Positive core belief(s) and natural recovery from alcohol problems among college students in Bangkok

Abstract

According to the 2011 report on the situation of alcohol consumption in Thailand, Thai people aged 15 years and over are current drinkers, accounting for 31.5% of the adult population. Most of the drinkers are college students, and the area with the highest number of college students is Bangkok. The use of alcoholic beverages affects drinkers physically and mentally and can result in accidents and harassment. Past studies on natural recovery from alcohol have been relatively scarce because it was often seen as unreasonable and impractical, and the mainstream response was usually treatment. Today, however, natural recovery from alcohol is more accepted and possible through cognitive-behavioral changes. The purpose of this research is to study positive core beliefs, intermediate beliefs, automatic thoughts, and processes of positive core beliefs that students experience in natural recovery from alcohol by applying the trial-based cognitive. This research is a study of narratives through in-depth interviews with 20 students, who recovered from alcohol problems in Bangkok, which took ten months to collect data (March–December 2019). The results showed that students used positive core beliefs in two types of natural recovery from alcohol problems: (1) Positive core beliefs about self are lovable core beliefs, worth core beliefs, and help core beliefs

and (2) Positive core beliefs about others or the world: Alcohol is harmful to health, and money is valuable. There are two types of positive core beliefs: 1) positive core beliefs activated by specific situations and 2) positive core beliefs activated by cognitive skills. The findings of the study illustrate that students use self-contained positive core beliefs to manage with risk of alcohol use, including other unhealthy behaviors and mental health. This study suggests that agencies involved in the prevention and management of alcohol use should develop activities that help individuals strengthen and accumulate their positive core beliefs of themselves. Universities should set up a peer-led group, establishing group leaders who have achieved natural recovery from alcohol problems and positive attitudes towards others. Activities should focus on finding and activating positive core beliefs in themselves, which will reduce stress and increase social support that will lead to self-transformation. Moreover, universities should encourage students not only to participate in club activities that will help students develop their potential but also to learn and share their skills and knowledge with other students under social rules and regulations, which will ultimately increase self-esteem. Having a healthy self-esteem will enable students to use their own positive core beliefs to solve everyday problems without relying on alcohol.

จากรายงานสถานการณ์การดื่มเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ในประเทศไทย ปี 2554 พบว่าคนไทยที่อายุ 15 ปีขึ้นไปเป็นนักดื่มปัจจุบันคิดเป็น 31.5 % ของประชากรผู้ใหญ่ ผู้ดื่มส่วนใหญ่เป็นช่วงวัยของนักศึกษาระดับอุดมศึกษา และพื้นที่ที่มีจำนวนนักศึกษาในสถาบันระดับอุดมศึกษามากที่สุดคือกรุงเทพมหานคร การดื่มเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ส่งผลกระทบต่อผู้ดื่มทั้งทางร่างกายและจิตใจ และยังส่งผลต่อการเกิดอุบัติเหต