Alcohol abuse among psychologists.

Abstract

Models of Alcoholismhe term alcoholism has idiosyncratic connotations and usually means what the user chooses it to mean. Much disagreement and controversy abound regarding what constitutes alcoholism. On the one hand, no one T quarrels with the fact that alcohol abuse, be it a disease, a bad habit, or a culturally induced behavior pattern, carries with it a multitude of medical, familial, social, and work problems that dwarf those of any other so-called disease in our society (Vaillant, 1983). On the other hand, alcohol misuse comes in so many guises with so many variations in form and symptoms that fitting all of these manifestations into a well-delineated disease model seems impossible (Jacobson, 1976;Pattison & Kaufman, 1982;Peele, 1984).Throughout the ages, using alcohol as a means of altering consciousness has had an extraordinary appeal to humankind. This simultaneous fascination with and dread of alcohol was depicted by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1918), who suggested that there is in all of us "a demand for the superlative, so much so that the poor devil who has no other way of reaching it attains it by getting drunk' (p. 40). Weil(1972), in studying the universal use of chemical agents to induce alterations in consciousness, concluded that the desire to alter consciousness is an innate, normal drive analogous to hunger or the sexual drive. He emphasized that drugs are but one way of satisfying this drive; many others exist. Glasser (1976) coined the term "positive addiction" to define the attempt to refocus negative addictive behaviors into positive, mind-altering addictions, for example, running and meditating. The classification of alcohol misuse as a moral failing, a bad habit, or a disease has been the subject of major attention over the past 20 years. Fortunately, the view that alcoholism is a moral problem has, in part, been rejected. Yet the skepticism that is attached to selfinflicted diseases remains.The scientifidtreatment community has tended to take either of two major positions on this issue. Those on the social science side tend to prefer

Stress in clinical psychology trainees

“…These include examinations, financial difficulties, time pressure and work overload. Several American studies of psychologists have been reported (Boyer, 1984 ;Laliotis & Grayson, 1985 ;Thoreson & Skorina, 1986). Overall, these studies suggest that the prevalence of distress and impairment among psychologists is at least as high and often higher than in the general non-professional population.…”

Signs and Symptoms of the Impaired Counselor

“…Office staff may also act as buffers; they too become enablers. Counselors who use alcohol and drugs tend to zealously protect their privacy by working alone and limiting professional contacts, so that many see clients in their offices without review by their peers (Thoreson & Skorina, 1986). McCrady (1989), when discussing alcohol and other drug use disorders, described "a range of symptoms [which] characterize these problems, including loss of control, continued use of the substance despite problems as a result of use, tolerance and withdrawal, and hazardous use of the substance" (p. 339).…”

Validation of the Inventory of Professional Functioning (IPF): Occupational Health of Social Workers

“…The psychology literature uses the term distressed in conjunction with impairment (Good, Thoreson, & Shaughnessy, 1995;Kilburg, 1986;Kilburg, Nathan, & Thoreson, 1986;McCrady, 1989;Sherman, 1996;Sherman & Thelen, 1998;Thoreson, Miller, & Krauskopf, 1989;Thoreson & Skorina, 1986). The medical field suggests that ''any physical, emotional or educational deficiency that interferes with the quality of .…”