Many of the theories of substance misuse outlined in Howard et al (2013) reflect common attitudes to drug use and drug users you may hear on the street or see on TV. One of the most dominant ideas in the mid-20th century was that people who became substance misusers or dependent users were actually very different people from everyone else. Under this notion 'normal' people could use drugs and were unlikely to sink into addiction. However, there were of a sub-set of people who have a natural predisposition toward addiction no matter what the substance and the only way to ensure this sub-set of the population does not become addicted is to ensure they simply don't use drugs.What Model of substance use does this notion reflect?Question 5Select one:The Public Health ModelThe Disease ModelThe Psychological ModelThe Temperance Model

Another theory of substance misuse is that individuals (particularly adolescents) are modelling their substance use behaviour of their friends, and that when this behaviour increases in frequency when it receives positive comment or approval from their peer groups. Which theory or model of substance misuse best reflects this example? Question 4Select one:Social Learning TheoryThe Educational ModelThe Disease ModelThe Neurocognitive Model

This week we’ve covered the nature of drugs and their place in human society for countless millennia. The reading by Nicholson identifies one of the key conclusions we can make concerning our efforts to control drug use over the last century.What was this conclusion?One of the key conclusion the authors make is that:Question 9Select one:The current approach could be described as a half-century of lost opportunities. We have spent the better part of 50 years trying to control normal behaviour.Public policy should be focused on criminalization of drug user populations.Drug users and drug misusers are technically the same population so we can target them effectively with a single policy approach.The global 'war on drugs' was an efficient and effective use of resources.

"Jill said that her biological relatives, grandmother, her grandmother’s sister, her mother, and her aunt were all heavy-drinkers, never treated."Re-read the quote above from Hammer et al (2012). Now answer this question:Which of the models of substance misuse - which we covered in the first reading this week – best reflects the role in this quote that families seem to be playing in the life of some of the substance misusers?Question 7Select one:The Moral ModelPsychological ModelsThe Public Health ModelFamily Systems Models

People who advocate for the Moral Model of addiction generally assume that substance use is a volitional act undertaken by an agent who knows (or should know) that dependence and other adverse consequences may follow. Many addiction treatment practitioners regard the moral model as: Question 2Select one:Anachronistic, stigmatizing, and simplistic.The new direction for current drug and addictions policy.An acceptable basis for methadone-maintenance approaches.Similar to the Model of Classical Conditioning.

The three readings this week all focus on the history of drugs (or alcohol specifically) in human society. Which of the following statements best reflects a key message that we can see resulting from these three readings?Question 10Select one:a.Drug misuse is as common as drug use and the two go hand-in-hand. Although we have a long history of drug use across cultures for social and religious purposes our most recent trends suggest that we need to reduce misuse by taking an abstinence approach (not taking any drugs).b.Drug use is common throughout history as is drug misuse which is a growing concern. The only way to reduce drug misuse is to reduce overall drug use by introducing legislation that targets the cultures most likely to use drugs.c.Drugs are here to stay and that makes sense given our history. There is not really much we can do about the harms that they cause. We’ve tried to reduce harm with a ‘War on Drugs’ approach but this hasn’t worked so let’s just avoid tinkering.d.Drug use is common and has been an accepted part of social and religious life across many cultures. However, lax legislation and social rules can also make drug misuse common (regardless of culture) and this can be very destructive.