How Counsellors Perform An Alcohol Assessment

By Rosella Campbell


The cases of drinking problems have actually gone up in Minneapolis, MN which means that drinking counsellors have to be more vigilant when it comes to handling their patients. Now in order to evaluate whether one has a problem or not, the counsellors would usually have them undergo alcohol assessment. This would determine how bad their problem is.

Now in order to assess whether one would have a drinking problem or not, there are actually three ways to do this. The three ways will first determine whether the patient does have a condition or not. Now these three methods of determining would be the MAST, the CAGE, and the TWEAK methods.

The MAST, or the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, is actually one of the oldest tests in the world and was create sometime during the very early twenties. Now this test is to allow the patient to assess himself whether he does have a drinking condition or not. Now the questions that would be asked would be about whether one would have problems with his personal life and how drinks play a factor.

The next method is known as the CAGE method and each letter corresponds to the question that the therapist would have to ask the patient. The letter C corresponds to whether people have asked him to cut down on drinking. The letter A represents whether the patient has been annoyed when people comment on his alcoholic habits. The letter G represents whether one has feelings of guilt for drinking. The E aims to let the patient have an eye openers or drinks early in the morning.

There is also the TWEAK method which is quite similar to the CAGE method but is a little bit more complete. The TWEAK method is composed of letters that serve as abbreviations for the words tolerance, worried, eye openers, amnesia and cut down. By taking a look at these five aspects, one will be able to evaluate the drinking problem of an alcoholic.

The T would determine the tolerance of the alcoholic or how much he can drink. The W would determine who in his family members are worried about him. The E would determine whether one would have morning drinks in order to calm down his hangovers. The A would determine whether one would start to forget a lot of important things in his life. The K would determine whether the patient has ever thought of cutting down.

Now after he has gone through the assessment, he will also need to go through a physical examination. Most likely, he would need one because there are probably some organs in his body that has been damaged because of the problem. After he has gone through a medical examination, then he has to seek some medical treatment.

For the drinking problem, most patients have to undergo detoxification. After the detoxification, they will be given anti depressants to dull the withdrawal effects. After that is done, then he will be attend some psychotherapy sessions in order to completely cure his condition and make sure that it does not come back.




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