Shame, not guilt linked to addiction

It is important to distinguish between feelings of shame and guilt when providing treatment for substance abuse and in developing substance-abuse prevention programs, indicate findings from a collaboration between scientists at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) Research Institute on Addictions and George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.

Shame is the tendency to feel bad about yourself following a specific event. It appears that individuals who are prone to shame when dealing with a variety of life's problems also may turn toward alcohol and other drugs to cope with this emotion. Guilt--feeling bad about a specific behavior or action--largely was unrelated to substance use.

Clinically, this study suggests a point of intervention for the treatment of substance-use problems. Specifically, counselors and other medical providers might work effectively with clients toward decreasing shame-proneness and enhancing guilt-proneness.

"Whether or not shame is a cause of problematic substance use, other problems that go hand-in-hand with shame--such as anger or interpersonal difficulties--are sufficient justification for implementing shame-reduction interventions into treatment. Successfully reducing shame is likely to result in better treatment outcomes," contends RIA researcher Ronda Dearing.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group