Ben is a fifty-five-year-old man, he presents as a thin man with many missing teeth.

At the time of his assessment, Ben stated, "You know, you don't ever recover from killing your brother-in law."

• Cannabis 1 gm per day,
• Drinking alohol between 6-18 cans of mixed spirits per day, sometimes starting to drink at lunch time,
• a $50 per day, 3-month Heroin binge on which he stopped because he spent all his money

He stated he did not want to commit crime to pay for his drug habits. Ben detailed that he takes Sequel at night to help him sleep, along with Valium PRN during the day.

Ben recently became a grandfather and would like to rebuild the relationship with his son.

Substance use history:

Ben reported that the first substance he tried was Alcohol at age 14. He detailed that by the age of 16, he was sharing a bottle of Bourbon with his two best friends each night after work from Thursday through to Sunday. This pattern continued with an increase of alcohol consumption to two-thirds of a bottle of Jim Beam every night for the next eight years.

At the age of 15, Ben reported smoking Cannabis 'billys' at lunch time at school two to three times a week. He detailed that at the time he ditched Cannabis as he preferred Alcohol, feeling it was more socially acceptable.

Ben reported that he started taking Amphetamines orally at the age of 17. He stated that he 'did not like needles.' He detailed that for the following 10 years he would consume Amphetamines orally about 3-4 times a year.

At 18 years, Ben began his first meaningful relationship with a girl that smoked Cannabis, and they were permitted to smoke at her home with her parents. He detailed that he would smoke half a gram per night on average; he stated that it was like cigarettes for him. This daily pattern has continued over the following 36 years.

When he turned 24, he was introduced to Heroin whilst being intoxicated at a mate's place. Ben reported that his use quickly escalated to injecting .8 of a gram, or $300 a day. This pattern continued for the following three years until he was incarcerated. Ben detailed that he has overdosed on two occasions due to drinking alcohol as well as using Heroin. He reported that he has not used heroin since being released from custody just after turning 27.

Ben did return to his habit of drinking Alcohol when he was released from prison. He detailed that on Thursdays after work he would grab a six-pack of pre-mixed spirit cans and then look to score Amphetamines from his friends and acquaintances. If he could not score Amphetamines, he would continue to drink another dozen or so pre-mixed spirit cans.

Ben reported that at age 27 years upon release from a custodial sentence due to his Heroin addiction that he vowed to himself that he could not return to Heroin subsequently he took to injecting Amphetamines. He noted that his Cannabis use increased as it was cheaper, and he mostly spent his time staying at home and chilling out.

At 28 years, Ben met his second significant partner. He detailed that they moved in together within six months as she had become pregnant with his child. He stated that he was earning good money as a concreter and that his 'Mrs' was a stay-at-home mum. Ben reported this his pattern of IV use of Amphetamines use increased to enable the physical work of a concreter and that he would smoke cannabis in the evening to relax. He detailed that his GP had prescribed him Xanax to reduce his feelings of agitation in the evening and to help him sleep.

The following three years Ben reported he continued with the above pattern of substance use, and life was ok...that was until the night that he and his brother in-law were driving back to the bottle shop just a few kilometres away. Both had both been drinking alcohol while watching the footy. They were involved in a serious car accident. His brother in-law was killed. Ben was charged with culpable driving, was found to have .08 BAC and amphetamines in his system. He was incarcerated for seven years.

Upon release Ben moved in with his then partner-the mother of his son, who is now 10 years old. Ben detailed that he and his partner argued all the time, he had to move out into a one-bedroom unit nearby as this enabled him to see his son. Seeing his son was especially important to Ben, he stated he would do anything to be able to see his son...

Of importance is that throughout Ben's drug and alcohol use there has been points in time of total abstinence. Ben detailed that he has relapsed due to his relationship issues, the subsequent loneliness, boredom, and the feelings of guilt from killing his brother in-law.

Ben was born in NZ. He detailed that his mother is Maori, his father Pakeha (white man) and that he was bought up in NZ until the age of 10 when his family moved to Australia. He detailed that this experience has left him in a disposition that he has always struggled with; 'not sure who to be, or where I fit in'.

Ben reported having seen an AOD counsellor for three months. He detailed that through his work with her he learnt to 'think about drink as trouble, that on a day-to-day basis he could recognise that he had consumed more than enough alcohol, and that any more would lead to trouble for him'. Ben reported favourably toward the process of counselling and appeared keen to re-engage in the process.

Motivation to Change Substance Usage

Ben rates a medium level of taking steps to change and he rates medium levels of recognition of the current problematic nature of his drug and alcohol consumption. A key goal in treatment would be to assist him in abstinence whilst supporting him with his emotional upheavals that he will undoubtably experience. His elevated levels of ambivalence could be explained by his 40 years of alcohol and drug use and his sense of 'life being black'. A further explanation for his high ambivalence could be contributed to a high fear and anxiety in managing his emotional state substance free.

Mental Health Issues

Ben stated that for the last 25 years he has experienced life to be 'dark'. He detailed that seven months ago 'it was very dark. He also reported experiencing anxiety, and at times has trouble remembering. Although Ben reports 'life to be dark' he has never had any suicide ideation.

Sarah is 44 years old and lives by herself in an inner city unit in Melbourne. She works five days a week in the dispatch department of a fast-paced, online clothing business.

Two years ago, Sarah's only child lost his life to cancer, he was only 19 years of age. During this period, under the supervision of her GP, Sarah was prescribed anti-depressant's and regularly attended a grieving support group.

About six months after the death of her son, an old friend reached out to Sarah insisting it was time to go out and have some fun. Sarah did not know that her friend was into taking MDMA and smoking ICE on weekends.

Her friend visited Sarah at her unit, and Sarah smoked ICE for the first time. She loved the initial rush, the feeling of euphoria, the sense of confidence and increased energy.

Together the women would go out clubbing, dancing for hours, arriving home often as the sun was coming up.

Sarah and her girlfriends' pattern of weekend use continued for the next few months with the 'weekend binge' starting Thursday nights.

By the time Monday morning came around, Sarah was exhausted and did not feel able to face work without smoking ICE. It became her norm to use ICE daily.

Sarah's colleagues noticed her changed behaviour. She was chain smoking tobacco, her moods were erratic, she had lost a considerable amount of weight, and was taking more and more sick days. Her employer has scheduled a meeting with her to discuss this..."

Assessment Task 2: Case Studies and practical demonstration

Part A:Persona 1 and 2 Above

1. Comment on your own initial thoughts about each case. (Be as honest as you can here - there are no 'wrong' answers. This will help you analyse your own values.)

Aaron
Ben
Cassie
Sarah
Yuri

1. Briefly explainwhat impact your personal values and attitudes might have on these situations.

1. Explain why it is important that you are aware of your organisation's values and processes.

Part B

Review the persona case studieshttps://online.swtafe.vic.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=162611 and then choose two to compete the following tasks:

Complete the following questions on each of the selected personas

1. Foreachof the personas you selected, brieflysummarise their situation.

	Name	Summary
Persona One
Persona Two

1. Briefly outline howinformationregardingcurrent values and philosophiesof the AOD sectorapply to their situations.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Outline how you would support each client's rights and safety.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Discuss how you would ensure access and equity for each of the clients.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Explain how you would ensure that your actions were legal and ethical.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Explain the harm minimisation approach you took for each of the personas.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. What interventions/supports did you suggest for each client?

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Outline how did youtake into accounttheclientsvalues in determining thesuggested interventions/supports.

Persona One
Persona Two

1. Explain how these suggested interventions/supports are consistent with thecurrent values and philosophy of the AOD sector.

Persona One
Persona Two