ABSTRACT
Substance use disorder, or addiction, is both a mental illness and a chronic medical disease. Best practices for treating addiction include medical, pharmacological, and psychotherapy interventions. Providing competent and culturally sensitive care in the treatment of addiction is predicated on respect, openness to collaboration, and curiosity. Respect in substance abuse treatment is twofold; you must hold respect for the client, but also for the tenacity of the disease. Openness to collaboration with interdisciplinary professionals is also essential as substance abuse often requires treatment from medical professionals, chemical dependency professionals, and sometimes legal and government agencies, in addition to psychotherapy. Finally, being curious about the culture that surrounds drug use and abuse is essential to culturally competent care. Drug culture has its own social norms and ways of mediating belonging. A case study is explored and best practices suggested. Attending to the social and cultural impact that sobriety will have on your clients is essential to providing quality care.
