Substance Use Disorder is a Disease, But Not Everyone Who Has a Substance Use Disorder Has the Disease
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28348Keywords:
addiction, substance use disorder, harm reduction, recovery, clinical social workAbstract
Social workers commonly work with individuals, families, groups, and communities to support substance use disorder recovery. Substance use disorder is prevalent in many social work settings, including child welfare, criminal justice, healthcare, policy advocacy, and, of course, clinical social work. Therefore, schools of social work and students must be prepared to treat substance use disorder through multiple avenues using contemporary science to guide practice. This conceptual article supports the work of social work educators and student learning by highlighting the key symptoms of substance use disorder as a brain disease and emphasizing that not everyone who has a substance use disorder also has the brain disease. Additionally, guidance is provided on when social workers should recommend abstinence or harm reduction as the recovery goal in clinical treatment planning. Examples of abstinence and harm reduction clinical treatment plans are provided, and schools of social work can incorporate these examples into their curricula, which is especially important for schools that offer concentrations in substance use and mental health disorder treatment. The article ends with implications for social work and suggestions for future research to advance the evolving science of substance use disorder recovery.
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