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Holistic Systems Treatment for Substance Abusers

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the holistic systems treatment approach as a viable intervention for African-American substance abusers. For the purposes of the paper, substance abuse is defined as a maladaptive pattern of substance usage despite negative social, psychological, physical, and/or legal consequences (Sue, Sue & Sue, 1994). The first section of the paper examines some of the basic characteristics of the population of African-American substance abusers while the second section explores studies of holistic treatment efficacy and discusses the applications of this research to African-American substance abusers.

Characteristics of African-American Substance Abusers

Eshleman (1991) has noted that African-Americans are over-represented among the population of illegal substance abusers. Specifically, he reports that:

(1) Among males, blacks represent 20 percent of substance abusers while whites represent 14.2 percent, and Hispanics only 14 percent;

(2) Among females, blacks represent 11 percent of illegal substance abusers while whites represent 7.5 percent and Hispanics 7.4 percent; and

(3) When both genders are considered together, blacks account for approximately 15.7 percent of illegal substance abusers, whites for 11.7 percent and Hispanics for 10.7 percent.

The foregoing statistics lead to an interesting question. Why is it that Hispanics who may also be considered to be an American minority challenged by prejudice and discrimination have significantly lower rates of substance abuse than blacks (or even whites)? This question has been addressed by Eshleman, Cashion and Basirico (1992) who report that the American experiences of Black Americans are unique (e.g. slavery, emancipation, migration to northern cities due to discrimination, etc.) and these unique experiences have produced life-style and value patterns that differ from both majority and other minority groups.

This dif...

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Holistic Systems Treatment for Substance Abusers. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 03:12, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690502.html