Abstract

GONZALEZ MENENDEZ, Ricardo. From my naive opinions on drugs to my present considerations based on 30 years of experience as therapist. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2004, vol.20, n.2. ISSN 0864-2125.

With the objective of explaining his complete rejection to the naive conceptions about drugs that explained his initial underestimations and professional indifference toward alcohol consumption and other addictions during his first 10 years of medical practice, the authors makes reflections on some of his personal experience and adquired knowledge duing his last 30 working years as head of a teaching service specialized on addictions. He takes as a basis the possibility that maybe other physicians and technicians of the health team might have conceptions similar to those that he had before and in some way, he could help to change them by explaining these persons his own experience in this regard. He also attempts to transfer the family physician in a colloquial and accesible language the information (and some basic bibliography) that may be useful for his/her important educational actions at community level oriented to health care, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the prevention of alcohol and other drug consumption whose human significance is considered to be comparable to war, hunger and extreme misery effects.

Keywords : Substance abuse detection; substance-related disorders.