Policy change requires a good story

~ Jason Schwartz

From Addiction:

. . . whether it is truly an accurate model of human addictive behaviour is more questionable. It is certainly true that numerous studies since Rat Park have shown the importance of environment in influencing human drug use, particularly in early years, but when considering socio-ecological models of health, drug use, drug choice, maintenance and development of problematic use or disorder, these are not simply a product of social environment (or lack thereof), but a complex interaction of individual risk (genetic and environmental) integrated within a larger social system, which are themselves complex and multileveled. However, this is not to construct a ‘straw man’ out of Rat Park – it has endured because advocating policy change requires a ‘good story’ and a simple narrative that has, or should have, at least some basis in evidence.

So . . . it’s a useful fiction (or partial-fiction). At what cost? This post touches on some of the issues.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

One thought on “Policy change requires a good story”

  1. Have just read the original 2016 post- very interesting. I really am taken by the discussion on heroin and Vietnam vets. While not researched my impressions of returning vets was that while many did return and cease heroin use , a vast number turned to alcohol and other drugs that were more socially acceptable but ultimately had very devastating consequences. And yes the Big Book of AA outlined various ” kinds” of drinkers long before a lot of research had been conducted though it’s writers had been working with some professionals at the time of it’s writing. Thank you for this post.

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