Substance Use Intervention Failure: A Point of View or How the Cure Becomes the Disease or An Ode to Experts on Incurability or Masking the Disease, Mitigating Someone's Pain but Providing No Basic Cure/Solution

Abstract

Substance use intervention, both in the private and public sectors, continues to be associated with failure. This paper makes the assumption that: 1) there is a need to systematically consider and explore FAILURE in its various parameters (definitions, characteristics, forms, shapes, potencies, densities, directions, tempos, levels, phases, meanings, and adhesiveness), sources, and “demands” in the broad area of substance use intervention; 2) we can learn from failure (categorizing its processes and outcomes, selecting foci for intervention, and failure's “veracity,” status, transmittability and potential/actual usability over time); and 3) we should continue to repeat this process until there is little need to do so. As times and definitions change, there will never be an end to failure or the need to learn from failure. Failure is considered as a value, and having value, on a multidimensional, dynamic gradient (minimal to maximal), being describable, discernable, catagorizable, understandable, while being-culture-site-ideologically bound/influenced. Exploring FAILURE offers us-in our various substance use intervention roles-the opportunity to learn from what we have done and to more appropiately plan, implement, and assess what we may want to and/or need to know and to do. Examples are given of ongoing sources of built-in substance use intervention failure. A Zen master left his abode with a young disciple. They walked at a fast pace, in quietude, at peace with themselves, meditating. Their goal was to reach their destination before darkness. They approached a river bed; wide but not too wide, full but not too full, which they had to cross. On the bank stood a young woman. She appeared to be too frightened to try crossing to the other side. The Zen master, without breaking his step, approached her, put out his arms, lifted her, carried her across, set her down and continued in his silent walk. He was aware that his disciple had experienced an unpleasantness. He remained silent. When they reached their destination, before nightfall, the Zen master turned to his disciple and said: “What is wrong? Your mood has changed since we crossed the river.” The young disciple, while respectful, could no longer contain himself. “How could you, a man of holiness, lift a woman and carry her in your arms?” The Zen master looked at his disciple with a sense of sadness, kindness and wonder. “Ah, I see. You are still back there.”

Key Words:

• Defining failure
• Characteristics/qualities of failure
• Categorizing and categorizations
• Intervention foci
• Goal suitability
• Failure's “veracity”
• Status
• Transmittability
• Usability
• “Fatal remedies”
• Regressive side effects