Ideology and social work practice in substance abuse settings

The profession of social work has a unique role in preventing and treating alcohol and other drug problems. In human services settings shared beliefs or ideologies of care are expected to have substantial influence over the way in which problems are perceived and the types of service technologies used. Thus, it is important that social work professionals be cognizant of what beliefs they hold and how their beliefs about substance abuse treatment and prevention may affect practice. This article discusses current ideologies of care in the substance abuse arena, including the disease/abstinence, psychosocial, ecological, and harm-reduction approaches. In addition, this article examines managers' beliefs about substance abuse programs to determine if there are differences between those who have a social work background (that is, hold at least one social work degree) and those who do not. Suggestions for social work practice and future research also are provided.