WEEK 8, Assignment , Psychotherapy for Clients with Addictive Disorders

WEEK 8, Assignment , Psychotherapy for Clients with Addictive Disorders

Summary of Abstinence

Experience My abstinence experience consisted of 8 weeks not using the social media app, TIktok. During the pandemic, I was no longer working in a professional setting, therefore had time to be on my phone throughout the day. This is when I discovered Tiktok, offering an endless amount of entertaining videos and overstimulation. I would spend hours at a time scrolling through the app, unable to effectively do anything else. Family and friends sent multiple videos throughout the day, enabling me to continue to watch, even after their video was viewed long ago. A positive effect of Tiktok on myself and loved ones included gaining valuable pieces of information, recipes, or how-to videos. The app provides a wealth of information and entertainment with millions of videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. As one can imagine, the negative effects were of a larger magnitude. I often found myself becoming irritable or anxious if I was not able to use the app throughout the day. I would be on Tiktok so much that either my wife would be annoyed, or I would hide my usage. According to Counseling Today, after awareness has been established, one will be able to connect it to the client's present situation (Phillips, 2018). Because my phone tracks my use on a daily basis, I was able to see just how much time I was spending on Tiktok and knew I needed a change. Over the first couple of weeks, I remained on track with my goal of abstaining from Tiktok completely. I believe after about week two or three, I had relapsed and gotten on Tiktok for at least an hour that day. Following my failure to abstain, for the rest of the duration, I only went on Tiktok if someone sent me a video, then I would watch it and then immediately log off. I felt better about myself and my progress with the check-in quizzes. I was honest and relayed that I did have a relapse, however, I found a way to make it work for my personal situation.

Internal influences such as individual traits, age, gender, and personality did have an effect on my overall experience. An individual trait I possess, such as neuroticism, shows that "those with higher levels of anxiety and stress are more prone to seek comfort and self-soothing from social media"(3 Personality Types That Are Prone to Social Media Addiction, 2021). I also believe that my age definitely has a role in impacting my overall experience with maintaining abstinence from using Tiktok. As a millennial, I often feel left out or "old" if I am unaware of the latest trend. External influences such as family affected my overall progress by simply fueling or adding to my addiction. Family and friends would send me around four or five videos at a time, prompting me to get back on the app, even if I did not necessarily want to. In a strange way, I felt like someone trying not to drink in a social setting, as though I was being pressured and that I would be rude if I didn't participate. How Experience Applies to Clients with Addictive Disorders I do believe that this experience applies to working with clients who are affected by addictive disorders. It allowed me to endure firsthand what it felt like to try and abstain from something that was negatively impacting me and fail. I have learned that those facing addiction suffer challenges that are beyond their control and often struggle to succeed as a result. I feel as though I came out of this experiment with more empathy and understanding for those with addictive disorders.Addiction is a disease, and we must be sensitive toward those who are vulnerable and mindful of their humanity (NBCC, 2022). My Perspectives In terms of my perspective of addiction from Week 1 to Week 10, I believe that my outlook has evolved. Looking back, in week 1 I did not yet have an understanding of addiction

counseling, and what it means to struggle with abstinence. Though the abstinence experience assignment was just a brief experiment, I learned that I should be less judgmental of others and instead be more compassionate and empathetic. Addictive disorders are extremely prevalent among many different ages, genders, cultures, etc., stemming from a multitude of factors. There are numerous models for explaining etiology of addiction, i.e., moral, psychological, family, disease, public health, developmental, biological, sociocultural, and multicausal (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2020). My perspective has changed in terms of my education on the topic, and therefore so has my personal opinion. In week 1 I stated that I possess a strong sense of compassion due to my previous experiences, and now combining my knowledge of addictions counseling, I believe that has only solidified. Issue to Advocate for Social Change The most important issue I could advocate for in regard to addiction to affect positive social change is acquiring more resources for those struggling with dependency. In order to become an advocate,