Popular Views on Addictions and on Prospects for Recovery in Poland

ABSTRACT

Background: Popular views of addictive substances and behaviors constitute an important research topic because these views have an impact upon the functioning of treatment systems and societal responses to substance use disorders. Methods: The analysis is based on a random sample of N = 1000 telephone interviews collected in Poland in 2013. Questionnaire measures targeted such issues as the perceived risks of addictions and beliefs about potential recovery from various types of addictions. Results: First, a coherent view of the addiction potential of various addictive substances and/or behaviors emerges, distinguishing licit drugs and types of behavior from illicit drugs. Second, treatment optimism proves to be quite high independent of the type of addictive behavior, while chances of recovery without treatment are considered less likely. Third, chances for assisted change (change with treatment) and self-change are considered largely independent of perceived addiction-related risks and are not perceived as contradictory. Conclusions: The results point to the persistence of the disease model of addiction in Poland, placing responsibility for addiction on the individual and pairing it with the expectation of undergoing specialized treatment. This individualistic approach was applied as a framework for addiction problems in the 1950s to deflect from the shortcomings of the ‘‘new socialist society.’’ Neo-liberal market reform and socioeconomic changes have provided reinforcement for this individualistic framework.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-change
• treatment system
• lay images
• addictive behaviors

Acknowledgements

The research leading to these results or outcomes has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), under Grant Agreement no. 266813 – Addictions and Lifestyle in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE RAP – www.alicerap.eu). More specifically it is a sub-study “Popular images (surveys)” of the WP3 of the area 1: supervised by the area 1 leader: dr. Matilda Hellman from Helsinki University and the leader of the substudy prof. Jan Blomqvist from Stockholm University. The Polish part of IMAGES project was supervised by Dr. Jacek Moskalewicz and coordinated by Dr. Justyna Klingemann from the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. The views expressed here reflect those of the authors only and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.