Pubdate: Tue, 06 Feb 2001 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2001 San Jose Mercury News Contact: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Forum: http://forums.bayarea.com/webx/cgi-bin/WebX 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens