The community orientation of social model and medical model recovery programs.

This paper examines the extent to which two social model programs and one medical model program operating in the same county were able to establish links between their programs and the community at large. Emphasis on community and environment is a hallmark of social model programs, suggesting that more effective links will have been established at those programs than at the medical model program. Items from the community orientation subscale of the Social Model Philosophy Scale provide a guide for this qualitative analysis. Community resources considered include self-help 12-step programs, as well as community agencies chartered to address employment, education, family counseling, and housing. All three programs were found to have a strong emphasis on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA). At the medical model program (MMP), patients were exposed to three to five AA or NA meetings per week during their 10-day stay, although for the most part, meetings in the MMP had few, if any, outsiders. The social model programs exposed residents to a number of different AA and NA meetings, both at the program and in the community over a period of months. The MMP program was found to have minimal links with the community for employment, education, or other services. The MMP program counselors did try to make referrals to other substance abuse programs upon release from the hospital, and to insure that patients had somewhere to go for shelter after being discharged. In contrast, social model programs encouraged residents to utilize community resources for health, education, and social service needs.

Evaluating primary prevention: the california "winners" alcohol program.

The "Winners" program was a three year primary prevention effort sponsored by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. The demonstration attempted to alter drinking behavior through the use of paid mass media messages and community-based educational and organizational strategies. The evaluation design included three communities: a media plus community organization and education site; a media only site; and, a comparison site. This article describes the "Winners" program and presents some results of the evaluation. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention efforts in general.