Preventing the Causes of Drug Abuse

Abstract

This article develops a conceptual model of the causes of drug abuse and proposes an educational effort aimed at preventing those causes. It is the writer's contention that the goal of education should be to prevent dependency rather than focusing on deterring drug experimentation. This means that drug abuse prevention ought to deal with questions relevant to coping with behavior and mental health rather than with drug pharmacology or even a mere explanation of the causes of drug abuse. An example of this approach is presented as it was practiced on one Army post.

The article is based partly on the writer's experiences as the director of a drug rehabilitation and education facility dealing mainly with heroin addiction.