Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Work Practice in the Addictions

Part of the book series: Contemporary Social Work Practice ((Contemp. Social Work Practice))

  • 4934 Accesses

Abstract

Intoxicant use and related social and health pathologies are among the defining features of human civilization. It is virtually impossible to find an historical epoch, geographical area, or sociodemographic subgroup that has escaped the ravages of substance abuse. Despite the widespread use of intoxicants’ religious and medical purposes, psychoactive substance use for social and recreational reasons has been associated with significant problems in contemporary and historical cultures. The focus of this chapter is on institutional, regulatory, organizational, research, social, and treatment-related developments since the 1960s that have profoundly shaped contemporary social work practice in the addictions. Contemporary and historical conceptualizations of the substance abuser are also reviewed, with particular emphasis on the continuing influence of these perspectives on public and professional responses to persons with problems related to drug and alcohol abuse and dependence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnold, J. P. (2005). Origin and history of beer and brewing: From prehistoric times to the beginning of brewing science and technology. Cleveland: Beer Books. ISBN 978-9662084-1-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1999). A sociocognitive analysis of substance abuse: An agentic perspective. Psychological Science, 10, 214–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargh, J. A., & Chartrand, T. L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American Psychologist, 54, 462–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, C. L., Huskamp, H. A., & Goldman, H. H. (2010). A political history of federal mental health and addiction insurance. Milbank Quarterly, 88, 404–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an ecology of mind. New York: Ballantine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, S., Chawla, N., Collins, S. E., Witkiewitz, K., Hsu, S., Grow, J., et al. (2009). Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for substance use disorders: A pilot efficacy trial. Substance Abuse, 30, 295–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, S., Chawla, N., & Marlatt, G. A. (2010). Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, H. (2009). Drug war zone: Frontline dispatches from the streets of El Paso and Juarez. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chagnon, N. I., & Irons, W. (Eds.). (1979). Evolutionary biology and human social behavior: An anthropological perspective. North Scituate: Duxbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courtwright, D. T. (2010). NIDA, this is your life. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 107, 116–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crocq, M. (2007). Historical and cultural aspects of man’s relationship with addictive drugs. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 9, 355–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1978). Sex, evolution, and behavior: Adaptations for reproduction. North Scituate: Duxbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond, D. C., & Glautier, S. (1994). A controlled trial of cue exposure treatment in alcohol dependence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 809–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erskine, J. A., & Georgiou, G. J. (2010). Effects of thought suppression on eating behaviour in restrained and non-restrained eaters. Appetite, 54, 499–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erskine, J. A., Georgiou, G. J., & Kvavilashvili, L. (2011). I suppress, therefore I smoke: Effects of thought suppression on smoking behavior. Psychological Science, 21, 1225–1230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feltenstein, M., & See, R. (2008). The neurocircuitry of addiction: An overview. British Journal of Pharmacology, 154, 261–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field, M., Munafo, M. R., & Franken, I. H. (2009). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between attentional bias and subjective craving in substance abuse. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 589–607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fingarette, H. (1988). Heavy drinking: The myth of alcoholism as a disease. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franken, I. H. (2003). Drug craving and addiction: Integrating psychological and neuropsychopharmacological approaches. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 27, 563–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garland, E. L. (in press). Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement: Reclaiming a meaningful life from addiction and stress. Washington, DC: NASW Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland, E. L., Carter, K., Ropes, K., & Howard, M. O. (2011). Thought suppression, impaired regulation of urges, and Addiction-Stroop predict affect-modulated cue-reactivity among alcohol dependent adults. Biological Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.09.010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland, E. L., Gaylord, S. A., Boettiger, C. A., & Howard, M. O. (2010). Mindfulness training modifies cognitive, affective, and physiological mechanisms implicated in alcohol dependence: Results from a randomized controlled pilot trial. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 42, 177–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, O., & Koob, G. F. (2010). Individual differences in prefrontal cortex function and the transition from drug use to drug dependence. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 35, 232–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, R. Z., & Volkow, N. D. (2011). Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in addiction: Neuroimaging findings and clinical implications. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(11), 652–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grabowski, J. (2010). Sun-downing and integration for the advancement of science and therapeutics: The National Institute on Substance Use Disorders (NISUD). Addiction, 105, 2044–2049.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, D. J. (2009). Historical overview of alcohol use. In R. T. Ammerman, P.J. Ott, & R. E. Tarter (Eds.), Prevention and societal impact of drug and alcohol abuse (pp. 31–45). Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, B. G. (1995). The creation of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Responding to America’s alcohol problem. Alcohol Health & Research World, 19, 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, E. M., & Newlin, D. B. (2002). Evolutionary approaches to addiction: Introduction. Addiction, 97, 375–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howard, M. O., & Chung, S. S. (2000). Nurses’ attitudes toward substance users. I. Surveys. Substance Use & Misuse, 35, 347–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howard, M. O., Kivlahan, D., & Walker, R. D. (1997). Cloninger’s tridimensional theory of personality and psychopathology: Applications to substance use disorders. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 48–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyman, S. E. (2007). The neurobiology of addiction: Implications for voluntary control of behavior. American Journal of Bioethics, 7, 8–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Israel, Y., & Lieber, C. S. (2002). The Research Society on Alcoholism. Addiction, 97, 483–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janofsky, M. (2004, March 18). Drug fighters turn to rising tide of prescription drug abuse. New York Times.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jay, M. (2010). High society: The central role of mind-altering drugs in history, science, and culture. New York: Park Street Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, A. A. (2007). Suppression-induced hyperaccessibility of thoughts in abstinent alcoholics: A preliminary investigation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 169–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maisto, S. A., Carey, K. B., & Bradizza, C. M. (1999). Social learning theory. In K. E. Leonaard & H. T. Blane (Eds.), Psychological theories of drinking and alcoholism (2nd ed., pp. 106–163). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marlatt, G. A., & Donovan, D. M. (2005). Relapse prevention, 2nd ed. Maintenance strategies in the treatment of addictive behaviors.: New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., Sorensen, J. L., Selzer, J. A., & Brigham, G. S. (2006). Disseminating evidence-based practices in substance abuse treatment: A review with suggestions. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 31, 25–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morse, S. J. (2004). Medicine and morals, craving and compulsion. Substance Use & Misuse, 39, 437–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nesse, R. M. (1994). An evolutionary perspective on substance abuse. Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 339–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nesse, R. M., & Berridge, K. C. (1997). Psychoactive drug use in evolutionary perspective. Science, 278, 63–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, C. P., Childress, A. R., Ehrman, R., & Robbins, S. J. (1998). Conditioning factors in drug abuse: Can they explain compulsion? Journal of Psychopharmacology, 12(1), 15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page, J. B. (2009). Historical overview of other abusable drugs. In R. T. Ammerman, P. J. Ott, & R. E. Tarter (Eds.), Prevention and societal impact of drug and alcohol abuse (pp. 47–63). Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis, Pittsburg, PA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palfai, T. P., Monti, P. M., Colby, S. M., & Rohsenow, D. J. (1997). Effects of suppressing the urge to drink on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 59–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peele, S. (1989). The diseasing of America. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2001). Incentive-sensitization and addiction. Addiction, 96, 103–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2008). The incentive sensitization theory: Some current issues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 363, 3137–3146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, E. A., Watson, M., & Goldberger, B. (2011). “Bath salts” intoxication. New England Journal of Medicine, 365, 967–968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center. www.sagewisdom.org. Accessed 23 November 2011.

  • Satel, S. L. (2001). Is drug addiction a brain disease? In P. B. Heyman & W. N. Brownsberger (Eds.), Drug addiction and drug policy: The struggle to control dependence (pp. 118–143). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, M. W. (2010, July 10). The growing buzz on “spice”—The marijuana alternative. washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/…/AR2010070903554.html. Accessed 23 November 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, W., & Chein, J. M. (2003). Controlled and automatic processing: Behavior theory, and biological mechanisms. Cognitive Science, 27, 525–559.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiffrin, R. M., & Schneier, W. (1977). Controlled and automatic human information processing. II. Perceptual learning, automatic attending, and a general theory. Psychological Review, 84, 127–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement: A theoretical analysis. New York: Appelton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sowers, W. E. (1998). Parallel processes: Moral failure, addiction, and society. Community Mental Health Journal, 34, 331–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szapocznik, J., & Williams, R. A. (2000). Brief strategic family therapy: Twenty-five years of interplay among theory, research, and practice in adolescent behavior problems and drug abuse. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3(2), 117–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiffany, S. T. (1990). A cognitive model of drug urges and drug-use behavior: Role of automatic and nonautomatic processes. Psychological Review, 97, 147–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiffany, S. T., & Conklin, C. A. (2000). A cognitive processing model of alcohol craving and compulsive alcohol use. Addiction, 95(Suppl. 2), S145–S153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warner, J. (2002). Craze: Gin and debauchery in the age of reason. London: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westermeyer, J. (1988). The pursuit of intoxication: Our 100 century-old romance with psychoactive substances. American Journal on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 14, 175–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, H. H., & Knowlton, B. J. (2006). The role of the basal ganglia in habit formation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7, 464–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zule, W. A., Vogtsberger, K. N., & Desmond, D. P. (1997). The intravenous injection of illicit drugs and needle sharing: An historical perspective. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 29, 199–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zwenger, S. R. (2009). Bogarting that joint might decrease oral HPV among cannabis users. Current Oncology, 16, 5–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Matthew O. Howard & Ahmed Whitt

  2. Trinite Institute on the Addictions, College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Eric L. Garland

Authors
  1. Matthew O. Howard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eric L. Garland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ahmed Whitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew O. Howard .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Saint Louis University, 3550 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, 63103, Missouri, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn

  2. University of Michigan, 1080 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, 48103, Michigan, USA

    Brian E. Perron

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Howard, M.O., Garland, E.L., Whitt, A. (2012). Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. In: Vaughn, M., Perron, B. (eds) Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Contemporary Social Work Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5357-4_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation