CASE STUDY

Case Study

Case Study

Casey, a 24-year-old Caucasian woman, is seeking counseling for anxiety and depression that she attributes to problems in her current relationship. She and her boyfriend have been having an increasing number of arguments recently, typically about Casey''s behavior when they go out and about Casey drinking too much.

In response to questions about her use of substances, Casey describes herself as a "social drinker." Her typical pattern is to consume 3-6 drinks during each of 2-3 drinking occasions per week. She began drinking regularly (1-2 times per week) and heavily (to intoxication) at the age of 13, usually in the company of an older cousin or school friends. She continued this pattern through high school but cut back during her first two years of college due to lack of money to buy alcohol and more difficult access. Lately, she''s become involved with an older group of friends and socializes with them frequently at a local bar. She also tells you that she never met her father and her mother died in an accident when she was only two-years-old. Her aunt told her that her mother used to drink often.

While not every patron who enters a bar will have a drink, the consumption of alcohol is a big part of the bar scene. Alcoholic beverages contribute a large part, if not the majority, of the income of many bars. The effects of alcohol vary from person to person and with different amounts. The number of drinks that constitute being “drunk” for one person may have little effect on another. Also varying are the changes in behavior that one undergoes when under the influence of alcohol. A person may behave in a way that is quite unlike their usual personality. Someone who is usually calm and collected may become easily enraged and upset or vice versa. Sometimes the effects are more subtle. Someone may simply become quite and withdrawn. Often these changes are not necessarily dangerous or problematic, but there are times when they certainly can be. Some of the more serious changes may be things like violent tendencies, lack in ability to make good or safe decisions, or lack of use of protection when engaging in sexual situations. Studies have been done on each of these circumstances. (Hasin D et al, 2007)

What are the relevant facts presented in this case study?

Casey may often drink to relax, to gain ...