Abstract
One of the most prevalent addictions in our society that has far-reaching social, economic and psychological ramifications is alcoholism. At least 16.3 million Americans who are above 18 years have Alcohol Use Disorder as at 2014. However, not everyone who consumes or excessively consumes alcohol ends up with alcohol use disorder. This study speculates that persons with alcohol addiction have an inherently addictive personality and goes ahead to propose a study to investigate it. Using a random sample, a two group-study will be implemented. Personality test will be used to collect information on addictive personality. A t-test for two-groups will be used to compare the means for the alcohol disorder group and normal group. The study speculates that there is a difference in the mean addictive personality score of the two groups.
Keywords: Alcoholism, addictive personality
One of the most prevalent addictions in our society that has far-reaching social, economic and psychological ramifications is alcoholism . A survey conducted by The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reveals that at least 16.3 million Americans who are above 18 years have Alcohol Use Disorder as at 2014. That translates into at least 6.8 percent of the adult population. The prevalence rate is 9.2 percent among men and 5.7 among women. It further reports that at least 1.5 million adult Americans received some form treatment. Unfortunately, alcohol-abuse is no longer a preserve of adults. The prevalence rate of drinking among teenagers below 18 years is very high. The survey by NIAAA reveals that at least 34.7 percent of teenagers have drunk alcohol at least once while the prevalence rate of binge drinking is 13.8 percent. The impacts of alcohol abuse cannot be overemphasized. Alcohol impairs judgment and increases traffic-related accidents. In 2007, approximately 13,000 traffic deaths were caused by drunk driving. Besides, it is estimated that at least 40 percent of violent crimes in the USA occur under the influence of alcohol. In Europe, at least one in ten premature deaths is caused by alcohol dependence.
Alcohol abuse is prevalent because unlike other drugs, alcohol is socially and legally accepted. In the USA, at least 87.6 percent of adult American indicate that they have drank alcohol. At least once in their lifetime, 71 percent reported that they have drank in the last one-year while at least 56 percent indicated that they have drank in the last one month. Therefore, it is easy for someone to slide into alcoholism compared to other drug-related addiction. Mulder (2002) shows that excessive consumption of alcohol influences the consumer behavior. However, not everyone who consumes or excessively consumes alcohol ends up with alcohol use disorder. Although approximately 25 million American adults reported to have engaged in excessive alcohol consumption in the last one month, only around 16 million Americans have alcohol abuse disorder. Therefore, there is a need to identify if persons with alcohol addiction have an inherently addictive personality. It is on this background that this study seeks to assess whether persons with alcohol abuse disorder have a higher addictive personality relative to the general population that makes them develop alcohol addiction once they start drinking alcohol.
There are few studies that have assessed the whether persons with alcohol use disorder have addictive personality. Berglund et al. (2011) assesses the personality traits of men with alcoholism. They carry out an experiment with 100 participants and a control group of 131 study participants. The study participants are recruited through a new paper advertisement. Karolinska Scales of Personality is used to assess the personality traits of the participants. Comparisons with the control group were conducted using multivariate ANOVA and t-test. They find evidence men with alcohol use disorder have addictive personalities. However, there study primarily focuses on adult men. Therefore, no information can be deduced about female. Alcoholism is not a problem that is confined to men. Although statistics shows that there is a higher proportion of men who have alcohol abuse disorder, the proportion of female is also significant. Earlier studies by Sher and Trull (1994) reported similar findings. The study assessed alcoholism in addition to anti-social personality behavior. Their study reveals that persons suffering from alcoholism tend to not only have addictive personality but also anti-social behavior which compounds the problem. The study assesses both men and women. However, it focuses only on adults. Underage drinking has become a real social issue today. With at least one in every three persons below 17 years indicating that they have drank alcohol already. Therefore, there is a need to assess this segment of the population as well. The present study will differ from previous studies by incorporating all segments of the population: adult male and female as well as teenage girls and boys.
The Biopsychosocial model argues that all illnesses are influenced by a dynamic interaction of three group of factors; biological, psychological, and social factors. The biological aspects encompass aspects such as genetic make, race or gender. Psychological factors entail psychological influences on health such as stress, negative thinking or negative thinking. Social factors encompass socio-cultural influences such as family background. These factors are likely to influence alcohol use disorder. However, the present study is only interested in assessing one factor. Therefore, appropriate measures to control for the other variables will be taken.
The population of interest is persons with alcohol use disorders. The study participants will be recruited through from an alcohol rehabilitation centers. It is easier to find the targeted population at those centers. A control group will be recruited from shopping malls. A random sample will be selected to eliminate researcher bias. A personality assessment test will be issued. The personality test will assess the addition personality. The demographic profile of the respondents will be recorded. Participation will be voluntary. A t-test for 2 sample means will be used to compare the means of the personality disorder scores for the two groups.
The null and alternate hypothesis will be as follows;
Study Hypothesis
There is a difference in the alcohol consumption persons with alcohol use disorder and the normal population group.
The dependent and independent variables for the study are:
Independent Variable = Alcohol use disorder
Dependent Variable = Alcohol consumption
Specific Research Questions
This study will attempt to answer the following research question
Is there a difference in the mean alcohol consumption between persons with alcohol use disorder and those without alcohol use disorder?
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
This study investigates the relationship between alcohol consumption and personality disorders. The evaluation of psychiatric conditions in persons suffering from alcohol use disorder can be challenging to clinicians and even the law enforcing agencies. Heavy alcohol consumption can contribute to, coexist with or result from different psychiatric conditions. As such, alcoholism can mimic or complicate any psychiatric disorder, thereby making it difficult to precisely diagnose psychiatric complaints. According to Berglund et al (2011), when psychiatric disorders and alcoholism occur concurrently, victims are more likely to experience difficulties in maintaining abstinence or to seek mental health services. Thus, a comprehensive evaluation of psychiatric issues among alcoholic patients is necessary to enable clinicians administer the most effective treatments for these individuals.
There are many theoretical models, which can be applied to examine and underpin the relationship between alcohol dependence and psychiatric disorders. One of the most widely applied models is the Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This model assumes that an individuals’ behavior is determined by thoughts as much as it is determined by external stimuli such as situations, events and circumstances. Therefore, the model has two major elements: skills training and the functional analysis. Function analysis is where the feelings and thoughts of the individual are analyzed. It is through functional analysis that psychiatrists and the patient work together to identify the possible reasons for the patient’s psychiatric behaviors. The element of skills training is about unlearning former habits and learning new skills. In the case of alcoholism, the idea is to get an individual to discover new ways of coping with the situation (Sher, Trull, Bartholow & Vieth, 1999).
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy model will be used in this study because it provides guidelines for evaluating behavioral traits among alcoholic individuals. The model provides a realistic framework for treating mental health disorders, which can be helpful in cases where these disorders are associated with alcohol consumption. The highly structured nature of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy means that it can be applied in different research settings such as individuals, groups and self-help books (Babor, 1996).
Study Rationale
This study is important in that it provides a framework for clinical intervention to help drinkers at risk to cease or reduce alcohol consumption. By investigating the relationship between personality disorders and alcoholism, the study will help mental healthcare practitioners to understand the appropriate context of alcoholic screening in clinical settings. At the basic level, this study will help clinicians understand the psychiatric underpinnings of alcoholism as well as the pathological progression of alcoholism. According to Rudd (2012), alcoholism is strongly implicated in legal and social problems in addition to a variety of physical injuries, diseases and disorders. Therefore, this study will help sociologists and law enforcers understand the correlation between mental disorders, and prevalence of alcohol induced crimes and behaviors.
The findings of this study can also be used by clinicians, therapists and psychologists to develop treatment approaches that are specific and unique to each patient’s needs. The findings will particularly be helpful to clinicians handling complex mental health issues suspected to be caused by interplay of several factors (Mulder, 2002). If the research finds a significant correlation between alcoholism and personality disorders, then the study will form a basis for more rigorous studies in this subject to better understand the nature of interaction between study variables. If no significant correlation is found, the study will add to existing literature on the topic besides highlighting an important social issue in contemporary society. The study will help the public (in particular alcoholics) understand the degree of mental devastation caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
The research will be peer reviewed and then published in an open access journal where it can be accessed freely by interested users. The findings will also be sent to healthcare professionals in selected facilities to enable them keep in touch with latest developments in this field. For the researcher, this study will be a precursor to similar studies, which will follow in due course.
The quasi-experimental study will assess the relationship between alcohol consumption and Alcohol Use Disorder. It is a quasi-experiment as the study will rely on naturally occurring groups. The study will employ a between subject design. A psychiatric evaluation will be used to confirm whether a person suffers from alcohol abuse disorder. Those who have alcohol abuse disorder will form the treatment group while those without alcohol abuse disorder will form the control group. All participants who are included in the experimental group must be diagnosed with mild or moderate alcohol abuse disorder while all participants who are included in the control group must not be diagnosed with any degree of alcohol abuse disorder
Inclusion Criteria: All the study participants in both the control group and experimental group must meet certain requirements to be eligible for inclusion in the study;
1. Eighteen (18) years or older
2. Male and Female
3. Consume alcohol
Note that those who consume alcohol but are undergoing alcohol rehabilitation/treatment will not be included in the study.
Recruitment and Sampling
The study will recruit a sample of 200 participants (100 participants in each group). The study will employ convenience sampling. Posters, flyers, and social media posts will be used to advertise the call for volunteers for the study. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the recruitment material will be sought before the call for volunteers is made. Potential participants will be screened by the inclusion criteria. Besides, they will be further screened to confirm their alcohol abuse disorder status to classify them under treatment group or control group. If the volunteers’ turnout who qualify for participation exceed the required sample size for each group, random sampling will be used to select the sample from the potential participants who meet the qualifications. The participants will be informed of what is expected of them and the intention of the study. The participants will then be required to sign an Informed Consent note to comply with ethical requirements. An Amazon gift voucher of $100 will be given to each participant as a participation incentive.
Intervention and Procedures
The study will take place in a social hall to create a relaxed atmosphere. Participants will be asked to fill in a questionnaire on the first day. A mental health practitioner will assess the alcohol use disorder or lack of it. Participants will then be informed that they are free to take as much alcohol as they feel comfortable to take. The experiment will be repeated four times, once per week.
Instrumentation
A questionnaire will be used to assess the presence or lack of alcohol use disorder among the respondents. The questionnaire will also contain questions on the demographic profile of the respondents such as age, gender, and ethnicity. The alcohol consumption rate will be measured in terms of the number of pints consumed by the participant.
Data Analysis
The objective of the data analysis is to determine if there is a difference in the alcohol consumption rates among people who had an alcohol use disorder and those who did not have an alcohol use disorder. The independent variable is alcohol use disorder while the dependent variable is alcohol consumption rates. A two-sample t-test will be used to compare the average consumption rate for the two treatment groups. A 5 percent significance level will be used to test the hypothesis for the study. Data entry will be performed using MS Excel while data analysis will be done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Summary statistics will also be presented in a table format as follows
Anticipated Results and Implications
Based on the theoretical framework and review of literature, it is expected that the mean alcohol consumption rate of those with alcohol use disorder is statistically higher than the mean alcohol consumption rate of those without alcohol use disorder.
References
Berglund, K., Roman, E., Balldin, J., Berggren, U., Eriksson, M., Gustavsson, P. & Fahlke, C. (2011). Do men with excessive alcohol consumption and social stability have an addictive personality? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52, 257–260.
Borrell-Carrió, F., Such, A., & Epstein, R. (2004). The biopsychosocial model 25 years later: principles, practice, and scientific inquiry. Annals of Family Medicine, 576-582.
Foundation for a Drug Free World. (2016, June 15). International Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.drugfreeworld.org: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/international-statistics.html
NHIAAA. (2016, June 15). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Sher, K., & Trull, T. (1994). Personality and Disinhibitory Psychopathology: Alcoholism and Antisocial Personality Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92-102.
Babor, T. F. (1996). The classification of alcoholics. Alcohol Health & Research World, 20, 6–15.
Berglund, K., Roman, E., Balldin, J., Berggren, U., Eriksson, M., Gustavsson, P. & Fahlke, C. (2011). Do men with excessive alcohol consumption and social stability have an addictive personality? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52, 257–260.
Mulder, R. T. (2002). Alcoholism and personality. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36, 44–52.
Rudd, M. D. (2012). Brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) for suicidality in military populations. Military Psychology 24 (6): 592–603.
Sher, K. J., Trull, T. J., Bartholow, B. D. & Vieth, A. (1999). Personality and alcoholism: Issues, methods and etiological processes. In K. E. Leonard & H. T. Blane (Eds.), Psychological theories of drinking and alcoholism (pp. 54–105). New York: Guilford Press.
