Empowering Patients: Independence in Alcohol Addiction Care

This discussion post reflects on a two-week placement at an alcohol clinic, highlighting the significance of patient empowerment in alcohol addiction recovery. It emphasizes that involving patients in their care fosters responsibility and self-esteem, reducing the likelihood of relapse. The post draws on research that defines empowerment as giving patients the right to take charge of their lives and recognizes their strengths. The author observed that a lack of patient involvement in their own care increased the chances of relapse. The post also highlights that successful empowerment can transform addicts into change catalysts within their communities. The author welcomes contributions, recommendations, and questions related to empowering patients in their recovery journey. The post references several articles to support the claims.

Running head: EMPOWERING PATIENTS EXPERIENCING ALCOHOL ADDICTION
Empowering Patients Experiencing Alcohol Addiction to become Independent in their Own Care
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Empowering Patients Experiencing Alcohol Addictions
Alcohol abuse has become one of the social issues affecting young people and aging
population alike. While alcohol abuse is a pressing issue, different rehabilitation centers have
come up with solutions for patients experiencing alcohol addiction. In spite of these programs
being promising, the issue of relapse is still prevalent. People released from alcohol
rehabilitation facilities lack self-motivation that can drive them to full recovery.
Hunter, Jason, and Keys (2013) define empowerment as a process of giving patients
experiencing alcohol addiction the right to take charge of their lives. Empowerment makes
patients experiencing alcohol addiction aware of their strengths in the recovery processes. Yeh,
Che, Lee, and Hong (2018) explain that involving patients struggling with alcohol addiction in
the recovery process gives them a sense of responsibility and self-esteem, especially when they
see the steps they are making in the recovery process. Empowerment programs should focus on
making patients aware of their abilities.
During my two-week placement at the Damascus alcohol clinic and rehabilitation center
in Brisbane, I encountered patients experiencing alcohol addiction. We used support groups and
medications to help our patients overcome addiction. We observed that lack of involvement of
patients in their own care increased chances of relapse. The Drug Rehab Center (2019) explains
that patients experiencing alcohol addiction reduces the role of the caregiver and also creates an
opportunity for community development. Kristen, Sarah, Andrew, Suzanne, and Donald (2017)
explain that successful empowerment converts drug addicts into change catalysts in their
respective communities.
My placement helped me understand how patients can be empowered to contribute to
their own recovery process. If you have any question or need to understand additional

EMPOWERING PATIENTS EXPERIENCING ALCOHOL ADDICTIONS 3
information from what I learned, I am ready to respond to you. I also welcome you to contribute
to this post or make recommendations. Thank you.

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References
Drug Rehab (2019). Empowering addicts. Drugrehab.us. Retrieved from
https://www.drugrehab.us/news/empowering-addicts/
Hunter, B. A., Jason, L. A., & Keys, C. B. (2013). Factors of empowerment for women in
recovery from substance use. American Journal of Community Psychology, 51(1-2), 91–
102. doi:10.1007/s10464-012-9499-5
Kristen, G., P., Sarah L., G., Andrew P., Suzanne B., & Donald H. (2017) Empowerment in
coalitions targeting underage drinking: differential effects of organizational
characteristics for volunteers and staff. Journal of Social Work Practice in
the Addictions, 17, 75-94, DOI: 10.1080/1533256X.2017.1304947
Yeh, M., Y., Che, H., L., Lee, W., L., & Hong, F. (2018). An empowerment process: successful
recovery from alcohol dependence. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 5 (4), 921-929.
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