ABSTRACT
Before discussing treatment approaches, it is worth considering the very concept of treatment. The word ‘treatment’ is usually reserved for interventions that are delivered by health professionals to people with diseases. Is substance use a disease? Most people would not view use, per se, as an illness. We view simple use as a behaviour that the person is choosing, albeit a risky behaviour. Interestingly, most Western cultures view alcohol use as an acceptable behaviour, and perceive it as posing low or no risk for young adults.
