Aleman Case Vignette

Case Vignette
Jorge Aleman is a 40-year-old Hispanic male. He currently lives with his cousin and his family. Mr. Aleman is a diabetic and has hypertension for which he has been prescribed medication. He stated that he often doesn’t take his medication, because he understands the risks of mixing medicine and alcohol. He has not attended any follow-ups with his physician for over a year. He was diagnosed with depression 6 months ago and was referred by his therapist to substance abuse counseling for his ongoing consumption of alcohol. Mr. Aleman lost his job of 10 years because he showed up to work drunk several times. He is now working at a new construction company, but has already received a warning about missing to many days. He does not

He has had two previous marriages, and both have ended in divorce, because his partners have cheated on him. He has a son with his first wife who he does not speak too, because of his drinking. He says that he was only 15 when he became a father, they married a few years after their son was born. He states that him drinking was often a topic of argument in both his marriages. Mr. Aleman reports that he’s been having problems at home because his cousin doesn’t like him drinking. Also, because his family believes that he is putting others in danger by drinking and driving. He has also called of work about 10 times in the last 3 months because he has been drinking. He says he has also lost a lot weight and he believes it is probably because of his diabetes, but also reports choosing to buy alcohol instead of food when he doesn’t have enough money for both. He is concerned because his drinking has affected a lot of areas in his life like his relationships, his job, and his

Aleman indicated that he began drinking after he found his father dead on the front steps of their home. He used alcohol as a coping tool after the loss of his father, the traumatic experience of finding his dead body, and having to drop out of school and start working at the age of 12. The relationship between childhood traumatic experience and alcohol use is supported by an article that’s says, “numerous studies show that life adversities like traumatic experiences, childhood maltreatment, the loss of a loved one, displacement, the loss of a job, etc. and mental and physical health including alcohol related disorder are associated” (Ertl, Saile, Neuner & Catani, 2016). In Mr. Aleman’s case he experienced a traumatic event that also tied in with the loss of a loved one, and shortly after he began