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How is the rehabilitation process affected by substance abuse? - Allen Heinemann, PhD

How is the rehabilitation process affected by substance abuse?

Allen Heinemann, PhD

Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago

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Well, for people with extreme dependence, they are going to have an unexpected period of sobriety and potential withdrawal during their initial hospital stay.  That’s not the case for most people with spinal cord injury, even those who are intoxic... Show More

Well, for people with extreme dependence, they are going to have an unexpected period of sobriety and potential withdrawal during their initial hospital stay.  That’s not the case for most people with spinal cord injury, even those who are intoxicated; alcohol metabolizes and they’re back to the baseline pretty quickly.  Hopefully the rehabilitation team is attentive to the issues.  They’ve obtained a good history, they inquire about the role of alcohol or the drugs in socializing with friends, with family—try to get a sense of family dynamics, and whether there’s a history of alcohol or drug abuse in the family.  And then pose questions about, “So, what’s it going to be like when you go home?—“What is home like?”—“Who are your friends?”—“How do you like to socialize with friends?”—“Can you anticipate any problems or issues with that group going back home again?”  Rates of alcohol and drug use decline dramatically after spinal cord injury, life changes.  It’s harder to get in and out of one’s home, hard to get around in the community.  Friends often, for lack of a better word, abandon the person with spinal cord injury, because their not able to socialize in the way they did before, and they’re also going through a grieving process of, “This isn’t the friend that I used to socialize with, they’re different, different now.”  So, for a variety of reasons, including the person’s awareness that, “perhaps I was drinking too much,” or, “drugs played a role in my injury,” many people cut way back or stop, at least initially, after the spinal cord injury.  

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How is the rehabilitation process affected by substance abuse?

Allen Heinemann, PhD

Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago

More Videos by Allen Heinemann
Transcriptadd

Well, for people with extreme dependence, they are going to have an unexpected period of sobriety and potential withdrawal during their initial hospital stay.  That’s not the case for most people with spinal cord injury, even those who are intoxicated; alcohol metabolizes and they’re back to the baseline pretty quickly.  Hopefully the rehabilitation team is attentive to the issues.  They’ve obtained a good history, they inquire about the role of alcohol or the drugs in socializing with friends, with family—try to get a sense of family dynamics, and whether there’s a history of alcohol or drug abuse in the family.  And then pose questions about, “So, what’s it going to be like when you go home?—“What is home like?”—“Who are your friends?”—“How do you like to socialize with friends?”—“Can you anticipate any problems or issues with that group going back home again?”  Rates of alcohol and drug use decline dramatically after spinal cord injury, life changes.  It’s harder to get in and out of one’s home, hard to get around in the community.  Friends often, for lack of a better word, abandon the person with spinal cord injury, because their not able to socialize in the way they did before, and they’re also going through a grieving process of, “This isn’t the friend that I used to socialize with, they’re different, different now.”  So, for a variety of reasons, including the person’s awareness that, “perhaps I was drinking too much,” or, “drugs played a role in my injury,” many people cut way back or stop, at least initially, after the spinal cord injury.  

How is the rehabilitation process affected by substance abuse?
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