Savetovalište za članove porodice zavisnika od alkohola

Abstract

Our work program includes so-called 'significant others' (network therapy) in alcoholism treatment program. This approach helps even more, because we work with the families before alcoholic stops drinking within the counseling, which exists as long as the program of systematic alcoholism family therapy (beginning of the 80s of the 20th century), and is recognized worldwide as a Belgrade eco-systematic alcoholism treatment whose founder is PhD Branko Gačić. All positive results and successes of our clients/patients improve our idea of revitalization of the counseling work for the family members and significant others. The fact that minimal motivation is essential so alcoholic starts treatment (rare are the cases when patients self-initially start the treatment), it is also necessary that they have a support of the family and significant others. Therefore our multi-annual practice was directed toward the free of charge services (no record and health documentations keeping) as a way to motivate the families to ask for help. However, new conditions resulted as part of client counseling during the working hours (which covers dispensers services, work in a daily hospital) for which occasionally there is no available date sometimes for months, and this demoralize the potentially new family introduced on treatment. The basic idea was to create the project which will 'regenerate' counseling work to the structured time-limited scope of work according to citizens needs toward the implementation of such services on local community level and with slogan 'closer and faster to the healthy family'. Initiative to form Counseling for families with drinking problems was attempt which offer better help quality to individuals and their family in early phase of the disease development, to identify and define the problem, and to offer the best solution. People who provide help at alcoholism counseling are different profile experts specially educated for this type of work (pedagogue, psychologists, nurses etc.). They are capable to recognize the problems related to alcohol, to educate and motivate dependant to start the treatment, and to motivate significant others to cooperate. Alcoholism in counseling is not being cured, nor diagnosed, because these procedures are done in specialized institutes for alcoholism treatment. Target group were citizens in need for this kind of treatment, but they couldn't ask for professional help in specialized institutions, because of different personal or some other reasons. Expert advises were given to all people, regardless the gender, age differences, education or any other characteristic. According to gathered data we can make the profile of the citizen who asks for help to enter the treatment. It is a female person, around 40-years-old with high school diploma, working in administration, she is married, and asks for help for her partner because of the alcohol problems, and she directly comes to the counseling, lives in Belgrade and is in the first phase of the treatment. Counseling work experience and this project results run up the idea to form the counseling network in Belgrade on the local level with mutual support and cooperation, which would have a role as a continuation of counseling implementation with the slogan 'closer and faster to the advice/treatment'.