Substance Use/Abuse Conceptualization, Etiology and Treatment

Abstract

Using the literature as a data source, this paper attempts to: a. examine the wide range of etiological and treatment alternatives with a primary focus on heroin addiction; b. briefly examine the concordance between the etiological and treatment modalities and various conceptualizations and explanatory models of substance use/abuse and social problems; c. outline an examination of both treatment modalities and theoretical approaches to substance use/abuse and their relationship to the question of political-economic influences and gatekeeping factors; d. through critical evaluation of the preceeding issues, suggest what the important areas of concern could or should be in the near future. This work is able to only briefly discuss the very complex issues enumerated above; the findings and recommendations attempt to provide systematic research alternatives.