I believe that the Nancy Reagan Campaign of “Just say no” was an ill-informed campaign. So I say Don’t just say no. The biopsychosocial model of substance abuse disorders includes information about how substance dependence disorders are caused by various factors which include a well-rounded inclusion of biological psychological and social influences on addictive behavior. In many cases once the disorder is in place it is extremely difficult to stop. By telling someone to just say no you are not really informing them about their disorder. This simple mantra could actually be preventing a person who suffers from substance dependence from getting the help they need.
Don’t just say no
Telling someone to just say no does not address any of the current therapeutic evidenced based techniques that are used to help treat substance abuse disorders. So really is best to say Don’t just say no. It is an ineffective manner that may do more harm than good. Its only redeeming quality may be that if a younger person were to be educated and learn to refuse to use any drugs or alcohol they may not become addicted. The down side is that if there is any type of predisposition in a person to become someone who is addicted then at any point in time they may become addicted even if they did not use early on in their life.
A more effective campaign might have been to educate people on how they can overcome the problem. In this way the person who might end up suffering from this disorder might find direction. They can gain assistance rather than someone telling them to just not do something. It is akin to telling someone with cancer that they should just not have it. This type of thing does not and will not work.