McCaffrey's Approach
The other main criticism of current policy is that federal support of drug-prevention and treatment programs is out of balance. “Obviously, we need law enforcement because a lot of drug users are in the criminal-justice system,” says Gale Saler, deputy executive director of Second Genesis. “But the amounts we're spending on drug efforts seem way out of kilter when you consider the effectiveness of programs where most of the money is spent. It we could snap our fingers and all of a sudden stop all drugs at the border, we'd still have a drug problem in this country. We grow our own marijuana, and we produce methamphetamine and pharmaceutical drugs. People with this disease are going to use something until they get high. We need to focus on addiction.”
McCaffrey defends the administration's budget priorities. “Drug-treatment dollars have gone up by 34 percent over five budget years,” he says. “That's unarguable.”
In addition, McCaffrey says the administration has helped make drug treatment available by providing substance-abuse and mental-health coverage to federal workers, to take effect in October. “If you're an oncology patient and have an associated nutrition problem, the hospital will treat you as a holistic challenge,” he says. “We want the same thing for drug addiction and mental health. By the way, we'll save a lot of money if we do that. If we treat your substance-abuse problem, we won't then subsequently have to treat you for a quarter-of-a-million-dollar problem because you're HIV-infected or treat you as a traffic-accident victim.”
danaflower on 14 Apr 10" The Pratfall Effect Explanations > Theories > The Pratfall Effect Description | Research | Example | So What? | See also | References Description When a person makes a mistake or acts in a clumsy way that might even make people laugh, they are found to be more likeable, including in comparison with people who are more intelligent and clever. When you make a mistake, you appear more human, more like others and so more likeable. People who are perfect can seem threatening, but people who are imperfect are safe and hence easier to truly like. Research Elliot Aronson played recordings of people answering a quiz, but with some you could hear the person knocking over a cup of coffee. People listening to the recordings rated the people who knocked over the coffee as being more likeable. Example A participant on a TV game show gets a big round of applause and many cheers for having a go and making a big mess of their task, whilst the person who wins just gets polite applause. So What? Using it If you want to be liked, make mistakes sometimes (or just admit to error), though do be careful to make it in an area which is unimportant and which will not make people think you are incapable in areas where they need your ability. Defending When others make mistakes watch for them immediately seeking your sympathy. It may be genuine, but just beware of them using it as a lever. Sometimes also others will try to appear helpless in order to get you to help them. In this sense, they are playing as 'child' and want you to be the 'nurturing parent'. See also Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis, Social Comparison Theory References Aronson, Willerman and Floyd (1966)"