The Role of Attitude in the Prevention and Treatment of Addiction

Propagators of addiction have well realized that by creating a positive attitude towards substance abuse and the prevalence of misconceptions among people in the community, they can get a good consumer market and profitability. Hence, one of the main reasons for the addiction problem is the risk of normalization of substance abuse and a positive attitude toward substance abuse and its effects. Accordingly, it is necessary to study the role of attitudes toward substance abuse in the prevention and treatment of addiction. In this study, the effective factors on the creation of positive and negative attitudes toward substance abuse and addiction were studied. The results of many studies indicate that attitude has direct and indirect affects on addictive behaviors. Therefore, by changing positive attitudes of individuals and strengthening their negative attitudes toward substance abuse, one can prevent the tendency to substance abuse and its continuation. The more these attitudes rely on science, experimentation and education, the more likely it is that they will be effective on the future behavior of the individual. Knowing the positive and negative attitudes as well as their severity and weakness, examining the effective factors on the creation of attitudes, and establishing targeted and family-centered training/preventive programs, it will be possible to guide attitudes and also to correct behaviors by changing these attitudes. Planning should be made in such a way that adolescents and young people find negative attitudes toward substance abuse during the training courses on promoting social and psychological empowerment. In sum, it can be said that modifying and changing individuals’ attitudes play important roles in the prevention and treatment of addiction.