcohol abuse. Therefore, despite the fact that motivational interviewing does not involve education, it is vital to educate the elderly population in order to foster an understanding of the connection between alcohol abuse and the health issues (and other difficulties) they face.
Murphy, Chen, Naar-King, and Parsons (2012) studied the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in fostering behavioral change among HIV positive persons (youth) who abused alcohol and marijuana. This study was relevant since HIV-positive individuals usually abused alcohol and marijuana and this only made them vulnerable to high-risk sexual behavior (which was not proper). They found that motivational interviewing could be used to encourage healthy behavior change among the youth. From their study, they concluded that there were significant reductions in alcohol use. In addition to this, the individuals who went through the motivational interviewing sessions were less likely to be classified into the high-risk lot.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Alcohol Abusers
The concept behind cognitive behavioral therapy is that behavior is influenced by an individual’s thoughts and not other external stimuli. Therefore, this therapy aims at changing the individual’s way of thinking rather than changing their circumstances. Therapists usually try to teach alcohol abusers to recognize those situations where they are likely to abuse alcohol (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2011). They are then advised to avoid those circumstances as much as possible. Instead, they are advised to deal with the behaviors that cause them to abuse alcohol.
Longabaugh and Morgenstern (1999) argued that cognitive-behavioral (coping-skills) therapy aims at improving the client’s behavioral and cognitive skills in order to counteract the problem. Cooper (2012) argued that individuals who underwent cognitive behavioral therapy expressed a desire to receive more treatment. These individuals also did not have a serious drug (alcohol) issues as compared to those who did not undergo therapy.
Cooper also described the importance of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in relapse prevention and during follow-ups. During the therapy session, individuals are asked to identify the risk factors. These include internal factors such as feelings or thoughts. The external factors are also considered and these include the social environment. The therapists then assisted the clients in developing strategies to address those barriers. Therefore, CBT mainly involves functional analysis and skills training. The functional analysis makes the individual aware of the reason why he or she drinks and identify those situations that encourage the activity. Skill training involves helping the individual to learn how to cope with those situations.
References
Cooper, L. (2012). Combined motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy with older adults drug and alcohol abusers. Health & Social Work, 173-179.
Longabaugh, R., & Morgenstern, J. (1999). Cognitive-behavioural coping-skills therapy for alcohol dependence: Current status and future directions. Alcohol Research & Health, 23(2), 78-85.
Murphy, D., Chen, X., Naar-King, S., & Parsons, J. (2012). Alcohol and marijuana use outcomes in the health choices motivational interviewing intervention for HIV-Positive youth. Aids Patients Care and STDs, 26(2), 95-100.
Witkiewitz, K., & Marlatt, A. (2011). Behavioural therapy across the spectrum. Alcohol Research & Health, 33(4), 313-319.