Enid Warringar, health worker mentor

Grog & drugs

Healthcare workers need to confront their own attitudes and preconceptions to ensure they’re treating others with respect and that they’re not discriminating against:

  • clients and their family and friends
  • the general public
  • co-workers.

Look at these topics to learn about the causes of discrimination and preconceptions that some people hold.

Sex

Societies have clear ideas about the roles of men and women. These place expectations on people to behave in certain ways which may be misleading. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • only women can be the victims of domestic violence or rape
  • young single women are likely to get pregnant so they can claim benefits.

Sexuality

Attitudes towards homosexuality vary between different cultures but are often negative. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • homosexual people are promiscuous
  • homosexual people can’t have loving relationships.

Race/religion

Racist attitudes cause people to assume others will behave in a certain way because of their race of religion. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people don’t want to work
  • Muslim people support terrorism.

Physical/mental impairment

Physically or mentally impaired people are often the victims of negative stereotyping because of the way that they look or act. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • physically or mentally impaired people can’t live independently and look after themselves
  • physically or mentally impaired people’s needs aren’t as important as those of able-bodied people.

Drug and grog dependency

It is very important that AOD workers think about the way they view drug and grog users. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • drug and grog dependant people are thieves and liars and can’t be trusted
  • drug and grog dependant people are poor and homeless.

Age

People often expect others to act in a certain way because of their age, which may be false. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • young people are anti-social
  • old people can’t be dependant on drugs.

Socio-economic status

Most people have expectations about others based on their incomes and the areas they come from. Some discriminatory preconceptions include:

  • poor people are more likely to abuse their children
  • rich people have everything and are happy with their lives.
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