| Course | PAC 330 Substance Abuse |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Substance profile and treatment paper |
| Length | About 1,081 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 330 Module 2
A Liter a Day: Alcohol's Effects, Safe Withdrawal and the Medications Most Clients Are Never Offered
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 330: Substance Abuse
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
A Liter a Day: Alcohol's Effects, Safe Withdrawal and the Medications Most Clients Are Never Offered
Doug is fifty-two and schedules drivers for an Omaha freight company. For fifteen years he has drunk heavily, and for the past three he has drunk about a liter of vodka a day, starting at lunch. He shakes every morning until his first drink. Two years ago, when he tried to stop on his own, he had a seizure at home. His doctor has found an enlarged liver and high blood pressure. He came to Prairie Hope Recovery, the composite outpatient program in these papers, after his daughter said she would not let him see his grandchildren until he got help. This paper profiles alcohol and plans his treatment. Doug and the program are fictional; the medical research behind his plan is not.
Alcohol and the Body
Schuckit (2009) reviewed alcohol use disorders in a clinical overview. Alcohol acts on several neurotransmitter systems. It enhances the effects of GABA, the brain's main inhibitory transmitter, and inhibits glutamate, the main excitatory transmitter, producing relaxation, sedation and impaired coordination at increasing doses. It also increases dopamine and endogenous opioid activity, contributing to its rewarding effects. With chronic heavy use, the brain adapts by reducing GABA function and increasing glutamate activity, so that when drinking stops, the nervous system is left overexcited.
Heavy drinking harms nearly every organ. It causes fatty liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis; raises blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke; increases the risk of several cancers; damages the pancreas; and impairs memory and thinking, sometimes permanently. Schuckit described alcohol use disorders as having a substantial genetic component, with a low level of response to alcohol, needing more drinks to feel effects, among the inherited risk factors.
Withdrawal and Its Dangers
Because chronic drinking leaves the nervous system overexcited when alcohol is removed, withdrawal can be dangerous. Symptoms typically begin within hours of the last drink and include tremor, sweating, anxiety, nausea and rapid heart rate. Some people develop seizures, usually within the first two days, and a smaller number develop delirium tremens, with confusion, hallucinations and dangerous changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Doug's past seizure places him at high risk.
Mayo-Smith (1997) conducted a meta-analysis and developed a practice guideline for the pharmacological management of alcohol withdrawal. Benzodiazepines reduced withdrawal severity and the incidence of seizures and delirium and were recommended as the agents of choice. Symptom-triggered dosing, in which medication is given according to a withdrawal rating scale rather than on a fixed schedule, resulted in less total medication and shorter treatment. Other medications, such as beta blockers, could reduce some symptoms but did not prevent seizures and were recommended only as additions to benzodiazepines.
Why Doug Cannot Simply Stop
Doug's daughter asked why her father could not just stop drinking, as he has promised many times. The pharmacology offers part of an answer. After years of heavy drinking, Doug's brain has adapted to the constant presence of alcohol, so that its absence produces not only the physical symptoms of withdrawal but also anxiety, poor sleep and low mood that can last for weeks. Each drink relieves these symptoms, which powerfully reinforces drinking. His seizure two years ago taught him, reasonably, that stopping is frightening. Understanding this does not excuse the harm his drinking has caused, but it helps his family see why medical help with withdrawal, and medication afterward, are not shortcuts but appropriate treatment.
Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder
Jonas et al. (2014) pooled randomized trials of medications given to adults treated for alcohol use disorders outside the hospital. Acamprosate and oral naltrexone at fifty milligrams daily both reduced return to drinking. The authors expressed effects as numbers needed to treat: about twelve people needed to be treated with acamprosate for one to avoid returning to any drinking, and about twenty with naltrexone for one to avoid returning to any drinking and about twelve for one to avoid returning to heavy drinking. Evidence for disulfiram in well-controlled trials did not show a benefit, and some other medications, such as topiramate, had promising but less established evidence. The authors noted that these medications are rarely prescribed despite their evidence.
| Medication | How it works | Evidence from Jonas and colleagues | Considerations for Doug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naltrexone, oral | Blocks opioid receptors, reducing alcohol's reward | Reduces return to any and to heavy drinking | Requires liver monitoring given his enlarged liver; cannot be combined with opioids |
| Acamprosate | Thought to stabilize glutamate activity | Reduces return to any drinking | Cleared by the kidneys; usable with liver disease; three doses a day |
| Disulfiram | Causes illness if alcohol is consumed | Not supported by well-controlled trials | Works only with supervised dosing; risky with his heart and liver |
| Topiramate | Affects GABA and glutamate | Some evidence of reduced heavy drinking | Possible later option; side effects on thinking |
| Benzodiazepines | Enhance GABA | For withdrawal only, not ongoing treatment | Short course during withdrawal under medical supervision |
A Treatment Sequence
Doug's treatment will proceed in steps. First, because of his seizure history and daily heavy drinking, Prairie Hope will refer him to a medically monitored withdrawal management program for several days, where staff will use a withdrawal scale to guide benzodiazepine dosing. Second, once withdrawal is complete, his physician will consider a medication to reduce relapse risk, weighing naltrexone, which has strong evidence but requires liver monitoring, against acamprosate, which is safer for his liver but must be taken three times a day. Third, he will begin outpatient counseling at Prairie Hope using cognitive-behavioral methods focused on his high-risk times, especially lunch and evenings alone, and motivational work connected to his grandchildren. Fourth, with his consent, his daughter will be invited to a family session. Follow-up will continue for at least a year.
Underused Treatment
The most striking fact in this literature is that effective medications for alcohol use disorder are rarely offered. Many people who complete withdrawal leave without a medication that could reduce their risk of relapse. Counselors can help close this gap by asking clients whether they have been offered medication and by connecting them with prescribers.
Conclusion
Alcohol acts on GABA and glutamate in ways that make heavy drinking harmful and withdrawal potentially dangerous. Schuckit describes its effects and risks, Mayo-Smith shows how withdrawal can be managed safely with benzodiazepines given according to symptoms and Jonas and colleagues show that acamprosate and naltrexone reduce relapse. For Doug, safe withdrawal followed by medication and counseling offers a path to seeing his grandchildren again.
References
Jonas, D. E., Amick, H. R., Feltner, C., Bobashev, G., Thomas, K., Wines, R., Kim, M. M., Shanahan, E., Gass, C. E., Rowe, C. J., & Garbutt, J. C. (2014). Pharmacotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorders in outpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 311(18), 1889-1900. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.3628
Mayo-Smith, M. F. (1997). Pharmacological management of alcohol withdrawal: A meta-analysis and evidence-based practice guideline. JAMA, 278(2), 144-151. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1997.03550020076042
Schuckit, M. A. (2009). Alcohol-use disorders. The Lancet, 373(9662), 492-501. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60009-X
Reading the PAC 330 Module 2 assignment instructions
Alcohol is the subject of PAC 330's second module, and a typical assignment asks for a substance profile that explains effects and withdrawal and reviews evidence-based treatment, often applied to a client. Read the Module 2 prompt in your Aspen course closely; Doug is a composite. Describe alcohol's effects on the brain and body accurately. Explain withdrawal, including its dangers and how it is managed. Present evidence for medications with numbers where available. Combine medication with counseling in a treatment sequence. Keep medical decisions with prescribers. Every source needs an APA 7 reference, and the paper should point out which medications are often underused. Include medical complications, such as liver disease, that affect medication choice. Plan follow-up for at least a year.
How this PAC 330 Module 2 example is built
Doug has drunk heavily for fifteen years, shakes each morning and had a withdrawal seizure two years ago when he tried to stop on his own. Schuckit's Lancet review explains alcohol's actions on GABA and glutamate, its effects on the liver, heart and brain and its genetic risk. Mayo-Smith's JAMA meta-analysis supports benzodiazepines and symptom-triggered dosing, which Doug's seizure history makes essential. Jonas and colleagues' JAMA meta-analysis reports numbers needed to treat for acamprosate and naltrexone. A five-row table compares medications on mechanism, evidence and fit with Doug's liver and heart. The treatment sequence moves from medically supervised withdrawal to naltrexone and cognitive-behavioral counseling, with follow-up and family involvement.
Where the marks sit in the PAC 330 Module 2 rubric
Substance profile papers earn credit for accurate pharmacology, safe handling of withdrawal and evidence-based treatment. This example explains why alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and why Doug's seizure history requires medical management, a safety point instructors look for. Jonas and colleagues' numbers needed to treat are reported precisely, which shows how to communicate medication evidence realistically to clients and families. The medication table compares options on the same criteria. The treatment sequence integrates medication and counseling rather than treating them as alternatives, and medical decisions are assigned to prescribers. The paper also notes how rarely these medications are prescribed. Family involvement is planned with consent.
PAC 330 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Alcohol papers often skip withdrawal or describe it as mild. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures and delirium and may require medical management. Report medication evidence accurately, including numbers needed to treat, and note that medications are underused. Describe pharmacology correctly: alcohol enhances GABA and inhibits glutamate. Combine medication with counseling. Address medical complications, such as liver disease. Keep prescribing decisions with medical staff. Avoid moralizing about drinking, and explain why stopping is hard. Plan for relapse prevention after withdrawal, since withdrawal management alone is not treatment. Say who on the team carries out each step of the plan and when. Check whether the client has ever been offered medication.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More PAC 330 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- PAC 330 Module 1: Substance Use Disorders and Their Fundamentals
- PAC 330 Module 3: Nicotine and Cannabis
- PAC 330 Module 4: Opioids
- PAC 330 Module 5: Stimulants and Other Substances
- PAC 330 Module 6: Individual Treatment Methods
- PAC 330 Module 7: Group Treatment Methods
- PAC 330 Module 8: Family Treatment Methods
- PAC 110 Module 2: Biological and Genetic Theories
- PAC 320 Module 4: Outpatient Treatment
- PAC 240 Module 6: Spirituality and Coping
- PAC 120 Module 6: Advocacy for Clients and Communities
PAC 330 Module 2 questions, answered
What does PAC 330 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 330 covers alcohol in this module, so a substance profile explaining effects and withdrawal and reviewing evidence-based treatment is typical. Check your Module 2 prompt.
Can alcohol withdrawal be dangerous?
Yes. It can cause seizures and delirium, so people with heavy daily drinking or past complicated withdrawal may need medical management.
How is alcohol withdrawal treated?
Mayo-Smith's meta-analysis supported benzodiazepines, often given according to symptom scores, to reduce severity, seizures and delirium.
Where can I find a free PAC 330 Module 2 sample paper?
The full paper is posted here: alcohol's effects, safe withdrawal and medications for a client drinking a liter a day, with a medication table.
Do medications for alcohol use disorder work?
Jonas and colleagues found acamprosate and oral naltrexone effective; for example, about one in twelve treated with acamprosate avoided a return to drinking because of the medication.