Ronald Maxon is a 47-year-old, Caucasian male. Ronald is a self-reported alcoholic. Ronald has a history of drug use and states that he has high blood pressure, diabetes and suffered an alcohol related heart attack. Ronald is married. However he is currently separated from his wife and three children ages, 17, 16 and 10 years old. He works as a general manager at Casey’s General Store in Ottumwa, IA where he makes $91,201 per year.
Ronald is a long time alcoholic. He began drinking when he was a freshman in high school, shortly after his dad passed away. He reports that he has been able to maintain sobriety in the past but never for more than a few months at a time. Ronald said that his wife often tells him he is an angry drunk and he hurts her feelings when he drinks. Ronald doesn’t think he gets angry but states that he has been known to black out several nights a week when he drinks.
Ronald was raised by his mom because his dad died of a heart attack when he was 13 years old. Ronald has three other siblings who live in Mt. Pleasant, IA. He is the youngest of the four children. His oldest brother was in the military and works as an engineer. One sister is an accountant and the other is on disability following a serious car accident. Ronald has a good relationship with his mom. His relationship with his siblings is strained. They are not supportive of his lifestyle and have not been a support to him since his wife left him. Ronald feels betrayed by his siblings as they still spend time with his wife and children, choosing to support her and not him. Ronald has always had support from his mom who has helped him out many times. Ronald states that once he began drinking, his mom had him court-ordered to treatment. He went and spent 48 hours there and left. When Ronald was in college, he was arrested for public intoxication on two separate occasions. Most recently, Ronald was arrested for drunk driving and in jail for two days. Ronald lost his license and shared that he is at risk of losing his job at Casey’s.
Ronald works 55 hours, second shift at Casey’s General Stores. Ronald has been employed at Casey’s for fifteen years. Ronald shared that he has never had a drink while working but has had a drink or two before going to work in the morning to help with his shakiness and other withdraw symptoms to get through his shift. Ronald has been talked to by his boss about being late, his appearance, and the smell of alcohol when he enters a room. Ronald has one more chance before he loses his job.
Ronald recently had a mild heart attack after drinking heavily one night after his wife moved out. Ronald has high blood pressure and diabetes. He also shared that his doctors have told him that he is at risk of liver failure. Ronald smokes at least a pack of cigarettes a day. He admits to smoking more some days than others. Ronald has never been diagnosed with mental health disorder but says there are days that he feels sad and unmotivated to do anything.
Ronald is not involved in his community and doesn’t have other community supports. He went to AA a few times to satisfy his wife but he would leave each meeting and drink. Ronald does not know of any other community supports available to him currently.
Ronald’s environmental strengths include his mom and his job. Ronald has a good relationship with his mom who has been a strong supporter of his, especially since his dad died. Although Ronald is at risk of losing his job, Ronald has been able to get to work each day and has supportive co-workers who offer to help him in a variety of ways including providing transportation and offering to take him to AA meetings.
Ronald has been able to cope in the past with his dad’s death in a healthy, appropriate way. He knows of alternate coping skills and can use them. Ronald has a support system of his co-workers, his boss and a close friend. He can utilize his support network when he needs. Ronald has been able to keep his job at Casey’s General Store for the past 15 years. He has worked his way up to a store manager from a cashier when he started. Ronald has a lot of responsibility at Casey’s and he has been able to maintain all his responsibilities and use appropriate communication with his team. He supervises a diverse team of employees and customers and has been able to de-escalate crisis situations within his store. Ronald has a good paying job and can manage his finances and provide necessities for his family.
Ronald has been married for 18 years and has three children. Ronald recognizes that he has a problem that is having a negative impact on his family. He has been able to provide for his family and children financially and at times, physically and emotionally. Ronald has maintained sobriety in the past and knows he can make changes to his lifestyle. He recognizes the need for enhanced support to make the changes needed for his life.
Ronald is committed to getting the help he needs to learn healthier ways of coping with life when things are not easy and routine for him. Ronald is aware of his drinking habits. If Ronald completely quits drinking alcohol, he will not have to worry about losing his job and his physical health will improve. He knows he needs to change and has the mental capacity to make a change. He is ready to make a change to his life by cutting back his alcohol consumption.
Potential risks for Ronald to decrease the amount of alcohol he drinks are the stress of his current job status, his wife and children leaving the home, his current problems with the law and not having a driver’s license and the amount of money he needs to pay to pay off his fines, get his license back and the insurance he will need once he begins to drive. If his wife files a court order to get child support from him, he could potentially be even more stressed. At this time, his wife, children and extended family want him to change however it appears as if they will help him from a distance until he can prove to them that he is ready to make a change to his drinking habits. Ronald has learned coping skill in the past but chooses to use alcohol as a way of coping with stress.
Define the problem:
Ronald would like to quit drinking but doesn’t have a strong support system of people around him to help him maintain sobriety and gain healthy coping skills. Ronald and other alcoholics are at risk of engaging in other risky behaviors as a substitute for drinking alcohol since they don’t always have the support they need.
Goal:
For Ronald and others like him to be able to access community resources to maintain sobriety, improve relationships, and improve work productivity. By seeking community resources, Ronald and others like him will learn how to substitute unhealthy coping skills (alcohol use) with healthy ones.
alcohol and the economy 