On the importance of preventive education
Preventive education is founded on two essential premises:
firstly, education is a tool of prevention, and secondly, prevention of drug
abuse is possible. But, before analyzing the effectiveness of preventive
education, it seems worthwhile to rapidly redefine a few concepts and put them
back into context.
First of all, the use of drugs is a human phenomenon; it does
not exist in the animal world (2). As it is within a socio-cultural
context that the use and abuse of drugs is rooted and the reasons for this are
to be found, it is, therefore, within that same context that prevention becomes
possible. Whence the fundamental role of education for the prevention of drug
abuse.
(2) with but one or two
exceptions
However, the issue is not that of eliminating the use of drugs
by individuals, but rather a question of recognizing this fact as being a
problem of society. Some anthropological studies indicate that society creates
and sets in place integrated control mechanisms aimed at reducing or minimizing
the harmful effects of drugs. When the fabric of society begins to crack, the
wherewithal for control is lost.(3)
(3) N. Zinberg. Drug, set
and setting. Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 1974
What is usually understood by prevention?
Latin etymology (prae-venire: come before) places
the preventive act in a chronological setting - to act in anticipation of the
problem - thus creating a paradox. If the problem does not arise, it is
impossible to subsequently verify whether the preventive act has been effective.
Prevention becomes non-perceptible and, in turn, non-verifiable. This the first
difficulty with which any preventive intervention has to contend.
Let us pass on to some definitions of " prevent " - to
anticipate something undesirable in order to stop it or to ward it off; to
satisfy in advance; to warn in a threatening manner; and " prevention " -
a preconceived opinion about individuals or things with unfavorable connotations
of mistrust; or a state of mind which is predisposed to one thing or another.
An analysis of these definitions reflects the difficulties
inherent in preventive action. Considering what has to be prevented as "
undesirable " returns us to the field of morals and, thus, of ideologies;
prevention then becomes a sanctimonious enterprise. If to prevent is considered
to mean " to satisfy in advance ", then no verification is possible and
prevention becomes a form of voluntarism. Moreover, the popular meaning "
prevention is better than cure ", is a direct link to the curative act,
creating a bond between the realm of sickness and disease and the notion of
prevention. Indeed, it is this latter concept upon which most existing
intervention models are now based, just as it is the most customary definition
of prevention.
The medical model of prevention, built up at the end of the
XIXth century following Pasteur's discoveries about infectious diseases, is the
product of deterministic Cartesian logic of the cause and effect type based on
the history of diseases. This, in itself, is the fruit of knowledge acquired as
to the origins of disease (the cause), recognition of symptoms (effects) and
reconstruction of the mechanisms of propagation (linking effect to cause). The
medical model of prevention is based upon certain characteristics of the origins
of infectious diseases and their mechanisms of propagation: suppression of
the cause, which is usually unique and identifiable, interruption of
propagation mechanisms, which are normally natural, linear, able to be
pinpointed and wiped out; and protection of the population, the widest
expression of which is the vaccination campaign. Generally speaking, when
everything is known about a disease, it is by combining these three strategies
that the model of intervention would attain its level of excellence.
" It is important to emphasize that the medical prevention model
created as a result of the fight against infectious diseases, has, thanks to its
efficiency, rationalized the biggest fears and emotions of our overall
powerlessness linked to the major epidemics that have marked the history of
mankind. " ... " how much this model has acheived ... a strong credibility as a
result of its capacity in provoking great collective fears and giving the human
being a feeling of control over the curse that awaits them " (4)
(4) Rouge, Alain,
Prevention: les limites du mod mcal. Les Cahiers de la CORIEF, No. 1.
January 1988
The way the generalized spread of the abuse of drugs in modern
societies is perceived as " the " scourge of the century, conjures up the image
of an illusory world where fear and feelings of impotence remain the same as in
the past. However, unlike the great epidemics of the last century, today it is
the body of society that is attacked and undermined and not simply the physical
body of the individual. Because symbolic strategies of educational action must
be set in place there is a dangerous temptation to apply the linear model of
medical intervention to the complex field of social phenomena.
According to UNESCO's Preventive Education Programme
(5) «Prevention of drug abuse does not only mean equipping
individuals to deal with this problem by providing them with the abilities to
think, make choices, help them to relate to the past and become involved in the
future of their physical and social environment. Prevention must essentially pro
-vide the resources necessary to induce personal expression, restore dialogue
and overcome indifference. Social activities in the sphere of the arts, music
and sport are all preferential methods of communication which, not only procure
pleasure, but also offer the means to replace the violence inherent in
non-dialogue (and drug abuse is the most insidious), to promote authentic
discourse, creativity and provide opportunities to enter into contact with
others and to experience solidarity».
(5) Drugs. Demand
Reduction. UNESCO's contribution through preventive education, p.5 Position
paper 1993
Through this Programme, UNESCO, in collaboration with the other
agencies of the United Nations System, proposes a new conceptual field and a new
pragmatic approach to the prevention of drug abuse. This strategy must be
integrated as an innovative axis in the teaching-Learning process, because its
nucleus is education and information and not merely the transmission of
knowledge which has no effect on behaviour - " learning to be ". Preventive
education presumes a reciprocal communication which fosters integration of
knowledge and feelings, of the individual and his group, of public and private
spheres -through dynamic interactions aimed at achieving harmonious human
development.
