Social Work With the Addictions – Can the Profession Deliver?

Abstract

This paper reviews the way in which the problems of drug addiction have been managed in Hong Kong. Given the lip service paid so far to social work input in the drug rehabilitation scene, an argument is made for an expansion of the role of social work. But it is contended that social work will only be relevant if addiction work is placed squarely within the totality of an individual's life functioning, the area of concern to social work. This would entail, however, a reconceptualisation of addiction from that of the prevailing medical view, which sees it as a disease process, to that of seeing addiction as a cognitive choice. 本文回顾香港之戒毒治疗及康复工作，发现社会工作之参予未如理想，原因乃由於滥用药物问题一直被定义为一种病态，因而治疗工作倚重於医疗界之服务。但研究指出滥用药物实应视为应付生活之惯性行为。重新定义滥用药物问题後，社会工作之介入变 为极适当，极需扩张。

Measuring Drug Abuse: The Development of the Chinese Drug Involvement Scale in Hong Kong

“…It was also found that the protective factors against relapse are closely related to social support offered by employers, family members, and friends and also from formal support services, such as job referral, accommodation, and other welfare services. This highlights the problem of drug abuse as involving the totality of a person's life functioning, a focus well within the social work profession's legitimate domain, and one in which the profession should take a more active and essential role (Ng, 1998). The CDIS would add to the social workers' armamentarium in their service delivery in the drug field.…”

“…a focus well within the social work profession's legitimate domain, and one in which the profession should take a more active and essential role (Ng, 1998). The CDIS would add to the social workers' armamentarium in their service delivery in the drug field.…”