Does Substance Abuse Treatment Have Self-Schematic Effects?

A survey on alcohol and drug use was completed by 1,291 college students. As predicted from research on self-schemas, greater self-efficacy was associated with lower substance use among respondents who indicated having been treated for substance abuse but not among those who had not received treatment. Also, those who reported receiving treatment were more likely than the others to report having attended campus programs on substance abuse. These findings suggest that substance use and its control are important aspects of the self-definition of those who receive treatment for substance abuse.