Social Innovation: Changing the Stigma Surrounding Substance Abuse in China

By: Meghan Paulus

            Substance abuse in China has been stigmatized for a long time, this is the attitude that many citizens in China as well as government officials have. Laws prohibiting drug use are especially strict in China and lead many to believe there shouldn’t be a problem. However, the drugs making their way into China, like heroin, is a cheap and lethal mode to get high. (Levin, D.) Many people who start to abuse these types of drugs or alcohol quickly become hooked and can’t find a way out. Most addicts have nowhere to turn since there aren’t many facilities offering treatment for drug abuse. There are also many myths that confuse people about drug abuse in Asia and China specifically since it is believed that because of the strict nature of China’s laws, that they must be a drug free nation. This is obviously not the case, but China reports that the only expect about 1 million out of 1.4 billion to be abusers. However, the number of drug and alcohol addicts probably ranges around 10 million. (Powell, D. J.)  The lack of research in the substance abuse field can be attributed to this lack of knowledge on this front. In addition to the growing numbers of addicts in China, there are a staggeringly low amount of facilities able to offer treatment and recovery options. Even doctors who many believe are well versed in every disease in the human body do not receive extensive formal training on drug and alcohol abuse. In the end these abusers are left judged by the community with nothing to work for and no place to turn. This is where the stigma surrounding drug and alcohol abuse needs to change so these people can get the care they need.

            While the question is still up for debate in many countries; whether drug and alcohol abuse are diseases or the result of poor decisions many people are still affected by these vices. To combat this issue many, need to focus on how ending this type of behavior can benefit the community, instead of arguing whether the person that needs help has a disease or is a product of their environment. In the 1950’s China was successful in nearly eliminating opium abuse from the country. (Powell, D.J.) This elimination allowed the country to step away from the idea of substance abuse and worry about other matters. Thus, other forms of drug quietly began to rise with almost no push back from the government as well as prosperous growth due to the proximity of the “Golden Triangle”.  The once “drug free” country found itself amid a drug crisis, under new globalization patterns and the age of accessibility. Many failed to realize that by progressing the community they could also progress themselves and instead shunned and berated substance abusers.

           Social Innovation is defined as strategies, ideas, and plans that are meant to change a social norm or progress a way of thinking. These innovations are usually met with controversy as many tend to think differently from each other. However, social innovations are almost always good intended and are meant to progress the community or nation they are incited for. The community that comes with drugs and alcohol is usually one that promotes violence, fear, and greed. Therefore, by combatting that community by changing the way addiction is perceived than people may be able to receive better treatment. Addiction should be looked at as if it were a spectrum, many people can fall on a spectrum as the degree of alcoholism and drug abuse varies as well as placement in the environment. This validifies the argument that substance abuse is both a disease and product of the environment. If social change started with the government then by their traditional top-down system, more would be able to change. For example, if the Chinese government worked towards lessening social stratification, offering services to lower income citizens at risk for drug abuse, then citizens can also shift their view of drugs and alcohol more freely. This sort of shift was already seen when the prohibition of certain alcohols was lifted in China and many began to enjoy social drinking more freely.

           What is most challenging about this kind of mindset shift among a massive group of people is there will always be those who vehemently disagree with any sort of change. An opposition could argue that by lessening the strict rules on drug abuse, that could only invite more to take up the habit. Others could say that the economy is not stable enough to sustain new healthcare budgets and new services for drug and alcohol abusers as well. However, for true improvement in the system, for new services to be offered that are covered by insurance since the few that are available are currently not (World Health Organization.), and more training for physicians, the change must come from the people’s treatment of substance abuse first.

Works Referenced

1. Levin, D. (2015, January 24). Despite a Crackdown, Use of Illegal Drugs in China Continues Unabated. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/despite-a-crackdown-use-of-illegal-drugs-in-china-continues-unabated.html

2. Powell, PHD, D. J. (2007, March 1). Millions of patients: Substance abuse in China. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://www.addictionpro.com/article/millions-patients-substance-abuse-china

3. World Health Organization. (2010). ATLAS of Substance Use Disorders: China. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/atlas_report/profiles/china.pdf