Social Problems: Drug and Alcohol Use and Abuse

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Social ProblemsDrug and Alcohol Use and Abuse
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Introduction

• Wide variations in the use of illicit drugs and
  excessive drinking practices are found around the
  world.
• Substance abuse is particularly prevalent among
  the young worldwide.
• The processes of globalization tend to increase
  the availability of mind-altering substances.

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LEGAL AND ILLEGAL DRUG USE

• Subject of drugs is clouded with myths many
  people assume drugs dangerous when illegal
• Use of legal drugs such as alcoholic beverages
  and tobacco is more prevalent than the use of
  illegal drugs such as marijuana and heroin
• Reality is alcohol and tobacco kill far more
  people (i.e. cause 60X more deaths in U.S.)
• Other legal drugs also often misused or abused
  (i.e. prescription medication)

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Definitional issues

• Drug a physical substance that causes
  recognizable physical or psychological effects.
• Addiction a physiological dependence on a
  substance, that, in its absence, involves
  pronounced distress, known as a withdrawal or
  abstinence syndrome. Addiction may also involve
  psychological dependence, or a strong emotional
  need for the substance in the absence of a
  physical dependence on it.
• Tolerance the need for increased amounts of the
  substance in order to achieve intoxication (or
  the desired effect) or a marked diminished effect
  with continued use of the same amount

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Illegal Drugs Their Effects

• Three main categories
• stimulants stimulate the central nervous system
• depressants reduce the activity of the nervous
  system
• hallucinogens (or psychoactives) disturb the
  nervous system and distort the user's perception
  of reality
• Marijuana fits into all three categories

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Effects (cont.)

• Effects of drugs influenced by
• level of dosage
• purity of drug
• drug mixing
• the method of administration
• the degree of habituation

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Marijuana

• Most widely used illegal drug
• From Indian hemp plant
• studies suggest it makes people less aggressive
• many argue that there are serious health hazards
• short term effects memory loss and anxiety
• long term effects cancer, respiratory diseases
  and heart problems
• However, research indicates moderate use is not
  worse than alcohol or smoking
• can also be used medically
• does not directly cause its users to move to
  hard drugs like heroin, but can occur if
  marijuana users have friends who use hard drugs.

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Heroin

• First produced 1898 from morphine
• Use can lead to physical and psychological
  dependence and addiction

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Cocaine and crack

• from coca plants that are mostly grown in
  Columbia
• used in the past as a local anesthetic and a drug
  for offsetting fatigue and depression.
• Before being made illegal, it was used as a
  pleasure drug by poor and powerless
• Cocaine sometimes seen as symbol of wealth and
  status

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Meth, Roofies, and Esctasy

• Meth (methamphetamine) is an injectable stimulant
  known as speed
• Roofies or roach is a depressant related to
  Valium
• Ecstasy is the most recently popular drug, esp.
  among youth
• PBS Frontline (2006) The Meth Epidemic

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Other Hallucinogens

• LSD
• Synthetic drug
• Can cause bad trips and flashbacks
• PCP (angel dust)
• An animal sedative
• May lead to violent behaviour

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Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use

• In Canada, 1989-1993
• use of meth, heroin, LSD remained stable
• cocaine and marijuana use down
• In 2002, nearly 200,000 Canadians dependent on
  illicit drugs alone.
• In U.S. drug use widespread
• Recent research shows 12 of people 12 yrs. and
  over use illicit drugs
• However, 1980-1992 use declined, and now stable

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Problems Related to Drug Use

• Publics perception of drugs as deviant and
  dangerous has led to moral panics
• Intravenous injection of an illegal drug can
  spread HIV and AIDS
• Research shows that people who use illegal drugs
  generally commit more crime (Thio)

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Common Misconception the Gateway Hypothesis

• The claim that the use of soft drugs inevitably
  leads to the use of harder drugs. There is little
  evidence to support this hypothesis, though this
  assumption shapes criminal law penalties for soft
  drug offences, especially in the United States
• Butmany have used marijuana but have not
  graduated to heroin

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Enslavement hypothesis

• The claim that drug users can be so overpowered
  by drugs as to become permanently addicted after
  one or two exposures
• Drug users forced into life of crime to support
  addiction
• Little evidence to support this hypothesis.

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General deviance syndrome theory

• Refutes enslavement hypothesis
• The high correlation between drugs and crime is
  because both drug users and criminality are part
  of a general deviance syndrome

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Socioeconomic Status and Drugs

• Strong connection between higher status and
  marijuana
• college and high school students use it the most
• Correlation between lower status and heroin but
  since 1990s more affluent starting to use it
• Cocaine use linked to higher status, but crack
  use to lower SES
• Meth and roofies working-class and young people
  
• Ecstacy students and young professionals

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Stages of Drug Abuse (Gomme)

• Experimental (occasional use) gt
• Recreational (social use) gt
• Situational (to solve problem i.e. stress) gt
• Intensified (daily use) gt
• Compulsive (becomes dominant activity)

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Social Profile of Drug Users

• Those using more drugs are
• males, who are considerably more likely to use
  drugs regularly, and extremely more likely to use
  drugs heavily
• relatively young, especially those free from
  parental control and responsibilities
• likely to have parents who use legal drugs, and
  friends who first gave them drugs
• skipped school more often and stayed home less
  often

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Theories of Drug Abuse

• Biological theories inborn tolerance
• Psychological theories low self-esteem
• Economic deprivation theory link between drug
  use and deprivation abuse drugs to forget or
  to obtain status
• Cognitive association theory use to stave off
  withdrawal pains
• Multifactor theories combine social and
  psychological factors i.e. use to belong to a
  group and because have low self-esteem

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Legal DrugsAbuse of Prescription Drugs

• i.e. oxycontin
• Started off as middle class problem
• Over-prescription by doctors
• Lead to practices of forged prescriptions and
  double doctoring

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Double doctoring

• The practice of those with a drug addiction of
  visiting two or more doctors in order to obtain
  prescriptions for drugs that have some street
  value or have non-medical uses.

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The Creation of a Social ProblemLabelling and
Claims-Making

• ADHD is a recent label applied to a certain type
  of childhood social behaviour
• The clip below is a good example of what Spector
  and Kitsuse (1977) called claims making
  activity
• PBS Frontline (2001) Medicating Kids
• Watch part 3 of this video The Promoters of ADHD

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Moral Entrepreneurs and Claims Making Activity
(from lecture 1)

• Moral entrpreneurs have the power to label
  problems or problem behaviour in society
• Often members of elites or interest groups
• Stages in Claims-Making activity
• Stage 1 Problem Definition
• - gaining public recognition
• Stage 2 Legitimacy
• - acceptance by official agencies
• Stage 3 Reemergence of demands
• -reasserting demands
• Stage 4 Rejection and institution building
• - forming new organization to solve the problem

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Legal DrugsTobacco Use

• Nicotine a natural stimulant found in tobacco
• 26 of Canadians smoke (2001)
• Increase among youth and women
• Many health effects i.e. lung cancer, emphysema,
  heart disease
• Also, second-hand smoke effects

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Smoking Facts(adapted from http//www.ccsd.ca/fac
tsheets/health/index.htm)

• 22 of Canadians over age 12 were smokers in
  2005, down slightly from 2003 (23).
• Smoking rates have declined among both men and
  women and across all age groups - except among
  seniors, where rates appear to be stable.
• The greatest decline in smoking rates between
  2000/01 and 2005 were among youth aged 12 to 17.
• Between 2003 and 2005, smoking rates declined in
  nine provinces and territories. The most dramatic
  decline was in Nunavut, where the smoking rate
  among the population aged 12 and older dropped
  from 65 to 53. In the Yukon, the smoking rate
  rose over this two-year period.
• Smoking rates in 2005 were higher among
  lower-income earners (30.4) than among middle-
  and high-income earners (22.8).

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Global Smoking Rates

• Internationally, Canada has relatively low
  smoking rates
• In 2004, Canada's adult smoking rate was 15,
  while France and Germany had rates of 23 and
  24. Japan had one of the highest smoking rates
  among OECD nations (29.4) the United States and
  Australia had rates slightly higher than those of
  Canada (17).

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Legal Drugs Alcohol

• Main problems associated with alcohol in North
  America are alcoholism and binge drinking
• Is a central nervous system depressant
• About 80 of Canadians over 14 reported drinking
  alcohol in 2004

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Alcohol Statistics (Statistics Canada)

• Slightly more males than females drink alcohol
• 44 drink regularly (weekly)
• 25 drink heavily at least once a month
• 25 of all males and 9 of all females are high
  risk drinkers in Canada

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Alcohol and Depression

• In 2002, more than 600,000 Canadians were
  dependent on alcohol
• Depression was common among people who were
  alcohol- or drug-dependent.
• Heavy drinking tended to lead to depression, but
  at the same time, depression led to heavy
  drinking.
• (http//www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-s/2004000/pdf
  /7447-eng.pdf)

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Alcoholism and Binge Drinking

• Alcoholism is main problem associated with
  alcohol
• Alcoholism Stages (Thio)
• 1. Pre-alcoholic stage
• prospective alcoholics begin as social drinkers
  and experience relief from tensions
• 2. Forewarning stage
• blackouts and excessive drinking
• 3. Crucial stage
• Loss of control over drinking
• 4. Chronic stage
• Physical addiction
• Binge drinking (periodic heavy drinking) a
  problem at colleges and universities

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Theories of Alcoholism

• Biological Genetic vulnerability
• Some evidence from twin studies
• Psychological theories
• i.e. the alcoholic personality (antisocial,
  manipulative, attention-seeking, depressed)
• Social psychological theories
• There is a fit between vulnerable personality
  traits (i.e. alcoholic personality) and certain
  drinking group values and activities
• Sociological (Robert Bates)
• production of acute inner tensions in people by
  their culture
• a culturally induced attitude toward drinking as
  a means of relieving the tensions
• failure of the culture to provide nonalcoholic
  means for resolving the tensions

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Important Sociological Theories of Substance Abuse

• Structural Functionalist
• Society and culture influence individuals to
  abuse drugs and alcohol
• Eg. Alcohol media and advertising tend to
  normalize drinking in our society
• ie beer ads sell images, fantasies and life
  styles rather than beer itself
• Studies show beer advertising linked to positive
  feelings about beer and drinking
• Example Molsons I Am Canadian

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Structural Functionalist Social Disorganization
Theory

• Rapid social change causes disorganization in
  society
• Breakdown of norms and values result
• Traditional sanctions become ineffective
• How does this affect youth?

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Structural Functionalism Mertons Anomie Theory

• The relationship between cultural goals and
  legitimate opportunities become incongruent
• Individuals adapt to the structurally produced
  strain (anomie) in alternative ways i.e. through
  drug dealing or substance abuse

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Mertons Theory of Anomie Modes of Adaptation
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Modes (cont.)

• Conformity
• Most common adaptation
• Innovation
• When fierce competition for society's valued
  goals by adequate means drug dealing
• Ritualism
• Life has no purpose just doing what supposed to
  be done
• Retreatism
• Apathy escapist activities alcohol or drugs
• Rebellion
• Start a new system e.g. drug subculture

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Conflict Theory

• Alcohol and drug abuse varies by SES
• i.e. wealthy more likely to use alcohol but the
  poor more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs
• Powerful groups in society define what is legal
  or illegal can label and criminalize substances
• Alcohol and tobacco companies controlled by the
  powerful
• Consequently, in Can. society, alcohol and
  tobacco are legal but other substances are not.
• See Box 3.3 in text on the social construction of
  opium and Chinese immigrants

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Symbolic Interactionism

• Focus on the meanings and values associated with
  labels applied to abusers
• Text gives example of alcoholic vs. social
  drinker

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War on Drugs

• This is the U.S. position
• Drugs are a threat to safety and well-being of
  society
• Every effort must be made to control and
  eliminate use and sale of illegal drugs

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Legalizing Drugs

• Netherlands has a national drug policy
• Focus is on prevention and reduction of harm
  rather than law enforcement and prosecution.
• When drugs are legal can control quality and use.

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For Debate.

• Which alternative is better?
• War on Drugs vs. Legalizing Drugs
• Form groups of 3-4 people and choose one of the
  above positions
• Support your position with 2-3 point and choose a
  spokeperson to report your decision to the rest
  of the class.