Evaluation of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program: MBA621 Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of alcohol and substance abuse programs, focusing on various aspects such as program descriptions, ethical considerations, risk identification and management, and quality and safety measures. The report begins with an executive summary outlining the differences between substance abuse and addiction, common substances of abuse, and the impact of alcohol. It then delves into the establishment of drug abuse programs, their mission and vision, and the ethical considerations that govern them, including principles like autonomy, justice, beneficence, fidelity, and nonmaleficence. The report further explores risk identification and management strategies, emphasizing the importance of prevention and intervention. Finally, it examines the quality and safety of alcohol and substance abuse programs, including the role of national standards and improvement initiatives like NIATx. The report concludes by highlighting the global significance of the issue and the need for comprehensive approaches to address it.

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Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Student’s name
Institution Affiliation

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Executive Summary
Substance abuse is when you take illegal drugs. It can also be described as a condition when you
use prescribed medicines, alcohol, and other legal substances in the wrong way or too much.
Alcohol and substance abuse differ from drug addiction. This is because most individuals with
alcohol and drug abuse problems are easy to quit. On the other hand, addiction is a disease, and
victims cannot stop using the drugs even if the condition is causing them harm. Both legal and
illegal drugs have chemicals substances that alter the way our bodies and mind work. Alcohol
and substance abuse give a person some pleasurable feeling which relieves stress or can help
avoid fears and problems in life. Some commonly abused substances include alcohol, marijuana,
cocaine, heroin, and tobacco. Alcohol affects people in various ways. However, if you drink too
much and often, chances of facing an accident or injury go up. Heavy drinking is associated with
other health complications, such as liver problems.

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Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs
Drug abuse programs have been established to fight drug abuse, which is associated with
several health and social problems. Drug addiction is the main reason why the government has to
come up with programs and strategies to deal with alcohol and substance abuse. The way to drug
addiction starts the intended behavior of taking drugs, which, with time, becomes so hard to
choose not to take them (Felitti et at., 2019, p.774). Drug addiction can be treated through the
application of these programs, and it helps the victims abstain from using drugs and be
productive in their families and community at large by participating in community activities such
as social work and games. The plan argues that drug addiction us a complex condition that can
be treated, and it affects a person's health and behavior. Effective treatment for alcohol and drug
abuse should address all the victim's needs. Studies that have been carried out indicate that
staying in the treatment process can be critical, leading to some health complications. Healthcare
professional recommends patients who are victims of alcohol and substance abuse to undergo
counseling and other behavioral therapies because they are more effective.
Mission and Vision for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment
This program works out to reduce and prevent the dangers caused drug abuse through
education advocacy and intervention. Drug abuse treatment programs aimed at educating the
public about drug addiction (McCormick et al.,2019, p.332). This involves alerting them on the
impacts of misusing drugs on their health, family, work, and society. As the public learns about
the consequences of drugs and alcohol abuse, it is easy to reduce the stigma. This also
encourages victims to seek treatment and counseling, which will generally help in the reduction

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of substance abuse. Another objective of this program is to help people and families which are
affected by the addiction. The counselors involved in this program are neutral and
nonjudgmental, and they bring the community factual information, which helps them evaluate
their situation and motivate others about abstaining from drug abuse. The program believes that
prevention works effectively and can be a way of eliminating abuse of drugs such alcohol and
other substances. Reducing the number of teenagers involved in alcohol abuse must begin early
and continue throughout middle and high school. Programming the best practices and developing
skills needed by youths to make the best choices helps build opportunities to establish a positive
community involvement (Osilla et al.,2016). Alcohol and substance treatment program believe
that it is significant to advocate for treatment, especially for addicted people and also for social
policy issues which supports the mission and vision of the program. The program respects all
members of society regardless of their social and financial situation. It does so by treating all its
employees, clients, suppliers, and other groups with mutual respect and recognizing the
significance of diversity. The program demonstrates a high level of accountability to staff,
clients, funders, and the community at large.
Ethical Considerations for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program
The term ethics implies theoretical considerations removed far away from the everyday
activities. Employees working under this program continuously face ethical dilemmas on an
individual and social level. Ethics is a systematic tactic towards moral matters in society, and it
critically evaluates the choice and actions taken by people to handle various situations faced in
everyday life like drug abuse (Wright et al.,2016, p.539). The antiquity of how society outlooks
people addicted to alcohol and substance abuse is compromised by emotions, biases, and
misconceptions that have negatively impacted the care of drug addicts. For example, it’s normal

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for a drug-addicted person to be treated unusually in healthcare institutions. This is due to the
extremely charged demonstrative nature of the substance abuse treatment field. It is, therefore,
recommendable for employees working with this program to possess tools that explore ethical
dilemmas objectively (Velasquez et al., 2015). Studies carried out indicates that ethical matters
are both personal and societal. Therefore healthcare counsellors must weigh between what is
good for them and what is right on professional standards. Five basic ethical principles govern
alcohol and substance abuse and they include; autonomy, justice, beneficence, fidelity and
nonmaleficence.
Justice assumes equality and impartiality. This means that a healthcare professional is
supposed to treat all drug abuse victims equally and give each of the quality healthcare services.
With this principle, a doctor is not supposed to favor some patients regardless of their social
class and financial situation. Even though it is reasonable to have biases, it is significant to
understand how they can affect someone's ability to practice the principle of justice. Although it
might be challenging for healthcare professionals to treat every victim of drug abuse, there are
safeguards that agencies and providers can institute ton ensure that equitable services are
provided. Anatomy is another ethical principle, and it assumes that individuals have the right to
decide on how to live their lives by making the best decisions (Reece-Stremtan et al., 2015,
p.135). Some of these decisions include abstaining from alcohol and substance abuse. This
principle respects the unconditional worth of individuals and promotes self-determination, self-
governance, and self-rule. While working with victims of drug addiction, the counselor plays a
vital role in determining if a person is competent enough to make their own right decisions as
well as establishing whether or not the victim has the knowledge needed to make personal
choices (Moos, 2018). The issue of competence is among the most challenging ethical issues

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when working with victims of alcohol and substance abuse. This happens because these people
are adversely affected by metabolic, nutritional, and psychological concerns, which affects their
judgment — substance abuser experiences poor taste due to long term impacts and active
substance use. In cases of incompetence, it is not acceptable to allow the client for full autonomy
in decision making because they may end up harming themselves. The process of proving that a
person is not competent is not yet transparent because several factors have to be considered, and
they are time-consuming (Botvin & Griffin, 2015, p.177). A person may not be able to make the
right decision one day, and the next day, they are quite lucid.
If it appears that a client is experiencing some mental issues related to drug abuse, his/her
competence should be addressed. The victim’s competence can be partial or complete. Some
victims express comprehensive competency in some situations in life and partial skill in others.
An example is when a victim can take care of himself or herself physically, like deciding not to
take drug substances but been unable to raise finance to seek medical attention regarding the
health complications experienced as a result of abusing these substances. Before a drug victim is
declared incompetent, they have to sign some legal instruments, which means someone else, like
a healthcare professional or a close family member, have to make the right decisions for them.
The third principle is beneficence and it assumes responsibility to enhance the welfare of drug
abuse victims (Patrick & Schiff, 2017). Nonmaleficence, on the other hand, highlights victims’
exploitation, such as alcohol and substance abuse victims. Lastly, we have the principle of
fidelity, which requires the victim telling the truth and keeping promises. An example is a victim
telling for how long they have been into drugs and keeping the promise of stopping this
behavior.

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Risk Identification and Management in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program
Most countries, including Australia, have established risk identification and management
strategies to address the issue of alcohol and other substance abuse. Drug abuse management is
based on underlying and straightforward assumptions that appear normal for management
programs (Keuroghlian et al.,2015, p.139). To these programs, heavy drinking and other
substance abuse can lead to negative consequences. This is because they affect the health and
social life of a person. The program also assumes that moderate drinking leads to less negative
impacts. Abstinence from alcohol and substance abuse leads to no adverse effects and makes a
person lead a healthy life. Risk identification and management apply several simple strategies,
which makes the process easier. Studies indicate that the more plans a person uses, the less likely
to experience negative consequences (Litten et al.,2015, p.579). For example, for a person to be
safer, they have to choose the appropriate place and friends they go drinking with. They also
have to set a limit so that they do not end up been addicts of alcohol and substance abuse.
Healthcare professionals recommend that it is good to eat something before you go drinking. It is
significant to educate the public about dangers that are associated with alcohol and substance
abuse so that people can make the appropriate decision regarding their health. Management
process also involves intervening in victims who have suffered negative impacts through the use
of drugs so that they can reduce the harm and manage risks associated with their use and
addiction (Lundin et al.,2015, p158). It should also entail supporting people who are in the
recovery process and develop social and physical environments that facilitate alcohol and
substance-free lifestyles.

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Quality and Safety of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program
Alcohol and substance abuse programs in Australia works in partnership with the
government in both the public and private sector to ensure safety and quality healthcare services
to addicts of substance abuse. The main objective of national safety and quality healthcare
services standards (NSQHS) is to protect the public from health dangers by ensuring patients get
quality services (Pauly et al.,2016, p.15). Clinical care standards play a significant role in
creating awareness and educating people on health issues that are associated with drug and
substance abuse. Even though process and quality enhancement have successfully been
implemented in the health system, strategies to manage alcohol and drug abuse are still
underdeveloped in most countries. Network for improvement of addiction treatment (NIATx)
educates the participating alcohol and substance abuse treatment agencies to use the process of
improvement strategies to increase client access. This means that victims of drug abuse can
easily access counseling facilities. NIATx applies several principles. The first principle involves
drug victims in the program innovation successfully (Stone et al.,2017). The principle calls for
continued commitment, which aims at understanding the needs and expectations of people who
are addicted to drugs. However, this principle can lead to challenges while controlling substance
abuse, like mental problems. The second principle aims at fixing the fundamental issues
affecting victims of drug abuse. For the program to ensure quality and safety while managing the
consumption of alcohol and abuse of substances, it must ensure it has an influential change
leader who can appropriately lead the team.

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Summary and Conclusion
Alcohol and substance abuse are becoming a global issue. This is because many youths
and adults are involved in drug abuse. Drug abuse can lead to addiction which is associated with
various negative impacts to the health of the victim. However, most countries have developed
programs that aim at educating the society and creating awareness about alcohol and substance
abuse. Some recommended strategies which are applied to stop this behavior is going detox,
especially for people who have severe alcohol disorder. The government should ensure that
counseling facilities are made available even in remote areas to ensure that every person in the
community can access them.

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