Substance abuse attitude changes in medical students

The authors describe a course in substance abuse given to sophomore medical students with the intention of positively influencing their attitudes toward substance-abusing patients and their treatment. Clinical problem solving and small group discussion were emphasized in addition to field trips. By pretest and posttest measures, significant positive changes were obtained in student attitudes: they reported feeling less upset when they encountered alcoholics, "hard" drug abusers, "soft" drug abusers, compulsive smokers, and obese overeaters as well as having a more positive view of the physician's role in the treatment of substance dependence. Personal experience with alcohol and other drugs was shown to have an influence on attitude changes.