Transcript drug

Chapter 3:
Alcohol and Other Drugs
“Substance abuse, the nation’s number
one preventable health problem, places
an enormous burden on American
society, harming health, family life, the
economy, and public safety, and
threatening many other aspects of life.”
– The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis
University
Chapter Outline
The Global Context: Drug Use and Abuse
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and Abuse
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Societal Consequences of Drug Use and Abuse
Treatment Alternatives
Strategies for Action: America Responds
Understanding Alcohol and Other Drug Use
The Global Context: Drug Use and Abuse
What is a Drug?
The term drug refers to any chemical substance
that:
has a direct effect on the user’s physical, psychological,
and/or intellectual functioning
has the potential to be abused
has adverse consequences for the individual and/or
society.
The
Global
Drug
Use and
Abuse
Globally,
4%Context:
to 6% of the
world’s
population
between the ages of 15 and 64 (over 200 million
Drug Use and Abuse Around the World
people) reported using at least one illicit drug in
the previous year (2010).
The Global Context: Drug Use and Abuse
3. Cocaine
Drug Use and Abuse Around the World
2. Amphetamines
1. Cannabis
(Marijuana/Hashish)
4.
Opiates
According to the most recent report, these
are the most widely used illegal drugs:
The Global Context: Drug Use and Abuse
Drug Use and Abuse Around the World
Illicit drug use varies by location. For example,
an estimated 6.8% of adult Europeans have
used cannabis in the previous year, 2.2% in
Central America, and 1.2% in Asia.
Drug use varies over time. In 1974, 38% of high
school seniors reported “bingeing” in the 30
days prior to the survey; by 1992, that number
had dropped to a low of 28%.
Today, about 21% of 12th graders reported
smoking in the previous month.
The Global Context: Drug Use and Abuse
The Netherlands
•
•
•
U.S. citizens visiting the
Netherlands may be
surprised to find people
smoking marijuana and
hashish openly in public.
Pictured here is a tourist
using a water pipe to
smoke marijuana in a
coffee shop.
The Netherlands treats the
use of marijuana as a
public health issue rather
than a criminal justice
issue.
What Do You Think?
• Sociological
Drug abuse occurs
when acceptable
social
standards
Theories
of Drug
Use
and of drug
use are violated, resulting in adverse physiological,
psychological, and/or social consequences.
• Abuse
Chemical dependency refers to a condition where drug abuse
is compulsive; users are unable to stop.
• Various theories provide explanations for why some people
use and abuse drugs. Theories of drug use explain how
structural and cultural forces as well as biological and
psychological factors influence drug use and society's
responses to it.
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Structural-Functionalist Perspective
• Drug abuse is a response to weakening of societal
norms (anomie).
• Drug use is a response to the absence of a perceived
bond between the individual and society.
• Consistent with this perspective, in a national poll of
Americans 18 years or older, peer pressure and lack
of parental supervision were the two most common
responses given for why teenagers take drugs.
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Structural-Functionalist Perspective
The importance of family
in deterring the use is
highlighted in the
national youth media
campaign – “Parents,
The Anti-Drug”
This poster from the
Office of National Drug
Control Policy’s National
Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign emphasizes
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Conflict Perspective
Drug use is a response to political, social and power
inequality.
Drug use is an escape from alienation from work,
friends and family and frustration caused by
inequality.
Most powerful members of society influence the legal
definition of drug use.
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
If the label “drug user” is internalized drug use will
continue or even escalate.
Drug users learn motivations and techniques of drug
use through interaction with others.
Symbols may be used for political and economic
agendas (e.g. the D.A.R.E. campaign against drugs).
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Biological and Psychological Theories
Biological Theories
Genetics may predispose an
individual to alcoholism.
Some individuals are physiologically
“wired” to get more pleasure from
drugs than others.
Sociological Theories of Drug Use and
Abuse
Biological and Psychological Theories
Psychological Theories
Some personality types are more
susceptible to drug use.
Positive reinforcement: drug use
results in pleasurable experience.
Negative reinforcement: drug use
reduces pain, anxiety, loneliness and
Are alcoholism and other drug addictions a consequence
of nature or nurture?
What Do You Think?
If nurture, what environmental factors contribute to such
problems, and what would you recommend in terms of
prevention strategies?
If nature, do you think that drug addiction is a
consequence of biological factors alone?
If you consume alcohol, what are some of your
motivations for drinking?
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
Alcohol: The Drug of Choice
Between 2002 and 2009, the rate of heavy
alcohol use in the past month among 18 to
22 year olds decreased about 2%.
Still, alcohol remains the most widely used
and abused drug in America.
The National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, reported that 130.6 million Americans
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
Alcohol: The Drug of Choice
• The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services defines:
• Heavy Drinking as five or more drinks on the same
occasion on each of five or more days in the past 30
days prior to the National Survey on Drug Use and
Health.
• Binge Drinking as drinking five or more drinks on the
same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days
prior to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Frequently Used Drugs
Alcohol: The Drug of Choice
Additional results from the National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (2010):
The highest levels of binge drinking are among 18to 25- year-olds; people 65 or older had the lowest
rates of binge drinking.
Rates of alcohol use are higher among the full-time
employed; however, rates of heavy or binge
drinking are higher among the unemployed.
Past month binge drinking rates for full-time
college students increased between 2008 and
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
Alcohol: The Drug of Choice
For many students,
tailgating at football
games is an essential
part of college life. But
tailgating, going
“downtown,” the
fraternity or sorority
party, happy hour,
Greek initiation rituals,
and all other events
deemed suitable for
drinking alcohol, have
led to high frequency
Survey The Class
I believe that underage drinking is an important
social problem in our society.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
The Tobacco Epidemic
Globally, over 80% of the 1.1 billion smokers
in the world live in low or middle-income
countries.
Tobacco is one of the most widely used drugs
in the United States. According to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
survey, 69.7 million Americans – 23.3% of
those 12 and older – are current tobacco
Frequently Used Legal Drugs
The Tobacco Epidemic
Use of all tobacco products, including smokeless
tobacco (8.6 million users), cigars (13.3 million users),
pipe tobacco (2.1 million users), and cigarettes (58.7
million users), is higher for high school graduates than
for college graduates, males, and American Indians
and Alaska Natives.
In 2009, 11.6% of the 12 to 17 year old population
reported use of a tobacco product in the past month.
Research evidence suggests that youth develop
Frequently Used Legal
Tobacco Packaging: The Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Drugs
Kids calls the introduction of candy-flavored cigarettes
and smokeless tobacco an “outrageous” tactic to lure
The
Tobacco
Epidemic
youth
into using tobacco
products. Note the appeal to
African-American youth and women in some of the
packaging.
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
More than 21.7 million people in the United States
are current illicit drug users, representing 8.7% of the
population ages 12 and older. Users of illegal drugs,
although varying by type of drug used, are more
likely to be male, to be young, and to be a member of
a minority group.
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
Marijuana Madness
Most commonly used and trafficked illicit
drug.
Globally, there are between 129 and 191
million marijuana users, representing 2.9% to
4.3% of the world’s 15 to 64 year old
population.
Regionally, marijuana is the most dominant
illicit drug, particularly in North America.
Frequently Used Illegal
The largest producers of marijuana in the world
Drugs
are:
2. PARAGUAY
3. UNITED
STATES
1. MEXICO
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
There are more than 16.7 million current marijuana
users, representing 6.6% of the U.S. population age
12 and older.
According to the Monitoring the
Future (MTF) survey, daily marijuana
use increased dramatically in 8th, 10th,
and 12th grades, with daily use
estimated to be 1.2%, 3.3%, and
6.1%, respectively.
What Do You Think?
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Cocaine: From Coca-Cola to
Crack
Cocaine is classified as a stimulant and,
produces feelings of excitation, alertness, and
euphoria.
Cocaine, made from the coca plant, has been
used for thousands of years.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use
and Health:
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Cocaine: From Coca-Cola to
Crack
Crack is a crystallized product made by
boiling a mixture of baking soda, water, and
cocaine.
The result, also called rock, base, and gravel,
is relatively inexpensive and was not popular
until the mid-1980s.
Crack dealers often give drug users their first
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Cocaine: From Coca-Cola to
Crack
 An addiction to crack can take 6–10 weeks to
fully develop
An addition to pure cocaine can take 3–4
years.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, the number of people 12 and older
who used crack cocaine for the first time
decreased from 337,000 to 94,000 between
2002 and 2009.
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Methamphetamine (meth, speed, crank) is a central
nervous system stimulant that can be injected,
snorted, smoked, or ingested orally and is highly
addictive.
Today, meth is relatively inexpensive and easily
obtained, with more than 36.8% of high school
seniors reporting that “crystal meth” in its crystalline
form, is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get.
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Club drugs
A general term for illicit, often synthetic, drugs
commonly used at nightclubs or all-night dances
called “raves.”
Examples include
LSD
Ecstasy
Heroin
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Date-rape drugs
Drugs that are used to render victims
incapable of resisting sexual assaults.
Examples Include:
GHB
Rohypnol
Frequently Used Illegal Drugs
Heroin is a painkiller and is the most
commonly abused opiate drug.
Highly addictive, heroin can be injected,
snorted, or smoked.
If intravenous injection is used, the euphoric
effects are felt within 7–8 seconds; if heroin is
snorted or smoked, the effects are felt within
What Do You Think?
According to Jeffrey Reiman on the “basis of
available scientific evidence, there is every
reason to suspect that we do our bodies
more irreversible damage by smoking
cigarettes and drinking liquor than by using
heroin.”
How would a social constructionist explain
the legality of alcohol and tobacco products?
Frequently Used Illegal
Drugs
Societal Consequences
Family Costs of Drug Use
It is estimated that 1 in 10 U.S. children live
with at least one parent in need of treatment
for drug or alcohol dependency.
Children raised in such homes are more
likely to:
Live in an environment riddled with conflict
Have a higher probability of physical illness including
injuries or death from automobile accidents
Societal Consequences
Crime and Violence
The drug behavior of individuals arrested,
incarcerated, and in drug treatment programs also
provides evidence of a link between drugs and crime.
For example, surveys indicate that about 27 percent
of victims of violent crime report that the offender
was involved with alcohol or drugs.
Societal Consequences
Crime and Violence
The relationship between crime and drug
use, however, is complex. Sociologists
disagrees to whether drugs actually “cause”
crime or whether, instead, criminal activity
leads to drug involvement.
In addition to the hypothesized crime–drug
use link, some criminal offenses are defined
by use of drugs: possession, cultivation,
Societal Consequences
The High Price of Alcohol and Other
Drugs
A report by the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA
2009) set the total annual cost of substance
abuse and addiction in the United States at
$467.7 billion.
The report contends that, for every dollar spent
on drug abuse by federal and state
governments:
What Do You Think?
Societal Consequences
Physical and Mental Health Costs
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease
and death in the world.
According to the World Health Organization (2008), there are
six state initiatives which, if adopted, could potentially reverse
the worldwide tobacco crisis by:
(1) developing policies that prevent tobacco use
(2) protecting people from tobacco smoke by developing
smoke-free laws
(3) providing help to people who want to quit using tobacco
products
Societal Consequences
Physical and Mental Health Costs
Annually, alcohol abuse is responsible for over 2.5
million deaths, 4 percent of all deaths worldwide.
Alcohol kills more people than AIDS, tuberculosis, or
violence, and is annually responsible for 80,000
deaths in the United States.
Maternal prenatal alcohol use is associated with one
of the leading preventable causes of birth defects
and developmental disabilities in children, fetal
alcohol syndrome, a syndrome characterized by
Drunk Driving
Societal Consequences
Get-tough policies and increased
domestic law enforcement is not
just limited to illicit drug control.
Physical and Mental Health Costs
Recent campaigns by MADD and
the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) have
focused on “cracking down” on
drunk driving.
Societal Consequences
Physical and Mental Health Costs
Societal Consequences
The Cost of Drug Use on the
Environment
Although not something usually considered,
the production of illegal drugs has a
tremendous impact on the environment.
Much of the impact is a consequence of the
cultivation of marijuana, cocaine, and opium.
For example, the Colombian government
estimates that during the decades of 1988 to
Treatment Alternatives
In 2009, 4.3 million people aged 12 or older
were treated for some kind of problem
associated with the use of alcohol or illicit
drugs.
Individuals seeking treatment have several
options: family therapy, counseling, private
and state treatment facilities, community care
programs, pharmacotherapy (i.e., use of
Treatment Alternatives
Inpatient and Outpatient
Treatment
Inpatient treatment refers to treatment of drug
dependence in a hospital and, most importantly,
includes medical supervision of detoxification.
The longer patients stay in treatment, the greater the
likelihood of a successful recovery.
Treatment Alternatives
Inpatient and Outpatient
Treatment
Offenders who were the least likely to complete
treatment:
(1) had a history of significant problems with their
mothers
(2) had problems with their sexual partners in the
30 days prior to admission to the program,
(3) had longer periods of incarceration
(4) had used heroin in the 30 days prior to
Diseases Caused by Smoking
Diseases Caused by
Second-Hand Smoke
Treatment Alternatives
Peer Support Groups
Twelve Step Programs: Both Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous
(NA) are voluntary associations whose only
membership requirement is the desire to stop
drinking or taking drugs.
AA and NA are self-help groups in that
nonprofessionals operate them, offer
“sponsors” to each new member, and
Treatment Alternatives
Peer Support Groups
Some have argued that AA and NA members trade
their addiction to drugs for feelings of interpersonal
connectedness by bonding with other group
members.
In a survey of recovering addicts, more than 50%
reported using a self-help program in their recovery.
AA boasts over 115,000 groups where over 2.1
million members meet in 150 countries.
Treatment Alternatives
Peer Support Groups
Treatment Alternatives
Peer Support Groups
Therapeutic Communities: In therapeutic
communities, which house between 35 and
500 people for up to 15 months, participants
abstain from drugs, develop marketable
skills, and receive counseling.
Symbolic interactionists argue that behavioral
changes appear to be a consequence of
revised self-definition and the positive
Treatment Alternatives
Drug Courts
Drug courts are special courts that divert drug
offenders to treatment programs in lieu of probation
or incarceration.
In a recent report by The Sentencing Project, entitled
Drug Courts: A Review of the Evidence, identifies
two types of drug courts—deferred prosecution
programs and postadjudication programs.
Treatment Alternatives
Drug Courts
In a deferred prosecution or diversion
setting, defendants who meet certain
eligibility requirements are diverted into
the drug court system prior to pleading to
a charge.
Alternatively, in the postadjudication
model, defendants must plead guilty to
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Because society sends mixed messages about the
acceptability of drug use, many programs, laws or
initiatives may be unrealistic. Nevertheless,
numerous social policies have been implemented or
proposed to help control drug use and its negative
consequences with various levels of success.
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Alcohol and Tobacco
There are a number of promising strategies aimed at
reducing alcohol and tobacco use including the
following:
Economic Incentives
Government Regulations
Legal Action
Prevention
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Illegal Drugs
The War on Drugs: In the 1980s, the federal
government declared a “war on drugs,” which was
based on the belief that controlling drug availability
would limit drug use and, in turn, drug-related
problems. This “zero-tolerance” approach advocates
get-tough law enforcement policies, and is
responsible for the dramatic increase in the jail and
prison population.
The contrasting idea to the “war on drugs” is a harm
Strategies for Action: America
Effects of the “War on Drugs”
Responds
In 1980, there were an estimated 40,000 drug
offenders
in jail or prison; in 2009, there were more
Illegal
Drugs
than half a million.
Required prison sentences for almost all drug
offenders – first time or repeat – and limited judicial
discretion in deciding what best served the public’s
interest.
Is it working? Is it stopping the flow of illegal drugs
into the U.S. and lowering drug-related problems?
There are also concerns that present policies are not
only ineffective but create collateral damage.
Survey the Class…
A 2010 survey of 1,003 U.S. adults echoes
politicians’ concerns about the effectiveness of the
“War on Drugs.” 63% of Democrats, 64% of
Republicans, and 70% of Independents believe that
the “War on Drugs” has been an abject failure.
What do you think? Why?
What Do You Think?
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Illegal Drugs
Deregulation or Legalization:
Deregulation is the reduction of government
control over certain drugs.
Legalization is making prohibited behaviors
legal; for example, legalizing drug use or
prostitution.
Decriminalization, which entails removing
state penalties for certain drugs, promotes a
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Illegal Drugs
There are many across the
United States who support
the legalization of
marijuana.
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Illegal Drugs
Strategies for Action: America
Responds
Illegal Drugs
State Initiatives:
Several initiatives have resulted in statewide
referendums concerning the cost effectiveness of
government policies.
Over the past decade, voters and state governments
have enacted significant drug policy reforms.
Understanding Alcohol and Other
Drug Use
In summary, substance abuse—that is, drugs and
their use—is socially defined. As the structure of
society changes, the acceptability of one drug or
another changes as well.
There are two issues that need to be addressed in
understanding drug use.
The first is at the micro level—why does a given
individual use alcohol or other drugs? Many
individuals at high risk for drug use have been
Quick Quiz
1. Which drug use is the leading preventable cause of
deaths in the United States?
A. cigarette smoking
B. alcohol use
C. heroin
D. cocaine
Answer: A
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause
of deaths in the United States.
Quick Quiz
2. If the government reduced its control over various
illegal drugs that would be termed:
A.
legalization.
B.
deregulation.
C.
decriminalization.
D.
interdiction.
Answer: B
If the government reduced its control over various
illegal drugs that would be termed deregulation.
Quick Quiz
3. Which substance is the most widely used and
abused drug in the United States?
A.
nicotine
B.
cocaine
C.
marijuana
D.
alcohol
Answer: D
Alcohol substance is the most widely used and
abused drug in the United States.
Quick Quiz
4.
A conflict theorist would argue that the war on
drugs:
A.
all of these choices.
B.
unfairly targets minorities.
C.
has resulted in the changing of definitions and labels.
D.
contributes to society by providing thousands of jobs
for people.
Answer B
A conflict theorist would argue that the war on
drugs unfairly targets minorities.
Quick Quiz
6. The most commonly used and most heavily
trafficked illegal substance in the world is:
A. cocaine.
B. methamphetamines.
C. heroin.
D. marijuana.
Answer: D
The most commonly used and most heavily trafficked
illegal substance in the world is marijuana.