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Substance Use & Addiction: Addictions Programs
Traditionally, the responsibility for healing was in the hands of trained professionals, with the assumption that people benefit most from expert advice and interventions. This approach is quite common in the fields of medicine, mental health, and addiction. More recently, there has been increased emphasis on self-management. Trained professionals and experts are seen as helping people change, rather than "fixing" them. People are no longer seen as passive recipients of treatment, as there is an assumption that the most effective treatment empowers people to determine what and how they would like to change.

Self-management does not imply a do-it-yourself model of change. It should involve collaboration between clients and practitioners that empowers and supports people to make the kinds of changes they want to make in order to reach treatment goals. In the case of addiction, collaboration optimally entails intensive and coordinated involvement with teams of pr...ofessionals across various sectors of health, mental health, social services, community organizations, addiction services, law enforcement, corrections, and law. This kind of collaboration of course also optimally applies not only to meeting individual goals, but also to the goals of families, peer groups, communities and society in preventing problem use and reducing harm.

Historically, treatment has chiefly focused on the individual user. But problem use and treatment exist within a broader context. The biological, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of problem use do not develop in a vacuum, but rather in relationship with families, peer groups, communities, and society. These environments can create or worsen conditions for the development of problem use. As well, these same groups are in fact harmed by problem use in relation to a host of health issues, psychological concerns, social problems, crime, and economic impact. For these reasons, treatment can include interventions designed to help individual users as well as families, peer groups, communities, and society.

AUTHOR: Power, Asetha (2008) Homeless Hub. [Show More][Show Less]


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A Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) initiative. The CHRN has received financial support from the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada