Case Study Part I
Aaliyah is a 25-year-old, single, Caucasian woman, who lives in an apartment with a friend. Aaliyah moved
out of her parents’ house at 18, after completing high school, to remove herself from her father’s alcohol
use. Aaliyah smokes cigarettes and drinks alcohol occasionally.
Aaliyah is dissatisfied with her current job. She works full time as an administrative assistant at a
contracting company, but she is ready for a career change. Aaliyah has decided to return to school to
pursue a degree in criminal justice. She will be working and taking classes at the same time, fitting her
school schedule around her work schedule.
During her first session of school, Aaliyah notices that she is having difficulty staying awake to complete her
schoolwork at night after a full workday. Aaliyah does not want her grades to fall, as her education is very
important to her. However, she cannot afford to reduce her work hours. Her roommate makes Aaliyah
coffee at night to help her stay awake. Soon, Aaliyah is drinking three or more cups of coffee a night to help
her stay awake to complete her schoolwork.
Case Study Part II
Aaliyah continues to struggle with balancing her work hours and her schoolwork. She has been drinking
coffee to help her stay awake, but it is no longer working. She has an exam coming up and needs to stay
up to study.
Aaliyah decides to take an amphetamine to stay awake to study for the exam. She promises herself that
she will only take it this one time for the exam. The drug allows her to stay awake and alert while she is
studying for the exam. She also feels that she is learning the material better as a result of the
amphetamine. When the grades are in, Aaliyah receives an A on her work.
As the semester continues, Aaliyah turns to amphetamines more and more often to help her stay awake to
complete her schoolwork. Soon, Aaliyah finds that one pill no longer keeps her awake as long as she
needs.
She starts taking more than one pill at a time. She knows that taking amphetamines so often is not good for
her health, and she finds she experiences an increase in headaches when she takes them, but she
continues to take them because they are helping her be successful in school and at work.
Case Study Part III
Aaliyah had been taking amphetamines regularly for two months and had been experiencing the
physiological, psychological, and toxic effects of chronic amphetamine use. She had started drinking
alcohol to help her sleep at night.
One morning she was driving to work and feeling the effects of a hangover from the night before. She was
not concentrating on the road, and ran into the back of a car that had stopped in front of her. Luckily, none
of the people involved in the accident was seriously injured.
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Introduction to Addictions and Addictive Behavior
©2011 Argosy University Online ProgramsCase Study Details
This incident served as a “wake up call” for Aaliyah, and she decided to get help for her problems.
However, because she is now using both amphetamines and alcohol, she is not sure what treatment
program to enter.
Aaliyah would like to help other people avoid the troubles caused by drugs. She would like to give a
presentation at her college to discuss her experiences and give students several prevention options, as well
as ways to tell if their friends or loved ones have a drug problem.
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Introduction to Addictions and Addictive Behavior
©2011 Argosy University Online Programs
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