Gay Men Experience Higher Rates Of Alcoholism And Addiction Essay

Trauma is defined as having a deeply distressing or disturbing experience, or having a physical injury.

The term “Psychological trauma” refers to damage wrought from a traumatic event, which that damages one’s ability to cope with stressors. “Trauma” is commonly defined as an exposure to a situation in which a person is confronted with an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to self or others’ physical well-being (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Specific types of client trauma frequently encountered by which therapists and other mental health workers frequently encounter in a clinical setting include sexual abuse, physical , or sexual assault, natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, domestic violence, and school or/and work related violence (James & Gilliland, 2001). Traumatic

Trauma is perceived as a physical or psychological threat or assault to a person’s physical integrity, sense of self, safety and/or survival or to the physical safety of a significant other; family member, friend, partner. (Kilpatrick, Saunders, and Smith, 2003). An adolescent may experience trauma from a variety of experiences, including but not limited to: abuse (sexual, physical, and/or emotional); neglect; abandonment; bullying; exposure to domestic violence and/ or community violence; natural disasters; medical procedures; loss/grief due to a death of a family member(s); surgery; accidents or serious illness; and war (Kilpatrick, Saunders, and Smith, 2003).

Trauma is an individual’s visceral reaction to a horrible event, events such as early childhood traumas, accidents, sexual abuse, or community violence (apa.org, 2016). An individual may react with shock and denial in the aftermath. As time continues some reactions may comprise of mood swings, intrusive memories, difficulties maintaining relationships and can manifest into physical symptoms to include headache or upset stomach. There are individuals who experience difficulties functioning in their daily lives; these observable responses are a normal response to the trauma (apa.org, 2016).

Alcoholics Anonymous is a support group established to help, support, encourage men and women suffering from alcohol addiction. This group is anonymous and volunteer based where people from different race, gender, and socioeconomic status share their stories of substance addictions. Based on the dynamics, this addiction has no prejudice. Many people are unaware that alcohol is a depressant in which slows down one's motor skills and the ability to think rational. This inability can lead to the person harming themselves and others. Many alcoholics used this drug as a way of coping with depression, stress, or loses. This support group will enable the attendees to become open with their addiction, explore other option, and eventually cease this

It was determined that AA is a beneficial resource for an individual seeking abstinence, but the extent of its effectiveness may be limited. As Kelly recalled (2003) “The authors concluded that “AA had a positive, but moderate, salutary effect on drinking behavior and psychosocial functioning” (p. 643). Consequently, these studies are considered to be limited because of certain variable flaws that resulted in measuring the full extent of AA’s effectiveness difficult. Some of the discrepancies are related to the level of care that an individual was attending and the amount of available services. Individuals attending outpatient treatment were found to have higher levels of success, but those who were attending inpatient treatment may attend more meetings (Kelly, 2003). A link was found to correlate a positive relationship to the amount an individual was drinking and the quantity of meetings they were attending (Kelly, 2003). Conversely, research by Project MATCH found different results among meeting attendance and why it was

Addiction is a disease that is complex and progressive, which can affect anyone at any time in their lives. No matter your race, sex, and cultural background, substance addiction can destroy lives. While drug and alcohol abuse presents challenges for any demographic group, the LGBT community has experienced substance addiction rates that are higher than any other group of people. It is important to look at the extent of addiction in the LGBT community. It is also important that we look at how those within the LGBT community can find the treatment and supports they need to become clean and sober. The problem is there are very few treatment’s that support the LGBT community.

(Oltmanns,Emery, 2015) A trauma may include rape, which in Melinda Sordino’s case is what she experienced. Melinda Sordino can be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, as opposed to acute stress disorder, because her disturbance after the trauma had lasted longer than a month. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder include intrusive re-experiencing, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, increased arousal or reactivity, negative moods or thoughts, and often dissociation. (Oltmanns,Emery, 2015) Weeks after the terrifying experience, Melinda Sordino experienced all of

“American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as an event that represents a threat to life or personal integrity. Trauma can also be experienced when children are faced with a caregiver who acts erratically, emotional and /or physical neglect, and exploitation” (Maltby, L., & Hall, T. 2012. p. 304). Trauma comes in many different forms including: war, rape, kidnapping, abuse, sudden injury, and

Trauma occurs when a child has experienced an event that threatens or causes harm to her emotional and physical well-being. Events can include war, terrorism, natural disasters, but the most common and harmful to a child’s psychosocial well-being are those such as domestic violence, neglect, physical and sexual abuse, maltreatment, and witnessing a traumatic event. While some children may experience a traumatic event and go on to develop normally, many children have long lasting implications into adulthood.

Practice with special populations led to an inquiry regarding LGBT substance abuse and best practices. What was interesting in looking through the existing research is that there is really not a huge breadth of information out there regarding the LGBT population in relation to substance abuse and best practices. The importance of this subject was made apparent by the lack of concrete evidence for particular models of treatment when working with the LGBT community as a whole. Due to the lack of LGBT specific treatment evidence based outcomes, the search focused on comparisons of outcomes between LGBT and heterosexual participants in treatment programs, gay

Most people often fail to perceive trauma accurately. In many occasions, some individuals often dismiss or think of it as something that is curable. However, it is an unfortunate and complicated form of damage that requires careful consideration and is not easy to deal with. Besides, trauma occurs on a scale that varies depending on each individual. It is arguable that nearly every individual has dealt with trauma in their lives.

Alcoholism relapse is common. After completing a treatment program more than 60% of alcoholics drink within the first 90 days after treatment and on average only 1 or 2 remain abstinent 1 year after treatment (Maurer & Smith, 2009). The use of resources such as Alcoholics Anonymous support, along with a supportive social network, and adequate socioeconomic support has a positive correlation with lasting abstinence and decreased numbers of reoccurrence for alcoholics. With these statistics it is evident that the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse, in general are in high demand today.

When I decided to take the trauma course, I was hesitant at first to take it. I did not know what to expect nor felt I would be prepare listen to stories about traumatic occurrences, despite of the number of years I have worked in the field of community mental health. Therefore, now that we are in week eight, I am delighted to have taken this course. The impression I had at first, has changed my insight concerning what is trauma, as for many years, I did not understand why a person in many instances, could not process their trauma. In a quote by Chang stated, “The greater the doubt, the greater the awakening; the smaller the doubt, the smaller the awakening. No doubt, no awakening” (Van Der Kolk, 2014, p. 22). The goes in congruence with my understanding on trauma and how it has changed during this course. As a result, I feel I am awakening when acquiring more about trauma.

The experience of trauma can be identified as either acute (e.g., natural disaster, serious accident) or chronic (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse), which