Abstract
Problems related to alcohol and other substance abuse are on a steady rise. Certain controversial measures currently aim at immediate solutions, such as the public funding of therapeutic communities. The article draws comparisons between the legacy of early twentieth-century public health practices in psychoactive substance abuse and current proposals for intervention through therapeutic communities. The study researched primary sources from the perspective of historical materialism. Historically produced by society as a whole, problems stemming from substance abuse continue to place the greatest burden on users, the people around them, and public health.
therapeutic communities; public policy; drug users; alcoholics; mental health