Student article series

The Role of Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapists (OT’s) engage with individuals to help them replace unhealthy activities and replace them with meaningful activities.

In relation to alcohol abuse, they can help people develop living skills, coping strategies and a better lifestyle to aim to reduce the risk of relapsing.  They also establish more satisfying and meaningful occupations that are important for family, personal and work life.

OT’s aim is to help individuals find out their needs and set achievable short and long term goals following an assessment and treatment plan. These interventions must be person-centred in order to treat the alcohol substance use disorder.

Individual sessions may include coping skills in relation to alcohol abuse such as; relapse management, new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, improvement of assertiveness skills, goal setting and problem solving. Occupational therapists are also involved in advocating for government investments in comprehensive substance use programs, legislation and policies to prevent and reduce substance abuse.

Although, excess consumption of alcohol is seen as a ‘dark occupation’ and can be a habit difficult to break. OT’s tend to approach the issue with looking at healthy alternatives to still give an individual that ‘stress/chill’ sensation. This therefore helps in breaking the habit of abusing alcohol. OT’s would also look at the short term vs long term effects of alcohol with the patient to educate further and reduce the health risks.

The role of Radiographers

Excess alcohol consumption is associated with 7 different types of cancer. Damaged cells caused by alcohol does not only inhibit cell repair but damage to the cells in the mouth and throat makes the cells more susceptible to absorbing cancer-causing chemicals.

Alcohol also affects hormones, causing them to increase which in turn makes the cells more likely to divide at a faster rate, therefore increasing the risk of cancers development (Cancer Research UK). The increased risk of cancer associated with alcohol is why Radiographers are one of the many AHPs involved in alcohol associated care. 

Diagnostic Radiographers:

​​Diagnostic radiographers make a significant contribution to the early detection and treatment monitoring of cancer. They specialise in the imaging of human body structure for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Therapeutic Radiographers:

Therapeutic radiographers make up 50% of the Radiotherapy team in cancer treatment. Radiotherapy is extremely cost effective and is now a significant component of the treatment of 40% of patients who are cured of their cancer. Timely access to radiotherapy leads to improvements in cancer outcomes and survival rates.

The role of Speech and Language Therapists

Speech and Language Therapists (SLTS) play a vital role in regards to alcohol abuse. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to mouth, throat, larynx and oesophagus cancers which SLTS help in the treatment of. Additionally, mouth, throat and dental issues may occur as a result of cancer treatments.

Radiation therapy to the head and neck may damage the salivary glands and tissues in the mouth making it hard to chew and swallow safely leading to issues with hydration and malnutrition. Discomfort could also cause problems with speech which in some cases may involve permanent changes.

SLTS are crucial for those undergoing chemotherapy, radiation treatment or surgery for cancer. They help minimise the effect cancer treatment has on people's speech and their ability to swallow.

Their services additionally include pre-treatment counselling for swallowing conditioning, voice therapy, tongue strengthening therapy, to strengthen and control the muscles used for speech and impacts or surgery for vocal cord paralysis. They help individuals by creating treatment plans that are personalised to the individual.

The Role of Paramedics

Paramedics are best known for working within Ambulance Services providing immediate and emergency care in response to 999 calls made by the public. Alcohol places a significant and unnecessary strain on emergency services. In 2009/10 there were 1.4 million alcohol-related ambulance journeys. Alcohol costs the ambulance services around £449m per year at a cost to the taxpayer.

Another long term effect of excessive alcohol consumption is stroke. Alcohol raises blood pressure which contributes to half of all cases of stroke in the UK. Alcohol also contributes to stroke, by increasing risk factors such as an individual's likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, consumption can also trigger irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation). The role of Paramedics is to identify signs of stroke, notify the Hospital and transport service users to a hyper-acute stroke unit as soon as possible. This allows for speedy access to specialist assessment and treatment for the patient upon arrival.