Question

A client says, "alcohol is not the cause of my problems. i can stop drinking any time i want." what is the short-term goal of the treatment given to this client?

Answer 1

The short time goal of the treatment given to the client, is to see how long the client can go without the consumption of alcohol and at the same time observing any changes in behavior and also if the client is facing any withdrawal symptoms like ,unstable moods, headache, insomnia anxiety etc.

Once all of this has been observed and dealt with the next short term goal would be setting a specific time period for the client to spend without consuming alcohol.

Answer 2

It is important to make the client understand that while alcohol might not be the cause of their problems or all of their problems it does affect the process of their decision making depending on the situation and how they feel towards different situations. A short-term goal would be to go a week without drinking alcohol and to note their changes in mood, behavior towards others and different challenges that they face. Another option is to set a "challenge" to see how long the client can go without the consumption of alcohol, the longer they go without the bigger the changes they will see in their day to day life.