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Case Study: Flight
Background
In the movie Flight directed by Robert Zemeckis, the main character, Whip Whitaker, is a middle-aged man who is a pilot. He is divorced. He has a son with his ex-wife. Whip Whitaker has no problems with law enforcement until the plane crash happens. During the crash, he saves 96 out of 102 passengers on board. Six people die in the crash. Among them are two crew members. One of the crew members was Whip’s girlfriend, Trina. Samples of crew members are taken, and high levels of alcohol are found in Whip’s blood. The pilots’ association’s lawyer gets Whip’s toxicology report thrown out ahead of the public hearing. The plan is to blame the accident on aircraft failure. During the hearing, Whip is asked if Trina drank from the two empty vodka bottles that were found in the trash bin. Only the flight crew could have had access to the bottles of vodka. Whip finds it difficult to lie and says that Trina did not drink the contents of the vodka bottles. He finally admits that he is an alcoholic. He says that he drank with Trina days before the flight and on the morning of the flight. His testimony at the hearing is used against him, and he is imprisoned for criminal negligence.
Drug Used
Whip Whitaker used to drink a lot. He drank days before the flight and on the morning of the flight with Trina, a flight attendant who is also his girlfriend. Since he woke up with a hangover, he snorted cocaine to manage it. In the plane, he poured vodka in his juice as he was speaking to the passengers. He went on to drink the juice as he was flying, then the crash occurred. At the hospital, Whip met Nicole, a recovering heroin addict. She referred to heroine as ‘H’. He took her in after she was evicted from her house due to rent arrears. Whip continued with his drinking problem, but he could not admit to himself that he was an alcoholic. Nicole tried to convince Whip to get help, but Whip did not want to. He thought he could manage on his own. Eventually, Nicole got tired of Whip and left him. The pilots’ association’s lawyer made sure that Whip would not be held liable for the accident. Whip only had to appear at the hearing and answer some questions. The lawyer also ensured that Whip stayed sober ten days before the hearing. Whip was sober for nine days as he stayed at Charlie’s house. On the eve of the hearing, Whip was booked at a hotel. He stumbled upon some alcohol and got very drunk. He could not wake up. Charlie and the lawyer arrived and asked the guard to open the room. They found him lying on the bathroom floor. He was very drunk and asked them to call William Hays. He said that William would help him get sober. William came with cocaine and some cigarettes, and he set up the cocaine for Whip to snort. Whip snorted the cocaine. William then took a cigarette and poured some tobacco out of it. He put in some cocaine and lit the cigarette. Both Whip and William smoked the cigarette that had cocaine in it. After a few puffs, Whip felt fresh and ready to attend the hearing. Whip also smoked cigarettes a lot. Even when he tried quitting alcohol, he did not try to stop smoking cigarettes.
Prevention
Various risk factors contributed to Whip Whitaker’s drinking problem. The main factor is stress because Whip was a stressed man. He seemed stressed because of his family. He had divorced his wife, who demanded a lot of money in child support for their son. He loved his son, but his son did not love him back. When he went to visit his ex-wife and son after the plane crash, his ex-wife asked him why he visited. She said that he could have called. Whip said that they never called to check up on him, and that’s why he visited. When his son came, he asked Whip to leave and called him a drunk. He said that he did not know Whip. When Whip’s son visited him in prison, he told him to help him write an essay about a fascinating person he did not know, Whip, his father. Whip could have prevented his drinking problem by dealing with the root cause of his alcoholism, family issues. If Whip found himself in situations where he could not change anything, he could have sought counseling to help him cope with the issue. If he could have prevented the drinking problem, he could have avoided the cocaine addiction too. He took cocaine to relieve the hangover from alcohol.
DSM-V-TR
Whip Whitaker used to drink heavily. He drank on the job, something he was not supposed to do. At some point, he was supposed to stay sober so he could attend the hearing with a clean mind. He could not control the urge to drink when he saw drinks in his hotel room. He drank heavily on the eve of the hearing. Whip’s drinking affected his relationships. His wife divorced him because of drinking, while his son hated him because of the same problem. Nicole left him because she could not stand his drinking problem anymore.
Chemical Reaction/Mechanism of Action:
Neurotransmitters emit signals in the body that control emotions, behavior, and thought process. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter, which increases activity in the brain and energy levels in the whole body. Alcohol slows down the production of glutamate. As a result, brain activity and body energy levels are lowered (Valenzuela 146).
Toxicity
Acute alcohol intoxication results from taking a moderate amount of alcohol within a short period of time, and it may lead to euphoria, confusion, drowsiness, loss of balance, and vision impairment. Chronic alcohol intoxication results from taking too much alcohol over a long period of time. It may cause liver damage, throat cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, and it increases the risk of heart disease (French 454).
Overdose
An overdose happens when one takes too much alcohol at one time. It may lead to unconsciousness, nausea, pale skin, or hypothermia. In extreme cases, one may even experience seizures. It is important to deal carefully with a person who has had an alcohol overdose. Such a person should be placed on their side to prevent them from choking when they vomit. Overdose can be managed by rest and drinking a lot of water. In extreme cases, emergency medical services may be required (Hingson, Zha and Smyth 543).
Withdrawal
Withdrawal comprises of mental and physical problems that a recovering substance user experiences after quitting substance abuse. This is usually fighting the urge to use again. Recovering substance users may display symptoms such as shaky hands, lack of appetite, headaches, anxiety, nausea, lack of sleep, fever, faster heartbeat, and a lot of sweating (Sullivan, Sykora and Schneiderman 1356).
Treatment
There are many ways to treat alcoholism. They range from inpatient programs, residential programs, and rehabilitation programs. Patients should detoxify their bodies by avoiding drinking. Medication can be recommended to help deal with the withdrawal symptoms. Inpatient care is recommended for patients with severe withdrawal problems. Alcoholics can join groups of other alcoholics. They can support and encourage one another in the journey to beat alcoholism. Such support groups are also available online. Rehabilitation is appropriate for those who suffer from severe alcoholism (Fuller and Hiller-Sturmhofel 70).
Works Cited
French, Samuel W. “Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Alcohol.” Kissin, Benjamin and Henri Begleiter. The Biology of Alcoholism. Vol. I: Biochemistry. New York, 1971. 437-511.
Fuller, Richard K. and Susanne Hiller-Sturmhofel. “Alcoholism Treatment in the United States: An Overview.” Alcohol Research and Health (1999): 69-77.
Hingson, Ralph, Wenxing Zha and Daniel Smyth. “Magnitude and Trends in Heavy Episodic Drinking, Alchohol-Impaired Driving, and Alcohol Related Mortality and Overdose Hospitalizations Among Emerging Adults of Colleges Ages 18-24 in the United States, 1998-2004.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (2017): 540-548.
Sullivan, John T., et al. “Assessment of Alcohol Withdrawal: The Revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale.” British Journal of Addiction (1989): 1353-1357.
Valenzuela, C. Fernando. “Alcohol and Neurotransmitter Interactions.” Alcohol Health and Research World (1997): 144-148.
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