Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders

Step 1: Review

Read the following case study:

Abby is a 38-year-old woman who arrives at the emergency room with the following symptoms: trembling hands, cold sweats, rapid breathing, and an obvious state of anxiety. Upon evaluation, Abby states that she has been an alcoholic for several years and that, due to a highly stressful situation, she relapsed three days ago. Since then, she has stopped drinking abruptly.Her medical history reveals two previous alcohol withdrawal episodes requiring hospitalization, with the last occurring 18 months ago when she completed a 30-day inpatient rehabilitation program. She has been attending weekly support group meetings until six weeks ago when work pressures increased. Abby lives alone.

She reports experiencing increasingly severe morning tremors over the past year that temporarily improved with alcohol consumption, suggesting progression of her physical dependence despite periods of sobriety. She expresses motivation to resume treatment but fears losing her recently promoted position as a marketing executive if she requires extended absence for rehabilitation.

Step 2: Respond

Complete the following activities:

Step 1: Review

Read the following case study:

Daniel, a 48-year-old male, arrives at the emergency department with tremors in his extremities, profuse sweating, and marked anxiety. He appears disoriented, muttering incoherent phrases about being pursued. His medical history reveals chronic alcohol consumption for 15 years, with an abrupt attempt to quit 24 hours ago.

Daniel denies any history of epilepsy or significant comorbidities. His medical record shows three alcohol-related hospitalizations in the past five years: acute alcoholic pancreatitis (3 years ago), a fracture from falling while intoxicated (2 years ago), and treatment for severe dehydration and malnutrition (8 months ago). Previous liver tests indicate mild to moderate elevation of liver enzymes, suggesting developing liver damage without formal cirrhosis diagnosis.

He firmly denies using any other substances, including benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants, or any recreational drugs or unprescribed medications, ruling out benzodiazepine withdrawal which presents similarly but requires different management.

Daniel has lived alone since his divorce seven years ago. He has two adult children (23 and 25) with whom he maintains sporadic contact. He works as a freelance accountant, though his job performance has steadily declined. His younger sister Maria serves as his emergency contact and reports that Daniel has attempted to quit drinking independently at least three times in the past two years without seeking professional addiction treatment.

Step 2: Respond

Complete the following activities:

Step 3: Submit

To share your work, click on the “"Add a new discussion topic” button and paste your work in the “message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

OPTIONAL Step 4: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

Step 1: Review

Read the following scenario:

You are a healthcare provider working in a community health center that serves a diverse population. Your goal is to develop targeted interventions and strategies to address the unique needs of special populations affected by alcohol use disorder. In developing your approach, demonstrate cultural competence by understanding how cultural, linguistic, and social factors influence alcohol use patterns, treatment-seeking behaviors, and recovery processes among different groups. Consider how cultural beliefs, historical trauma, community norms, and structural barriers impact both the presentation of AUD and treatment effectiveness within the diverse communities you serve.

Step 2: Respond

Complete the following activities:

Discussion Forum 1: Strategies for Addressing Special Populations

• Discuss the unique needs and challenges of special populations with alcohol use disorder.
• Share your ideas for developing targeted strategies to address the specific concerns of each population.

Step 3: Submit

• To share your work, click on the “"Add a new discussion topic” button and paste your work in the “message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

OPTIONAL Step 4: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

Step 1: Review

Read the following scenario:

You are a medical educator tasked with developing a comprehensive alcohol abuse training program for medical students and residents. Your goal is to create a program that incorporates interactive teaching methods, experiential components, and didactic elements to effectively train future physicians in managing alcohol use disorder.

Step 2: Respond

Complete the following activities:

Discussion Forum 1: Designing an Alcohol Abuse Training Program

• Develop a comprehensive alcohol abuse training program for medical students and residents that includes:
• Learning objectives aligned with the module's student learning outcomes
• A detailed outline of the program's content and structure
• Specific interactive teaching methods, experiential components, and didactic elements to be used
• A plan for assessing changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of participants following the training, incorporating measurable outcomes such as pre/post-training surveys, skill demonstrations, and follow-up evaluations.