Discussion Post: Substance Abuse
Scenario:
Trevor is a homeless Vietnam veteran. He has been living on the streets for 28 years. His wife and three children left him 2 years after he returned home from Vietnam after they could no longer handle his heroin addiction, which began while he was in Vietnam. Trevor often walks the street with a cardboard sign saying, "I'm a veteran, please help." It is rare that someone looks twice at him. He is able to make enough money to support his drug habit or he will steal money if he needs to. Recently, he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. His daughter went to his arraignment and begged the court to send him to treatment and to have some leniency as he is a veteran and suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The judge agreed and sentenced him to the Veterans Hospital for treatment. You are meeting with Trevor and his daughter for the first time to discuss recommendations. Trevor looks you up and down and considers his approach. "I used to drown it out. I can't stop it. Can you? Can you tell me where to go to make it stop?"
For this Discussion, select one of the scenarios provided and consider how you would respond to their situation.
Post as a social worker, how you would respond to the personnel or veteran in the scenario you selected.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.
Reference
• Dick, G. (2014). Social work practice with veterans. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
o Chapter 14, "Veterans and Substance Abuse" (pp. 227-244)
o Chapter 15, "Homeless Veterans" (pp. 245-260)
• Rubin, A., Weiss, E.L., & Coll, J.E. (2013). Handbook of military social work. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
o Chapter 12, "Assessing, Preventing, and Treating Substance Use Disorders in Active Duty Military Settings" (pp. 191-208)
• Foran, H. M., Heyman, R. E., Slep, A. S., & Snarr, J. D. (2012). Hazardous alcohol use and intimate partner violence in the military: Understanding protective factors. Psychology Of Addictive Behaviors, 26(3), 471-483. doi:10.1037/a0027688
• Williamson, E. (2012). Domestic abuse and militaryfamilies: The problem of reintegration and control. British Journal of Social Work, 42(7), 1371-1387.
• Shen, Y., Arkes, J., & Williams, T. V. (2012). Effects of Iraq/Afghanistan deployments on major depression and substance use disorder: Analysis of active duty personnel in the US military. American Journal of Public Health, 102 Suppl. 1, 80-87.