WHAT THE EXPERTS TELL US ABOUT TREATING ADDICTION

Given that substance abuse and addiction play such a prominent role in
American society's biggest problems, from domestic violence to school
dropout rates to AIDS, what do the experts say we should do?

A 1999 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes
two general categories of drug users. The first is individuals, often
adolescents, who use drugs for the pleasure they bring. The second group
uses drugs to self-medicate depression or other mental problems. Either
group can progress from use to abuse to addiction. In urging physicians to
be on the alert for patients who need treatment, the article points out
that treatment must address the reasons the person used drugs, alcohol etc.
in the first place.

Sara West, a marriage and family therapist who practices in San Jose and
Santa Cruz, believes one reason health professionals and elected officials
are so slow to take a rational approach to addiction is that so many of
them are themselves substance abusers or have close family members hooked
on drugs or alcohol. Trapped in denial themselves, she suggested, they
can't recognize that many people are genetically predisposed to addiction,
that society pushes people into drinking and legal drugs, and that labeling
addiction as purely a moral failure does no good.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse in 1997 described the greatest risk
factors for children to become drug abusers. They are essentially the same
factors that predispose children to other problems in life: chaotic home
environments, parents with mental or substance abuse problems, poor
parenting and a lack of nurturing relationships. In school, these children
are often overly shy or aggressive, and perform poorly in classroom and
social settings. The same report examined programs designed to help
children avoid drug use. The "Life Skills Training Program'' and similar
intensive, long-term approaches got the highest marks for actually
decreasing drug use compared to students in other programs or no programs.

Mike Gorman, an assistant professor in San Jose State's College of Social
Work, is principal investigator for a national study of methamphetamine use
on the West Coast. Fresh research showing the cost-effectiveness of
prevention and treatment leads him to cautious optimism that scientific
findings will lead to greater resources being devoted to those areas.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has found that parent's involvement
in children's daily lives, and their willingness to talk with their kids
about drugs and other touchy subjects, makes a huge difference in whether
youngsters use drugs in the crucial adolescent years. Teens and pre-teens,
they found, say no to drugs, tobacco and alcohol when they perceive
substance abuse as an uncommon and dangerous behavior and a disappointment
to parents.