Interpretive Models Of Drug Intervention
This perspective assumes that drug use is part of a person’s lifestyle, and these, in turn, are closely linked to the lifestyles of their reference groups. Healthy lifestyles involve personal choices, although they are conditioned by certain socio-structural factors linked to the lifestyle of the social group, that is, linked to a type of collective lifestyle (Abel, 1991; Erben, Franzkowiak and Wenzel, 1992).
Thus, the consumption of different drugs will vary in different social groups depending on sex, age, profession, level of education, place of residence or origin, and historical moment, among other factors.
The Model Socio-Structural Factors
The dynamics of group functioning determine the role each individual must play and the patterns or patterns of behaviour to which they must adjust.
Considering it from this perspective, depending on its relative position in the different reference groups, implies that the subject remains linked to its environment and the social reality in which it lives and develops its activity (Pastor and L0pez-Latorre, 1993).
The pressures towards group conformity are an element that sustains forms of behaviour and thought –attitudes–. Commitment to the reference group supposes adopting those modes of behaviour likely to satisfy certain expectations of others (Van Avermaet, 1992).
The socio-structural interpretation provides an in-depth vision of the drug problem since it considers the linkage of consumption behaviour to supra-individual factors and not only of an economic nature.
In general terms, we can contemplate the benefits of this contribution in the following facts (Pons, 2007):
Consideration of factors beyond individual traits as explanatory factors for drug use.
The conception of the human being as a social being is subjected to certain influences of his sociocultural environment.
The description of the different consumption patterns of different substances in various societies and social groups is based on the research methods provided by the social sciences.
The vision of the drug problem as a social and group phenomenon and not only as an individual problem.
Drug Consumption
Notwithstanding the preceding, this interpretation ignores the psychological factors that can give evidence of consumption behaviour and explain why within the same socio-structural group, not all individuals present the same probability of consuming or doing so with the same intensity. In the same way, its interpretation alludes more to the description of patterns of occurrence in a given society or certain social groups than to the explanation of the causes of drug use. Therefore, it is more descriptive than an explanatory point of view.
The Individualistic Psychological Model
It emphasizes the individual contemplating the complexity and variability of any human behaviour.
This interpretation considers the idea of psychological predisposition towards health care.
The willingness of a person to carry out certain behaviours related to their health will be conditioned by psychological factors such as the evaluation of costs and benefits of the action to be carried out, the perceived susceptibility to a particular disease or illness or the particular perception of the severity of the consequences of such behaviours (Becker et al., 1977).
Drug use is understood as one more form of behaviour, and, therefore, it can be explained from the same principles that govern any other human behaviour, and the knowledge accumulated by the behavioural sciences can be applied to this end (Nowlis, 1982).
From this model, drug consumption behaviour can only be interpreted by studying the personality traits, particular needs, attitudes, values, behaviour habits or social relationship styles of the individual consumer.
Health-promoting lifestyles are conceptualized as a multidimensional pattern of self-initiated actions and perceptions that enable individuals to maintain their personal development in the desirable way (Pender, 1987).
Based on the above, we can list a series of principles that help to understand better the problem of drug use from the psycho-individualist interpretation (Pons and Berjano, 1999):
- Substance use satisfies an individual’s physical, psychological, or social needs, and a person’s difficulty in satisfying these needs by other means explains psychological addiction.
- Certain psychological variables act as predisposing factors for drug use and addiction behaviour, such as personality traits, motivational structure –hierarchy of values maintained by the individual– or attitudes towards drugs –what they think or expect of them–.
- If drug use is one more human behaviour, it can be understood by applying the same principles that generally govern human behaviour. To this end, the knowledge accumulated by research in the behavioural sciences may be used.
- Information by itself does not necessarily influence behaviour; therefore, disseminating information will not be a sufficient preventive strategy. Prevention must be based on the individual as a whole, on promoting their personal development, the satisfaction of their needs, balance, and maturity.
- Drug use varies its patterns between individuals and in different situations or moments of the same individual, so it is not reduced solely to a problem of addiction. From this perspective, drug use behaviour is studied and not exclusively addiction.