Factors Initiating/Affecting the Treatment of Drug Use and the Drug User

Abstract

This paper proposes that the continued pessimism regarding the treatment of the drug user and the anticipated-related poor outcome results may/can be overcome by paying attention to four significant factors associated with the treatment process. These are a clearer understanding of the factors initiating treatment and their associated models, the goal systems used, criteria for selecting treatment agents, and treatment as a temporal process for all who are or should be involved in it. If these factors are not better understood and more effectively utilized, treatment planning becomes a happening and treatment failure becomes a built-in self-fulfilling prophecy.