Austin: So your wife thinks you're drinking too much.
Antoine: She would prefer that I drink less, that's how she puts it. She's on my back about it, about everything! How come I don't wanna play with our daughter: she wants me to go out more, and she would like me go to the little parties with her friends, and I keep telling her my back hurts too much! And that is mostly it, but I prefer to stay at home. I put my ass on the line over there. I deserve a break. And her friends, they drive me crazy anyway.
Antoine’s thought: We can't go on like much longer. I wonder who'll give up first, me or her. Maybe it would be nice to live alone again.
Austin: Why don't you want to go places with your wife?
Antoine: Cause there's a lot of jerks out there. You don't, you have no idea what they're gonna do. Somebody's always starting something, and I don't want to be bothered with that.
Antoine’s thought: Like that guy at the bar, talking about the war like he knows something about it. I really can't take people anymore.
Austin: We've talked a lot about your back pain, sleep issues, and drinking patterns, and I have some things I'd like to discuss further. Let's talk about your treatment options.
Antoine: Okay.
Pic 1: The screen transitions to Dr. Eber sitting at the table. Next to her is a text box that reads “Nice Job!” with the list “Uncover stressors” and “Under five minutes” each with a check beside it.
Dr. Eber: Nice job! You were able to uncover some stressors in Antoine's life that might be contributing to his physical concerns, or at least diminishing his quality of life. And you accomplished this in under five minutes, not counting time you spent making menu selections.
Pic 2: The screen fades to a slide with the title “Warning Signs” with a caution symbol next to it and an image of Antoine. Underneath is the following list:
You learned that Antoine is a veteran, suffers from nightmares, and has trouble sleeping. Antoine's insistence on receiving a new prescription for Percocet alerted you to consider substance misuse. His alcohol consumption, typically one or two six packs of beer five times a week, is placing him at risk for harm and could indicate alcohol use disorder if he's experiencing negative consequences as a result.
Pic 3: The screen changes to an image of Antoine and Austin in conversation with a banner that reads “Trouble concentrating” with a caution symbol next to it.
At times, he had trouble concentrating during the conversation.
Pic 4: The banner is replaced with a new one that reads “Avoidance of social activities” with a caution symbol next to it.
Antoine revealed that he's been avoiding large groups of people and prefers spending time alone at home.
Pic 5: The banner is replaced with a new one that reads “Frequent arguments” with a caution symbol next to it.
He's also told you that he's been fighting with his family, and he expressed some guilt about this.
Pic 6: The banner is replaced with a new one that reads “Irritability/angry outbursts” with a caution symbol.
And, Antoine seemed irritable at times during your conversation.
Pic 7: The screen returns to Dr. Eber in the office.
Now that we've identified some warning signs, let's discuss the next steps for Antoine.