Summary: This article examines the problems facing social workers working with drug misusers throughout all modern societies and considers possible social work perspectives and solutions. It examines the limitations for social workers of internationally accepted medical and disease models of drug use and considers the implications of moving from medical to social work perspectives. To do this it clarifies the three main treatment models and reviews literature on their basic assumptions and effectiveness. It then examines the range of social and psychological problems associated with different types of drug misuse from a social work perspective and analyses the implications for social work practice.
Findings: The article concludes that whilst the relationship between social work and drug treatment is influenced by the dominant treatment philosophy in any one country, social work models can be an effective alternative to, or addition to, treatment models as a whole.
Applications: The limitations of treatment models for social work practice and the applications of social work models to drug problems are examined.
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