In an alternative to AA, individualized addiction treatment plans can be created to help individuals cope with difficult childhoods. Those who lived with a problem drinker, had been psychically abused, or had been coerced into sex may benefit from individualized treatment programs where psychotherapy can be used to help clients deal with underlying issues. Adverse childhood events may be associated with adolescent alcohol use, thus it is imperative that adolescents learn how to deal with childhood trauma. When using a self-empowering approach to recovery, individuals learn how to enhance and maintain motivation, cope with urges, manage thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and learn to live a balanced life. An alternate approach to AA may be more beneficial for adolescents who may have suffered a difficult childhood.

Even though alcohol consumption is associated with many adverse health outcomes, there has been a lack of research on alcohol use among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescent alcohol use is not as common in this part of the world, compared to Europe or the US; however, research is still needed to inform alcohol treatment providers. Researchers at the African Population and Health Research Center in Nairobi, Kenya, examined the effects of adverse childhood experiences on alcohol use among sub-Saharan adolescents (Kabiru et. al., 2010).

The researchers collected data from 9,819 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 in Burkina Faso, Malawi, Uganda, and Ghana. The researchers used logistic regression models to identify correlates of self-reported drunkenness in the past year. Primary independent variables included exposure to different childhood experiences: living in a food-insecure household; living with a problem drinker; having been physically abused; and having been coerced into sex. The researchers controlled for age, school status, religiosity, living arrangements, marital status, head of household\’s sex, and country. Analyses for males and females were conducted separately.

Results show that all independent variables were associated with self-reported drunkenness in the past 12 months, except for coerced sex among males. Of all respondents, 9 percent reported drunkenness in the past 12 months. Respondents who experienced an adverse childhood event were more likely to report drunkenness. In multivariate analysis, only two of the childhood events were significant predictors of adolescent drunkenness for males: living in a household with a problem drinker before the age of 10, and being physically abused before the age of 10. For females, significant predictors of drunkenness in the past 12 months included exposure to family alcoholism, experience of physical abuse, and coerced sex. Further, the researchers found a graded relationship between the number of adverse childhood events and the proportion reporting drunkenness for both males and females.

Lead researcher Dr. Caroline Kabiru said, \”Early treatment for traumatic childhood experiences may be an essential component of interventions designed to prevent alcohol abuse among adolescents.\”

This research, along with previous studies, suggests that adverse childhood events and childhood abuse in particular are associated with adolescent alcohol use around the world. Therapists and treatment providers should explore childhood trauma and childhood abuse in alcohol treatment and prevention programs.

Kabirua CW, Beguy D, Crichton J, Ezeh AC. Self-reported drunkenness among adolescents in four sub-Saharan African countries: associations with adverse childhood experiences. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 2010; 4: 17.

alternative to AA
self-empowering
alcohol treatment

http://www.practicalrecovery.com

Author Bio: alternative to AA
self-empowering
alcohol treatment

Category: Advice
Keywords: alternative to AA, self-empowering, alcohol treatment