Functional Analysis: A Treatment Approach to Substance Abuse - Essay Sample

Introduction

Often people use certain substances to achieve their needed or desired effects. In some of the instances the lack of alternative resources to cope up with the situation poses grate danger to initiating and maintaining change. For this reason, the functional analysis is used as a treatment approach to aid in identification of the relationship existing between the events that trigger the abuse of the substance and the desired outcome. When this relationships are understood, it becomes helpful for the therapists to address the deficits in coping the skills. Using the identified deficits, one can formulate a plan to help in developing such skills and hence quit the habits.

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To gather information the interview assessment was carried out. Using the interview, the smoker was assessed and from which more information about myself and substance use was gained. Through the interview, the results of the assessment revealed that the smoker uses cigarettes for socialization and relaxation. Hence the need for the relaxation and socialization maintain the smoking behaviors. Quitting the behavior has proved problematic and there is hence the need to develop a functional analysis and a treatment plan to curb the behavior since whenever the smoker is in need of socializing or relaxation he engages in smoking.

The presence of the smoking behavour is influenced by relaxation and socialization. Whenever the smoker engages in the two behaviors, smoking has to take place. Hence, the plausible ways to curb the smoking would be to reduce the socialization and relaxation activities. The relaxation and socialization aids in maintaining the smoking behaviors, hence a functional analysis to test the hypothesis will be prepared to include various procedures. A functional analysis consists of a model to understand the psychological and functions of the human behavior. In this case, the analysis will entail understanding the smoking behavior and hence aid in developing the best ways through which the behavior can be overcome using an intervention plan. Among the many things studied, the causes and the consequences of the smoking behavior are vital and are first understood. Generally, a certain human behavior is triggered by a certain stimulus which compels an individual to behave in the way he/she behaves. It is therefore, critical to understand the causes and consequences of the behavior. In this regard, the first step in the functional analysis will be defining the challenging behaviors experienced by the client while the consequent steps will be as follows:

1. Defining the challenging behavior critically. The challenging behavior as identified through interview is excessive smoking during the relaxation and socialization time. The behavior recurrent and the client cannot stay without smoking during these times. Evidently, the smoker is influenced by the idle time and the friends that engaged during the socialization time. To define the behavior critically, an indirect observation will be conducted ad this will entail interviewing the smoker and record the antecedents, behavior and consequences (ABC) of the smoking behavior after the introduction of the intervention. As a result, the ABC table below will be used to assess the behavior of the smoker.

Date/Time

(defines when the behavior occurs)

Activity

(the activity that the smoker was engaged on when the behavior occurred)

Antecedent

(happenings just before the behavior and what might have been the trigger)

Behaviour

(the looks of the behaviour)

Consequence

(happenings after the behavior occurred)

2. Reviewing the referral records and forms. This step will entail checking the referral record and forms to aid in the identification in some of the interventions that have been used to address the behavioural problem.

3. Intervetion. This will involve critically identifying the advantags and the disadvantages of the approach used to curb smoking during socialization and relaxation time. Since the environment is a problem to the smoker, one of the plans to tame the behavour is to change the environment. Changing the environment will reduce the smokers exposure to the relaxation environment and socialization environment. Alternative to socialization would be to introduce the smoker to a place where people engaged in other work rather than socialization. In this regard, engaging the smoker fully with work would substantialy curb the behavior. However, while this strategy is advantages in that it detaches the smoker from the idleness hene engaging him in an involing work, this is disadvantageous since it does not quench the thirst of cigarettes. Also, the intervention does ot address the withdrawal symptoms that can be serious following abrupt withdrawal of the drug. Hence, the intervention may not work effectively.

The second intervention approach is the use of a reinforcement schedule plan. It is hypothesized that cigarette use causes addiction and with time it becomes impossible or hard to quit the habit. Use of Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) has been found to be an effective and plausible way and function to curb the engagement in behavior. Some of the specific plausible functions include the non-nicotine vapor juice, gum, or low dose nicotine juice. As a result, I will decrease smoking cigarettes or anything containing nicotine. Research has established that the best way to decrease behavior is through a reinforcement schedule plan (Mayer, Sulzer-Azaroff, & Wallace, 2014). In his regard, the approach will use the functional behavioral assessment, to identify the nature of why the smoker indulges in alcohol and the frequency of the smoking habit.

I would like to save money to buy a new wardrobe for the fall. I currently spend 100.00 a month on cigarettes. My smoking has decreased considerably and structured when laws were passed that you could not smoke in public places. I currently live with a non-smoker and is not permitted to smoke in the house therefore, tracking can be easily implemented.

I will implement a differential reinforcement DRA smoking of non-nicotine flavored vapor after lunch or anytime when socializing. Having smoked flavored vapors in the past and found it to be very enjoyable, I intend to utilize it as a reinforcer to cigarette. An advantage of smoking the non-nicotine vapor is that family member and some public places do not find it offensive. The vapor juice is much more affordable than cigarettes. I will use a continuous schedule reinforcement to establish this behavior rather than smoking cigarettes. According to Mayer, Sulzer-Azaroff, and Wallace (2014), a continuous schedule reinforcement is one of the best strategies to start with in case a smoker intends to establish a new routine and abandon th previous one. Th us of vapor juice will b the specific reinforcer but I will introduce a generalized reinforcer to augment th spcifiic on. every two days the money that I save from" NOT "buying cigarettes I will put in a jar; this will be a generalized reinforcer. At the end of the month I will use a fixed interval by rewarding myself with a shopping spree with the monies that have been accumulated. One disadvantage of the plan is not having enough reinforcers in place. One strategy I may consider is nicotine gum, or starting out with a vapor with some nicotine and creating a titrate plan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a differential reinforcement DRA smoking of non-nicotine flavored vapor after lunch or anytime when socializing will be implemented as the reiforcer. Such a smoking intervention plan and strategy will entail the utilization of two reinforcers namely the generalized reinforcer and the specific reinforcer which will include saving plan and vapor juice respectively. Imperatively the reinforcers will be used during the relaxation time and the socialization time when the smokers uses the cigarette. The intervention plan will consist of a continuous schedule reinforcement which implies that the strategies will be run for some time until the smoker fully integrate and completely stop smoking cigarettes.

Reference

Mayer, G., Sulzer-Azaroff, B., and Wallace, M. (2014). Behavior analysis for lasting change. 3rd ed.