EPA-1617 – The Role of Social Environment in Reduction of Unhealthy Behaviour of Patients with Addiction Disorders

Abstract

There is a number of strict alcohol and drug abusers all around the world. They need in some funds for substances buying and often they do not have regular work commit a crimes. Besides frequently addicts underestimate their own condition and anosognosia happens regularly.

Sometimes they fear to attend state health institutions even on ambulant and anonymous basis, because it might lead to restriction of their work and life opportunities in consequence in Russia (taking away of drive license etc.). The last one is a way for risks reducing in society to eliminate of dangerous drivers, but it declines of addicts opportunities to get professional medical support from medical specialists. All of these factors lead to pushing out of alcohol and drug users from the society, and as a result lead to increasing of their unhealthy behavior and crime activity.

There is developed system in Germany for incorporation of patients with addiction disorders into the society. It includes some social benefits for patients, encouraging their attending to outpatient departments, facilitating employers to adopt these patients for work.

On the one hand, this approach increases risks for society and patient, because a person with addiction disorder get permission for potential dangerous activity (eg. driving). But ultimately it facilitates for developing of the health behavior by individuals, decreasing of social risks through incorporation of the person to the society and improving of social environment.