Health-Related and Substance Use Disorders

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1 Describe the clinical situation in detail. (Who was it, when did it happen, what happened, what caused it to happen, where did it happen, how did it happen). What feelings, prejudices, and biases did you experience during your clinical experience?
Alcohol is a substance that is commonly seen in stores and events. The consumption of alcohol is also legal for adults as long as it is consumed in moderation. This kind of image that alcoholic drinks have may make alcohol use something that users can easily manage or deal with; however, alcohol use disorder is a severe health-related disorder that warrants proper management and medical treatment.
The clinical case involves AR, a 16-year-old male patient suffering from alcohol use disorder. The condition of the patient started approximately 14 months prior to consultation. AR was found unconscious due to alcohol intoxication on the school grounds. On top of this, AR already failed three of his classes this semester, and these have warranted the guidance counselor and principal of the school to get the attention of the guardian/s of AR to hopefully promote an action that will address his failing grades and behavior at school. There were also instances wherein AR was charged with offenses at school related to being caught bringing and drinking alcoholic drinks in school. According to the guidance counselor from AR’s school, AR had already attended group counseling and health education against improper alcohol consumption in the past, but it did not improve his habits and behavior. There were previous instances in which the school tried to intervene, but they were all failed attempts because AR could not commit to it.
The mother of AR was informed of the current situation, and upon further investigation, the current home situation of AR underwent drastic changes starting more than a year ago when the AR’s father became more abusive towards AR’s mother and then left them for another woman. Since the separation, AR’s mother had to work more jobs to earn for the family now that she is the only adult providing for AR and his younger sibling. The cost-cutting also led to AR transferring to his current school in the middle of the semester of the previous school year. AR’s mother was also in shock because she was not aware of the current school standing of her son until the school authorities informed her. It was then known that AR’s mother did not receive the letters from the school because it was not given to her by AR. The mother was also unaware of the frequency and intensity of AR’s drinking habits, including that AR was already drinking alcoholic beverages. AR’s mother also noticed that her son had become distant and was always either out of the house or locked up inside his room for the past year. AR’s mother did not think much of it because she thought it was just a normal part of AR being a teenager. She also admitted that since the separation, she has been too busy to watch over her children’s activities (Eun et al., 2018).
Similar to what AR’s mother thought, it is easy to mistakenly assume that behavioral changes in an a...