Lesson 10.5: Treating Alcohol Use Disorders

Overview

This lesson focuses on what alcohol use disorder (AUD) is, helping a friend or family member who may have it, different types of alcohol treatment programs, mutual support groups, medications that can help, and residential treatment centers that encourage family involvement.

Learning Targets

  • Define what an alcohol use disorder is and how it is diagnosed.
  • Describe three of the most common reasons for teen alcohol use disorders.
  • Explain what outpatient treatment is.
  • Summarize what a residential treatment center is.
  • Identify what a student assistance program does.
  • Discuss how family members can be involved in a teen’s treatment program.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 10.5 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 10.5 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 10.5 Where Can I Go for Help? Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: List everything you know about treatment for an alcohol use disorder. Then list questions related to treatment that you would like to have answered.
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the 10.5 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 10.5 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 10.5 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 10.5 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Where Can I Go for Help?

  1. Provide each student with a copy of the Lesson 10.5 Where Can I Go for Help? Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets.
  2. Have students work individually to complete the worksheet.
  3. Ask students to pair up and share their responses.
  4. Place the worksheet on the document camera, or copy the chart onto the board.
  5. Have students share their responses and complete the chart as a whole class.
  6. For each shared response, discuss how valid and reliable the agency appears to be.
  7. For each shared response, discuss the purpose of each agency (are they a for-profit or a nonprofit service)?

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Create a flyer announcing a new support group for teenagers who are using alcohol. Use statistics and other facts to signal the dangers of drinking, and think about what things would make a support group effective. Include those elements in your announcement.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Define what an alcohol use disorder is and how it is diagnosed?

    Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition that is diagnosed when a person’s drinking causes distress or harm and is diagnosed if a person answers yes to two or more questions from an 11-question list about their drinking experience in the past year. Severity of the AUD is defined by how many questions a person answers yes to.

  • Describe three of the most common reasons for teen alcohol use disorders?
    • Lack of family support and communication
    • Family conflicts and a history of alcohol or drug use
    • Peer pressure to drink and be part of the crowd
    • Teen drinking in the media
    • Starting to drink by age 16 or earlier
    • Having family members with an alcohol use disorder
    • Suffering from low self-esteem or depression.
  • Explain what outpatient treatment is?

    Outpatient treatment means you can still go to school and live at home, but you have to attend counseling.

  • Summarize what a residential treatment center is?

    A residential treatment center is a center where you would live full-time for the length of your treatment.

  • Identify what a student assistance program does?

    Student assistance programs bring substance abuse counselors into a school to meet with students individually or in groups. Among other things, these programs provide services in early alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention and intervention services.

  • Discuss how family members can be involved in a teen’s treatment program?

    Programs teach family members about the alcohol use disorder and look at how family dynamics may help or hurt the alcohol user once they return home. Many teens who have an alcohol use disorder come from families where alcohol is a problem, and getting the family involved in the treatment program can be helpful for everyone.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 10.5 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 10.5 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 10.5 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 10.5 Where Can I Go for Help? Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Accessing Valid and Reliable Information Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Talk to your family about trying to set up a time once a week at the very least where everyone gets together and talks about what is happening with them. Being able to talk about your day, your week, your problems, or your celebrations and share what is going on with you as well as listening to what is happening to the other people in your family helps connect you with each other.