TCADA has recently opened and funded the Prevention Resource Center for Region 8. The resource center serves 27 counties by providing training, resources, and education in the area of chemical dependency and substance abuse.
Prevention services generally are directed toward children in elementary grades where resiliency skills are developed; however services should also include the elderly and pre-school age children
Best practices indicate the prevention model for school age children which is most effective includes components involving parents, school officials and family members.
San Antonio Council on Alcoholism (SACADA)
Prevention Project HART is a 12-week program involving elementary school age children, family members, teachers, and counselors.
This project utilizes a group format composed of 8 to 10 members who meet once per week.
Education modules include life skills training, and art therapy, and are designed to strengthen community responsibility and citizenship.
Families and Schools Together (FAST Program) is a prevention program sponsored by Family Services Association
FAST utilizes an 8-week program based in 15 elementary schools of three school districts in San Antonio.
This program is a collaborative endeavor between school officials, parents, and Family Services Association staff.
The research-based curriculum has produced a 90% completion rate among the 12 to 13 families each school serves per program cycle.
The FAST program has a strong evaluation component with a 2-year follow-up.
The curriculum focuses on building skills in the areas of communication, family rituals, family values, and substance abuse prevention. Participants are also provided with counseling if needed.
TREATMENT
In addition to private hospitals, the major providers of substance abuse treatment in Bexar County are Alamo Rehabilitation Center (ARC), The Patrician Movement, Alpha Home, Palmer Drug Abuse Program, Treatment Associates and the Bexar County Treatment Facility. The Palmer Drug Abuse Program and Treatment Associates are outpatient treatment providers; the other agencies have both inpatient and outpatient treatment services
Most of the funding for treatment in Bexar County is provided by either TCADA or the Criminal Justice System.
Treatment providers in attendance concurred that treatment begins with a commitment to total abstinence from mood altering substances.
In Bexar County in 1997, 2000 drug and alcohol assessments were completed for probation and parole. Of these, 70% were assessed as alcohol dependent.
Of those individuals receiving treatment in Bexar County, 70% are referred by either probation or parole.
Treatment for adolescents in Bexar County is non-existent.
Funding for treatment needs to be increased. Presently, Bexar County does not provide any funding dollars for substance abuse treatment.
In San Antonio, there are an inadequate number of beds for detoxification.
Alcoholism Not A Disease
From time to time the question like why people abuse alcohol? Does rise in our minds isn’t it, alcohol is a mood elevator. Drinking alcohol elevates the mood by releasing serotonin and dopamine both these are chemicals, which bring about a sense of well being and euphoria. In addition, alcohol reduces GABA a brain chemical and increases secretion of nor epinephrine, which causes a pleasant state of arousal. All these are reasons, which make alcohol one of the most plain abusive substances; the problem is with habitude intake there develops a tolerance to the substance. With tolerance, the total of substance or alcohol needed to produce the desired effect goes on increasing.
Dependency damaging factor, alcoholism disease develops with dependency of the substance or alcohol abuse. Such addicted person who needs to consume more and more amounts of alcohol to make himself feel good, in afterwards stages non intake leads to withdrawal. In this case, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are very serious and panic the patient, making him resort to drink to avoid the withdrawal. Such alcoholism disease has to be treated with great care, when helping an alcoholic give up drinking you have to treat the detachment well to avoid relapse.
Alcoholisms like a poison, which kills easy, and sadly, since death is not instantaneous it is elongated and painful. When you look at an alcoholic you will be able to diagnose right away from the red swollen eyes, swollen face, central obesity and capillary networks on the skin. This obvious outside signs is very deep rooted from the liver to the brain via the heart all is affected and diseased.
Because the liver being the central target organ since the breakdown of alcohol occurs here, thus damaging the liver cells permanently. Initially the liver just enlarges in sizing since it cannot metabolise the overdose of alcohol, which is a chemic alien to the human body. Signs of hepatic expansion are those of hepatitis with nausea, decreased appetite, tender liver and yellow skin and sclera. The second phase of damage is fatty infiltration of the liver, where normal liver cells are replaced by fat cells making the liver functions suffer even further. At this stage of the alcoholic liver disease the bile product and excretion is decreased affecting the fat metabolism, giving steatorrhea or fatty stools since the fats are excreted undigested.
The blood chemistry is adapted with reduction in the number of white blood cells and decreased clotting factors leading to bleeding tendencies. Further to the end there is the third phase of liver disease also named cirrhosis, here the liver cells are permanently replaced by scar tissue. Once scar tissue is defined the disease becomes irreversible, but proper treatment can help the individual live a healthy life since few of the liver cells may be salvaged and these will later regenerate. Some times though it is too late and nothing can help, thus making activity and intervention at the right time utterly very essential.
among other things the alcoholism disease does not spare other organs like the heart, which become enlarged and weak thus susceptible to failure. The pancrease gets inflamed giving ascent to pancreatitis, which affects protein digestion and causes great pain and illness.
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