Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Sarah Wood

February 28, 2019

Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

Introduction

Social work is the profession that treats individuals, families, groups, and communities in

efforts to enhance social functioning and overall well-being. This area of social work will consist

of is working with addicts. Social workers are leaders in the substance abuse disorder field and

often work in substance abuse disorder education, prevention, assessment, treatment, or resource

coordination and case management roles. In many cases, families who deal with this issue do not

have anyone in their corner. This is where a social worker comes in to play. It is their job to help

people and make their lives better. Social workers have the authority and some power that most

people in these situations do not have. They will always have their clients best interest. Social

workers are important and play a vital role in addicts recovery including their family.

Social work is meant for anyone who enjoys helping people and impacting lives. This

profession can be difficult to manage emotionally when dealing with people who suffer from

substance abuse and their families. This career brings meaning, diversity, action, and satisfaction

to someone within this profession. There are many areas of social work one can choose. A

mental health and substance abuse social worker will have many tasks with little time. This field

deals with people who have disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as

people who suffer from substance abuse. To become this type of social worker, it requires a

master's level of education. When focusing on substance abuse most students will have an
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

opportunity to pursue a certificate in substance abuse as a part of the MSW program (Social

Work Licensure).

As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act pushes for change in the fields of

health and behavioral health, social workers are given the opportunity to make structural changes

at many levels that will positively impact low-income clients with substance abuse disorder.

Social workers should seek specialized education and credentialing in substance abuse disorder

services, know how to help clients apply for health care coverage, and advocate for integrated

substance abuse treatment and health care programs and an expansion of Medicaid in their local

communities (McCabe 2016). Social workers are in high demand across the nation. Changes in

insurance coverage due to the Affordable Care Act increases the demand for social work

clinicians.

Prescription opioid use has become a crucial issue in public health in the United States,

“In 2015, more than 2 million persons had an opioid-related substance use disorder” (Chan

2018). Research done in the past has linked opioid misuse and mental health issues. The study

addresses how having someone in one’s family who uses non-medical prescription opioids can

cause distress and strains in relationships. The study included 38,775 adults. Results of this study

showed exactly how opioid misuse was associated with psychological distress. Another analysis

examined how adults who misuse opioids that have children in their household, distress levels

were even higher. When comparing to non-users the results of distress were very low. This study

is important for public health to take into account when considering how resources should

address opioid use within families. Social workers are imperative to serve adults who live

with/have children affected by this issue. They can play a vital role by screening, assessing, and

delivering mental health services for this at-risk population (Chan 2018).
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

Authorized opioid use often leads to long-term usage and possible misuse and addiction

in adults. Many people deal with chronic pain and opioids are a very common pain reliever

medication. Opioid medications can include codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl, and

others. Opioid medications are very commonly abused in the United States. The abuse of this

drug can lead to high rates of overdose death, and people seeking treatment for opioid

dependency. The misuse of medications varies from being addicted. The misuse of a prescription

can be someone misunderstanding the instructions, self-medication, and compulsive use driven

by an opioid use disorder. Abuse of opioids can be used with no prescription, or for the feeling.

While the epidemic for opioid misuse is being looked at many different levels there is much

more to be done (Brady 2015).

There are many strategies social workers may use when involved in a substance abuse

disorder case. One strategy is, to begin with, an assessment. To effectively do this a social

worker will need to develop a therapeutic alliance with their client/patient to better understand

the role a substance plays in someone's life. The assessment also needs to include an

understanding of how ready the client wants to make a change. After a social worker collects this

information it then should be synthesized into a well thought out plan made to create short and

long-term goals their client wishes to meet (Mancini 2012).

Motivational interventions can have a positive effect as well. Motivational interviewing

has been developed to single out motivation to change as a way to increase the probability that

an individual will lessen their substance use and explore additional treatment. “Several recent

meta-analyses and empirical reviews highlight the strong existing evidence that brief

motivational interventions are effective”, therefore social workers are able to identify individuals

that would be suitable for brief motivational interviews (Ilgen 2012). Cognitive behavioral
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

therapy (CBT) consists of many interventions that consider how learning processes are included

in evolving and maintaining unfit thought patterns, behavioral and emotional reactions. These

processes help interventions target the ending or reduction of substance abuse. This system can

be very valuable to social workers. It is very effective for many problems, especially substance

abuse (Granillo 2012).

Methods
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

Travis Hales works to better the quality of life, specializing in working with addicts. He

is highly qualified when it comes to the field of social work. He received his doctorate from the

University of Buffalo. Hales does research on behavioral health service effectiveness,

implementation science, and trauma-informed systems. When asked to define social work, he

defined it as a group of people who have a strong desire to help underserved and

underrepresented populations. He believes to become a social worker one needs to have certain

grit to handle the amount of stress that comes with the job. Hales specifically works with addicts

and their family because he has had personal experience with family members, and he wants to

make an impact.

Hales wanted to use critical thinking and skills he created in school to make a bigger

impact. When asked about the role of social workers in addicts lives, Hale said the most

prominent role is indirect practice. This is when a patient may enter a rehab facility and there is a

social worker there for them. Most agency’s need to have a social worker who creates an

intervention for the client. The social worker will also work with the family especially when

adolescents are involved. In many cases, there are a lot of behavioral components that can be

learned or passed down from generation to generation. Hales does research and evaluation to

help people who suffer from addiction which helps in how services are delivered and how

agencies are designed.

Hales knows of many different techniques social workers use today when working with

people who suffer from addiction. Addiction very rarely comes into play due to isolation. It

usually comes up when someone has suffered from a certain experience or many experiences.

“Over 90 percent of women in inpatient treatment settings for substance use have a history of

childhood sexual abuse”, showing how addiction is usually the result of a trauma or experience
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

one has gone through. Treating the whole person and not just the addiction has become much

more common because many people who suffer from it suffer from other sings as well such as

anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Motivational interviewing is also a very popular approach. It is

very important to involve the family in the treatment process. Social workers do this to educate

the family on what addiction is, how to help and prevent.

Lastly, Hales shares an experience from his career. He did a research study to help

agencies become trauma-informed, have a safer, and more trustworthy atmosphere amongst staff

and staff with clients. He conducted a large project for two years. He saw a 35 percent increase

in client retention and treatment. These results show that more clients are staying. Hales believes

social work needs more research-based work.

Results

Overall, this research confirms that social workers play a vital role in addicts lives. This

information was very useful when considering the social work field as a career. The research and

the interview tie well together. Both prove how much work social workers do for their clients.

The primary research focuses on successful approaches and techniques, as well as the importance

of their role in addicts treatment and recovery. Hales focuses on the work done in the

background. Hales focuses on research and how that can help agencies who help clients.

It is imperative to understand an addict. Many social workers who work with

addicts do it because they have a experience with this issue. It is important to know that

substance abuse is a mental health disease. Social workers know this, to treat their clients in the

best way possible. One must treat their client as a whole and not just the addiction. Social

workers and their agencies use many different technques to better help their clients. Motivational

interviewing is a popular and effective one. It came up in the primary research as well as the
Social Work and its Effect on Addicts

interview. It is difficult to get anyone to do anything when they do not want to. This difficulty

occurs in addicts and their recovery. If one is not motivated to change, they will not.

Motivational interviewing gets an addict to the first step, wanting to change.

The addicts family plays an important role as well. Addiction can cause psychological

distress in a family. Addiction can be passed down when adolescents are involved. If one

continually watches a parent struggle with substance abuse disorder there are chances children

will go through the same thing. Social workers know this, so they make it a point to invlove the

family. Social workers will educate the family on addiction, resources, and prevention.

Conclusion

This paper sheds light on why social workers are so important in a addicts recovery. It

also shows how social workers help, and the effective techniques they use today. Addicts need

someone in their corner who understands. Social workers work very hard and do everything they

can. They can do research, be a hands-on, advocate, and educate. The understanding of an addict

would not be as known without social workers. Their goal is to better the quality of life. When

focusing on addiction it can be very difficult yet rewarding.