Ray Charles Addiction

Ray Charles was suffering from substance abuse disorder. Substance disorder is defined as a complex behavioral disorder characterized by preoccupation with obtaining alcohol or other drugs (AOD) and a narrowing of the behavioral repertoire towards excessive consumption and loss of control over consumption. It is usually also accompanied by the development of tolerance and withdrawal and impairment in social and occupational functioning. Ray Charles continued substance abuse caused fights at home, problems with the law, and also problems with music performances, and holding record labels. Ray Charles Would keep his drug habit away from home as much as he could but he would constantly fight with his wife about his drug use increasing and increasing. Even though he didn’t physically do the drugs in the house, his symptoms and withdrawal symptoms of not having his “hit” would affect how he would interact with his family, friends, and coworkers.
The proposed therapeutic approach (intervention) that I would use is family therapy and person centered therapy. Ray Charles first used marijuana for two reasons. First, he was nervous about starting his music career and he wanted to get those haunting thoughts of his baby brother drowning to death. He didn’t know what the drug was all he knew that it lifted the nerves and made him feel extra good; good enough to give a stellar performance on stage. Certain phrases people say or certain things that people do would trigger emotional responses from his childhood. He would have visions of his brother dying. Sometimes he would feel water around his feet or even feel his lifeless baby brother hand. The drug that he used was a scapegoat to his childhood problems. When he was deeper in drug use, ray would have daydreams of his mother preaching to him telling him that he doing drugs wasn’t right.
To help Ray Charles the person centered approach therapy should be applied. Ray didn’t trust anyone because his mother instilled that