How Historical, Ecological, Sociological, and Economic Factors Impact Alcohol Abuse

The American Community
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The American Community
Client Characteristics and Condition
In social work, one encounters diverse clients with varying conditions from complex factors. About three months ago, Gabrielle (a pseudonym), aged 46 years, presented to a Chester County Hospital disoriented and expressing thoughts of despair. A thorough health assessment at the facility revealed that she has been struggling with alcoholism for the last five years. Although Gabrielle reported having some significant interest in overcoming her condition, she notes that she finds herself immersed in the behavior every other day. She can take any liquor as long as it is available. The client worries about the inability to resist alcohol and has lost all self-control. A physical exam illustrates that her unhealthy practice has significantly impacted her health because she had pale skin and looked visibly undernourished. Her hands were also shaky while holding a pen or cup of water, demonstrating the severe impact of alcoholism. Since her diagnosis, Gabrielle has been on a treatment program incorporating motivational enhancement therapy and weekly schedules for her alcoholic anonymous (AA) meetings. The approach also included Naltrexone to assist her in resisting the heavy drinking urge (Ray et al. (2018). She has made commendable improvements since she is currently progressing without needing pharmacological assistance. In this context, this case study will explore the ecological, historical, economic, and sociological factors affecting Gabrielle’s alcoholism problem and how these components impacted her treatment and aftercare, including that of her family. It will also investigate the interrelationship between the agency and the community space, development, and other community institutions.
Description of the Condition
Alcohol abuse is a persistent social problem in the United States. According to Glass et al. (2017), statistics rank alcoholism among the nation’s third primary causes of preventable death. The researchers indicate that ethnic minorities, especially women, emerge as the most vulnerable individuals to this problem. Glass et al. (2017) further state that this population suffers significantly more psychiatric comorbidity than their male counterparts. Various health determinants explain the complexity of alcoholism among racial minority women such as Gabrielle. For instance, trends indicate that poverty is a leading health determinant that disproportionately affects African Americans compared to other populations. Researchers consider this lack of resources and finances to meet diverse basic needs a stressor that increases the probability of a person engaging in harmful behaviors, including drinking, as a coping mechanism. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between heavy alcohol intake and poverty. Their results reveal a close correlation, which illustrates one of the primary reasons explaining Gabrielle’s adoption of alcohol as a form of coping with her inadequate financial status. Gabrielle et al. (2017) also indicate that neighborhood disadvantage also increases the likelihoo...