The disease model of alcoholism, which has gained prominence since the mid-20th century as the major etiological model of alcoholism, suffers from several limitations including its overemphasis on biological factors at the expense of other psychosocial factors, in addition to its lack of consistency with a holistic, social work…

This article reviews and reflects on the Diploma in Addiction Studies: a 1-year, full-time programme taught at the School of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin since the academic year 1983/1984, which has recently had its external funding withdrawn. The programme was aimed at multidisciplinary classes, including students from…

An explanatory cross sectional investigation was employed to assess how well master's level social work (MSW) programs in the State of New York prepare students for practice with problem drinkers. Five hundred and fifty questionnaires were mailed to members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). A non-probability sample, consisting…

Explores the widespread avoidance of the identification and treatment of alcoholism by the social work profession. Examines the underlying causes of this avoidance and suggests guidelines to overcome the organizational and the professional barriers that have kept alcoholics from seeking social work treatment. (Author/JAC)

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (2001), 14 million U.S. adults abuse alcohol and several million more are at risk of developing alcohol problems because of their drinking behaviors. Heavy drinking increases the risk of serious health problems, with the economic cost of problem drinking estimated to be…

Alcoholism is a widespread but neglected problem in the lesbian community. The myths and realities of lesbian experience are described and suggested treatment strategies that address the special problems and needs of lesbian alcoholics are given. The literature is reviewed and the need to overcome homophobia among social workers and in agencies is…

Describes study of representative case findings (N=100) in four social work programs which did not have in-house substance abuse treatment for indications whether the social worker had recognized substance abuse as a problem for the client or had made a referral for treatment. Findings suggest many clients were substance abusers, but few were…

This paper examines the counseling of alcoholics in an effort to determine its value and significance. It includes a cursory look at the development, etiology and history of treatment methods and the role of personality theory. However, the main emphasis is on the different types of counseling used in each particular counseling setting. The…

SHARP is a hospital-based, self-help program for treating alcoholic veterans, which involves them in assuming major roles in governing the program and in helping one another. Because follow-up support is essential to maintaining sobriety, SHARP created an active social support system in the community. (Author)

Teaching differential use of alcoholism treatment approaches is difficult, but it can be facilitated by focusing on students' resistances to learning, conflicting resource priorities in social work schools and instructors' frames of reference related to alcohol. These issues serve as the foundation for teaching more diverse approaches to alcohol…

Guidelines for casework with the family of the alcoholic indicate the importance of understanding that alcoholism is a treatable disease, of letting the alcoholic suffer the consequences of his drinking, and of demonstrating how self-help groups can be a valuable resource to the alcoholic and his family. (Author)

Addresses common critiques of Alcoholics Anonymous by offering a way of understanding it as a "normative narrative community" where identity transformation takes place through the use of metaphor and storytelling. Suggests alternative meanings of key metaphors, describes areas of program strength and potential barriers for social…

Objective: Emergency Departments (EDs) offer an opportunity to improve the care of patients with at-risk and dependent drinking by teaching staff to screen, perform brief intervention and refer to treatment (SBIRT). We describe here the implementation at 14 Academic EDs of a structured SBIRT curriculum to determine if this learning experience…

Suggests that in dealing with problem drinkers at the workplace, industrial social workers must consider organizational and group variables that contribute to a "culture of drinking," which fosters and sanctions the use of alcohol. Suggests interventions that promote a "culture of sobriety." (Author)

Surveyed Family Service America member agencies to assess impact of impetus to look to private sector for provision of services. Found that family service agencies experienced tremendous growth in 1980s in both client caseloads and areas of service provision. Family service agency client was likely to be minority person seeking counseling within…