ALCOHOL MAPS: 1A | 1B | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5A | 5B | 6
alc1B
SECTIONS: 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 47
CHOICES FOR A PATIENT WHO IS CURRENTLY MISUSING ALCOHOL

Map 1B follows Map 1A when you are working with a current patient or a new patient with an alcohol issue.

Begin at Point R at the top of the flow chart.

The first issue is whether this patient is currently misusing alcohol [Section 3], and if so, in what way.

If not, return to Map 1A at point S, to consider other possibilities.

If you determine that the patient is misusing alcohol, you should consider obtaining more information:

  • Assess the dangers that the person’s drinking poses [Section 6].
  • Go through some preliminary issues [Section 47].
  • Then consider having a medical work-up [Section 30].

After that you should decide what you consider to be the nature of the patient’s misuse: is he/she…

  • Physiologically dependent?
  • Psychologically dependent?
  • Abusing alcohol?

These issues are considered in Section 4 and Section 5.

If he/she is physiologically dependent, then you need to consider detoxification as a medical treatment to stop the dependence. This issue is considered on Map 2.

If the patient is either psychologically dependent on alcohol or abusing it, go on to Map 4 for issues of rehabilitation.