NURSING CARE PLAN: ALCOHOL TREATMENT PROGRAM

Nursing Diagnosis
Ineffective Denial: Conscious or unconscious attempt to disavow the knowledge or meaning of an
event to reduce anxiety and/or fear, leading to the detriment of health.

ASSESSMENT DATA
 Denial or minimization of alcohol use or dependence
 Blaming others for problems - Reluctance to discuss self or problems
 Lack of insight
 Failure to accept responsibility for behavior
 Viewing self as different from others - Rationalization of problems
 Intellectualization

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Immediate
The client will
 Participate in a treatment program; for example, attend activities and participate in group and
therapy sessions within 24 to 48 hours
 Identify negative effects of his or her behavior on others within 24 to 48 hours
 Abstain from drug and alcohol use throughout treatment program
 Verbalize acceptance responsibility for own behavior, including alcohol dependence and
problems related to alcohol use (such as losing his or her job) within 24 to 48 hours

Stabilization
The client will
 Express acceptance of alcoholism as an illness
 Maintain abstinence from alcohol
 Demonstrate acceptance of responsibility for own behavior
 Verbalize knowledge of illness and treatment plan

Community
The client will
 Follow through with discharge plans regarding employment, support groups, and so forth; for
example, identify community resources and make initial appointment or schedule time to
participate in support group sessions
IMPLEMENTATION
Nursing Interventions Rationale
Give the client and significant others information Most clients lack factual knowledge about
about alcoholism in a matter-of-fact manner. Do alcoholic as an illness. If the client can engage
not argue, but dispel myths such as "I'm not an you in semantic arguments or debates, the client
alcoholic if I only drink on weekends" or "I can can keep the focus off himself or herself and
learn to just drink alcohol socially". personal problems.
Avoid the client's attempts to focus only on The problem of alcoholism must be dealt with
external problems (such as marital or first because it affects all other areas.
employment problems) without relating them to
the problem of alcoholism.
Encourage the client to identify behaviors that The client may deny or lack insight into the
have caused problems in his or her life.
Do not allow the client to rationalize difficulties
or to blame others or circumstances beyond the
client's control.
Consistently redirect the client's focus to his or
her own problems and to what he or she can do
about them.
Positively reinforce the client when he or she
identifies or expresses feelings or shows any
insight into his or her behaviors or consequences.
Encourage other clients in the program to
provide feedback for each other.
relationship between his or her problems or
behaviors.
Rationalizing and blaming others give the client
ab excuse to continue his or her behavior.
You can facilitate the client's acceptance of
responsibility for his or her own behavior.
You convey acceptance of the client's attempts to
express feelings and to accept responsibility for
his or her own behavior.
Peer feedback usually is valued by the client
because it comes from others with similar
problem.