Knowing All About 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 there are three ways that counsellors would actually assess the alcoholism level of a person. Now these three methods are known as the Michigan Alcohol Screen Test or MAST, the cut down, annoyance, guilt, and eye opener test or CAGE test, and of course the tolerance, worried, eye openers, amnesia and cut down or TWEAK test. Counsellors may use any of these tests to know whether a person has a drinking problem or not.

The first one is known as the Michigan Alcohol Screen Test and was made popular during the year 1971. Basically, the counsellor will be asking questions about how alcoholism is the result of such personal problems like work problems, family problems, and other kinds. This method will allow the patient to be able to realize himself that he actually does have a problem when it comes to drinking.

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.

After that, there is also the TWEAK method which was built after the CAGE method so it is a bit more updated. Now the TWEAK method, just like the CAGE method, are a series of questions that would try to see as to how much the patient is suffering from his problem. Now this method would consist of just five questions that would give a proper assessment.

The very first question will be about the alcohol tolerance level or how much one can take. Now the next one would be about whether his family members are already worried. The next question would be about eye openers or drinks that are taken in the morning. The next would be whether one would have blackouts while being intoxicated. The last one would be 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.

Of course while medical treatment is given, mental treatment is also given. The first thing one has to do is undergo detoxification and also some withdrawal effects because of it. Now after the process, one has to go back for regular psychotherapy so that his problem will not come back anymore.




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