Models of Recovery (SA) Flashcards
Developed in the 18th or 19th century addiction was viewed as a sin, considered weak morality, and a character flaw. Punishment would be beatings, jail and fines. Treatment was spiritual, jail and mental hospitals
Moral Model
This model assumes that the origins of addiction lie within the individual him/herself. This model adopts a medical viewpoint and suggests that addiction is a disease or an illness that a person has. It believes that:
Addiction does not exist on a continuum – it is either present or it isn’t.
Addicted people cannot control their intake of a given substance. Once they consume some of the substance (such as one drink of alcohol) they are powerless to stop themselves having any more and are overtaken by almost irresistible cravings when they cannot have it.
The disease of addiction is irreversible. It cannot be cured and can only be treated by lifelong abstinence.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is based on the disease model.
Advantages of disease models include:
drug use becomes a health issue and not just a legal issue
allows ‘addicted’ people to understand their behaviour
offers a treatment approach (abstinence) that works for some people
removes some of the shame often felt by people affected by addiction.
Disadvantages of disease models include:
removes responsibility from the user
offers only one course of treatment (abstinence) which is not suitable for all people, particularly young people
not supported by a large amount of evidence.
Disease Model
This theory originated with Sigmund Freud and is still used today as a way of treating people with drug problems. The basic philosophy behind the psycho-dynamic model is that we can link problems to our childhood and how we cope (or don’t cope) as adults. In other words, drug use or misuse may be an unconscious response to some of the difficulties individuals may have experienced in childhood. This philosophy forms the basis of many counselling approaches which aim to gain insight into an individual’s unconscious motivations and try to enhance their self-image.
Psycho-dynamic model
This introduced the idea that dependence is not only chemical but also behavioural and social in nature. It is based more on the user’s thoughts about the substance, and what it is like to be ‘under the influence’ of the drug itself.
Social learning model
This model has become popular in the last 15 years. Unlike other models it focuses on society as whole and not just on individuals. This model is based on the idea that the type of society in which people live has an impact on their drug use. In particular, this model makes links between inequality and drug use. It suggests that people who belong to groups who are culturally and socially disadvantaged are more likely to experience substance abuse problems. It also recognises that society labels users of certain substances as deviant, thereby creating further problems.
Because this model links substance abuse to the conditions of the wider society, the solution to ‘drug problems’ revolves around changing the social environment, rather than treating individuals. This involves developing ways to address poverty, poor housing and discrimination.
Socio-cultural model
