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PLEASE REPLY TO EACH CLASSMATE WITH ONE REFERENCE EACH

Matthew

My client has a severe alcohol addiction that is slowly taking over his life. My client suffers severe consequences in all areas of his life, personal health, family/social life, workplace, and financial difficulties. Alcohol has been extremely normalized in society, as it has been used throughout several different cultures, advertised as a fun and relaxing beverage that is made to seem essential for social bonding. The biggest difference between alcohol addiction and other addictions is how widely accepted consuming alcohol has become. Unlike illegal drugs, alcohol is totally legal after a person is over the age of 21. Since alcohol is so culturally integrated and accepted, it leads to higher consumption rates, thus making the addiction one of the most common in individuals today.

With that being said, alcohol can be extremely dangerous in both small and copious amounts. In regards to personal health, alcohol addiction has been attributed to cause more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health problems (WHO 2024). Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol has been proven to cause extensive damage to the liver, heart, and even believed to cause a multitude of different cancers. In 2019 alone, almost 500,000 people died of cardiovascular disease because of alcohol consumption. Along with the long term effects of alcohol addiction, there are also several short term challenges. Alcohol causes severe headaches, breathing difficulties, impaired judgement, decreased perception, and even a coma (DrugFreeWorld n.d.).

These short term and long term effects of alcohol addiction have huge impacts on both family and social life. Since most persons addicted to alcohol become extremely agitated and aggressive in stressful family/social situations, my client may have severe psychological and behavioral responses to stressful situations. Alcohol addiction has been known to destabilize healthy relationships, causing fights, domestic violence, and severe emotional trauma.

Hiring this client with an alcohol addiction can greatly affect his work-life just as much as mine. Alcohol addictions severely hinder performance as well as makes someone highly prone to accidents. Employees that struggle with alcohol addiction may be more likely to experience problems with other co-workers or even isolate themselves completely (Walker 2025). In a workplace setting, it’s important to maintain a team building dynamic that prioritizes relationship building and performance. My client might experience difficulty in relationship building, thus making it harder for everyone and not just my client. In these situations, it’s important to highlight the impact of not just the addict, but how their addictions affects other people.

Legal and financial difficulties go hand in hand with both family and workplace life. Alcohol addiction can cause extreme financial instability which can cause strain on a relationship. These financial difficulties are often work related, leading to a loss of income and reduced earnings. My clients behavioral issues cause major difficulty in all of the major areas of their life. It’s important to address each and every aspect of my clients life, as most of these areas directly influence challenges in other areas.

For this discussion, I will focus on gambling addiction as the behavioral addiction affecting a hypothetical client. Although gambling does not involve ingesting a substance, research and course materials show that it can have equally serious and wide-ranging effects on an individuals life, similar in severity to alcohol use disorder.

In terms of personal health and wellness, a client with gambling addiction may experience significant psychological distress, including chronic stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, and feelings of guilt or shame. Sleep disturbances are common, especially when gambling occurs late at night or online (Moreira et al., 2023). While gambling does not directly damage organs in the way alcohol does, the indirect health consequences can still be severe. Elevated stress levels can contribute to headaches, gastrointestinal issues, hypertension, and weakened immune functioning (Moreira et al., 2023). Additionally, the constant activation of the brains reward system mirrors what occurs in substance addictions, leading to impaired decision-making, reduced impulse control, and difficulty experiencing pleasure from non-gambling activities.

In family and social life, gambling addiction often leads to secrecy, broken trust, and strained relationships. The client may lie to loved ones about time spent gambling or money lost, which can result in conflict, emotional distance, and resentment (Nevada, 2024). Family members may experience emotional exhaustion or financial stress due to the clients behavior. Social isolation is also common, as gambling increasingly takes priority over family responsibilities, friendships, and previously enjoyable activities.

Financial and legal difficulties are often among the most prominent consequences of gambling addiction. The client may accumulate significant debt, drain savings, borrow excessively, or engage in risky financial behaviors to sustain gambling (Nevada, 2024). Legal issues may arise if the individual commits fraud, theft, or other illegal acts to obtain money or conceal losses. Financial instability can further intensify stress, shame, and relationship conflict, reinforcing the addictive cycle (Nevada, 2024).

One way gambling addiction differs from alcohol addiction is that its harms are often less visible to others in the early stages. Unlike alcohol, gambling does not produce immediate physical signs such as intoxication, odor, or visible impairment, which can delay detection and intervention. However, gambling addiction brings unique challenges, particularly the rapid and potentially devastating financial consequences and the powerful cognitive distortions involved, such as chasing losses and overestimating control or skill (Fauth-Bhler et al., 2017). While alcohol directly damages the brain and body over time, gambling primarily alters brain reward pathways and decision-making processes, leading to persistent compulsive behavior despite escalating negative consequences (Fauth-Bhler et al., 2017)