Posted: June 24th, 2015

Essay

Essay

Watch an episode (online) or on the A & E channel of Intervention, a powerful and gripping television series on the A&E channel in which people confront their addictions. The Intervention Television series profiles people whose dependence on drugs, alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis and estranged them from their friends and loved ones. Each Intervention episode ends with a surprise intervention that is staged by the family and friends of the alcohol or drug addict.

Intervention raises awareness about the alternatives and treatment options available to those who suffer from an alcohol or drug addiction, and gives hope to families who have nowhere left to turn.

Remember back to our module on empathy. Pick a person in the episode, it can be the addict, but it can also be one of the addict’s family members or friends. Try to experience the episode from their point of view. If you mimic their expressions, gestures, tone of voice, etc. what insights did you gain that may not have been apparent in the episode. (3 points)

Additionally, using the biopsychosocial framework discussed on p. 369 in the text, in the episode you watched how would you describe the underlying reasons for the person’s addiction? Did the episode include any societal context for the problem of addiction?

What do you think are some of the social, economic and environmental reasons for the addict’s problem? (4 points)

What are some ethical issues a social worker might confront working with the addict in your episode? (3 points)

After you watch the episode write your post:

1) The post should be a minimum of 300 words not more than 500 words. Points will be taken for not staying in the word limit. Responding to a peer is optional.

2) Your post should describe the experience you had watching the episode, based on the criteria above, and response to questions in the prompt. This discussion board requires you to use knowledge you have learned in the previous modules