The content of Walking the Talk offers a new and positive chemical health model for resolving this confusion. The program calls for development of a set of guidelines that can provide the framework for examining alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. Once developed these guidelines can be used to assist people to make safe, healthy, legal and appropriate choices about the use and nonuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The guidelines can also be used as the basis for early intervention when use is illegal, unhealthy or risky. It is important to note that the program affirms healthy and appropriate use as well as nonuse.
Many drugs have the potential to improve our health and enrich our lives.
They protect us from disease, guard against infection, speed recovery from injury and comfort the terminally ill. Alcohol is a part of the celebration of religious, social and other special events. Yet the use of alcohol and many of these drugs also has the potential to cause serious health, legal, economic and spiritual problems. It is important to note that people can experience a variety of problems that result from the inappropriate use of alcohol and other drugs, only one of which is dependency or addiction. Alcohol is an example of a chemical around which there is a great deal of confusion and few generally accepted guidelines for its use.