Before seeking help

Prevention means a set of measures to prevent the onset of a disease.
There are 3 levels of prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary, of which only the first corresponds to the concept. Secondary prevention was renamed the treatment itself, while tertiary prevention, rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, given the wide range of alcoholic beverages without a legal jurisdiction and control system and the increasing availability of drugs and other psychotropic medications, the most common strategies for primary prevention have little or no chance of success, with poor results in cost / benefit, the vast majority of cases.

This issue of primary prevention is also hampered by the concept of cultural and social use of alcohol and other substances. Over the years, has seen the evolution of the concept of alcoholism and drug use. We can classify the change of these concepts in 3 different models:

1 - Model moral
The use of SPA (psycho-active substance) is seen as a sign of weak character, requiring the User to exercise willpower and self-control. This is still a thought existing in our culture, which believed that disorders such as alcoholism are the result of moral failings. The major limitation of this model is to make the person feel guilty for the problem, thinking that you lack strength "I'm weak, I can not stop using."

2 - Medical Model
Under this approach, addictive behaviors are based on an underlying physical dependence and attention is focused on physiological factors predisposing assumed to be genetically transmitted, as primary cause of addiction. The definition of alcoholism as a progressive disease that can be temporarily controlled by total abstinence and addressed in this model are:

a) A person is not responsible for the problem, the limitations of this model for treatment as a disease.
b) Do you need an external treatment, something comes "from outside" to cure him. The great advantage of this model is that it allows the person to request and accept help without being blamed for its weakness. From this medical model, there were different forms of treatment that would be classified as a treatment model of clarity. Therapeutic communities of religious, groups of self-help as NA, AA are examples of the model of medical explanation.

3 - Model Compensatory or additive behavior patterns and habits acquired:
Within this model, addictive behavior is seen as a hyper-learned habit that can be analyzed and modified the same way as other habits. Is modified here, the concept of compulsive habit, because it sees more use as a state of being compulsive, irresistible urge to do something irrational. The model of addictive behavior is to interest the study of the determinants of dietary additives, including: history of situational, environmental history, beliefs, expectations, family history, personal history and previous learning experiences with the substance. The fact that a disease state is a product of an additive component (cirrhosis of the liver, lung cancer) long-term, not necessarily imply that their behavior is a disease. The addictive behaviors are performed in situations perceived as stressful, and there, using the SPA, immediate gratification, that is state of pleasure or maximum reduction of tension or excitement.

Example:
Drinking - reduce social anxiety
Smoking - calming the "nerves"
Eating - loneliness or boredom
The drinking, smoking or eating in these situations coping mechanisms are maladaptive because they lead to negative consequences, such as changes in physical and emotional health.

The advantages of this model are:

a) Have the person can exercise control over and responsibility for the process of changing an addictive habit.
b) Be able to learn effective methods of changing habits. Since the limitation is the fact that the coordinator of this model must have a full understanding of the theories of social learning, cognitive psychology and experimental social psychology. The work developed from this approach is performed in clinics or specialized hospitals, requiring a whole team of trained professionals to its development.

The main point of these models is the possibility that the SPA User has to seek help. Whatever the type of help, it is essential that the person is aware that there are different approaches and ways of treatment and there will always be someone available to help you.