Substance Use Disorders and Recovery

By VeriScorePrep Team · 5 min

Substance use disorders (SUD) are chronic, treatable conditions. Stigma drives both underreporting and under-treatment; social workers are positioned to address both.

The disease model

SUD is a brain disease involving reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry — not a moral failing. Severity ranges from mild to severe; many people recover fully.

Stages of change (Prochaska-DiClemente)

• Precontemplation: not considering change.
• Contemplation: thinking about change.
• Preparation: ready to change soon; small steps.
• Action: actively changing.
• Maintenance: sustaining change; managing relapse.

Match the intervention to the stage. Pushing action on a precontemplator builds resistance; meet them with information and reflection instead.

Harm reduction

Harm reduction accepts that change unfolds in steps; reducing harm — sterile syringes, fentanyl test strips, naloxone distribution, supervised consumption — keeps clients alive and engaged. Recovery is not the only valuable outcome; survival and connection are too.

Treatment options

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): methadone, buprenorphine for opioid use disorder; naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram for alcohol.
• Residential, intensive outpatient, outpatient, peer support (AA, NA, SMART Recovery).
• Co-occurring disorders are common — address both; integrated treatment outperforms sequential.

Relapse is part of the course for many — frame it as a learning opportunity, not a failure. Remove shame; reinstate care.