Methamphetamine : The Role Of Social Stigma

Some of the most commonly abused substances, that can cause serious psychological and physical side effects are stimulants. Substance abuse has been a problem in the United States and many other countries for a long time, stimulants are one of the biggest problems that the United States faces today. One specific drug that is abused is crack and crack cocaine. By examining the history of stimulants such as crack and crack cocaine, it 's connection to crime and violence will be revealed.

Throughout our culture, stigma against people with drug addiction is present. Instead of being treated as people with mental illnesses, drug addicts are simply regarded as criminals. Addicts are often so overwhelmed with shame that they don’t seek treatment. These are just a few examples of how stigma perpetuates our culture and how it is detrimental to those who are addicted. It is imperative that we destigmatize addiction by treating it as what it truly is- a mental illness and allowing addicts to be open about their addiction and treatment.

The addiction of methamphetamine amongst juvenile’s and adults has reached epidemic proportions that affect the individual, families and communities. Methamphetamine abuse has crossed all social economic boundaries that have negatively impacted law enforcement, social and clinical services. According to Anglin, Burke, Perrochet, Stamper and Dawud-Noursi (2000), methamphetamine, also known as meth, crystal, or speed, is a substance that affects the central nervous system creating a stimulant effect that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally. Individuals who use meth for an extensive period of time tend to become addicted and will likely need to continue to use meth at high levels for its effects to continue to provide the euphoric symptoms and sensations. Anglin, et al, also describe methamphetamine as a derivative of amphetamine, this form of amphetamine was often used for medication purposes in the 1950’s and 1960’s to treat symptoms of depression and obesity. Durell, Kroutil, Crits-Christoph, Barchha, and Van Brunt (2008), also stated that illicit methamphetamine use is a public health concern in the United States with an increase use among teens and young adults in the 1990s. The Mental Health Services Administration conducted a national survey on meth use in the United States and found that currently as least a half a million of Americans used or have used methamphetamine. Meth use is an epidemic that is slowly becoming a destructive

of a large group of nonalcoholic young men and then kept track of each man’s

I would like to thank my friends, Sarah Erwin and Anntasia for helping me review and edit my essay.

“Addiction is a choice not a disease”, is a common phrase that stigmatizes drug addiction in our everyday language. The lack of public knowledge about this social problem causes widespread stigmatization and discrimination of the ill. As a result, many individuals who seriously need professional help feel isolated and hopeless, making it harder for them to recover.

The abuse of methamphetamine is a very serious problem in the United States. According to one national survey, approximately 10 million people in the United States have tried methamphetamine at least once (Meth Abuse and Addiction, 2010). Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Although most of the methamphetamine used in this country comes from foreign or domestic super labs, the drug is also easily made in small clandestine laboratories, with inexpensive over the counter ingredients. Methamphetamine is commonly known as “speed,” “meth,” and “chalk.” In its smoked form it is often referred to as “ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” and “glass.” It is a

Introduction - Use of psychoactive substances for recreational purposes is not a radically new social issue. In fact, history tells us that almost every society had their own pharmacopeia of herbs, potions, and substances that not only contributed to healing, but also allowed the user to escape reality (Schules 1992, 4-5). However, it is the contemporary use of psychoactive drugs purchased through illicit or illegal channels and used by persons neither prescribed nor in quantities larger than necessary that defines modern drug abuse (Robins 2006). Prior to World War I, substances like morphine, heroin, and cocaine were available in the major American cities, particularly those with active international ports. For instance, when Chinese immigrants were first imported to work in the mines and railroads during the early 1800s, they brought opium to America. It was the leisure class, who began to experiment with this drug, and, as in Europe, many major U.S. cities had so-called opium dens. In addition, there were a substantial number of "society women" who ended up addicted because their doctor prescribed this drug to deal with female histrionics or to "cure" an excessive sexual appetite (Johnson 2002). Within major cities, this problem began to spill over into other groups: prostitutes, child laborers, orphans, and even men and women of lower social classes seeking to escape the harshness of their lives (Courtwright 2002, 3-19). Between the widespread use and general

Drugs like methamphetamine are extremely addictive and likewise can quickly put users into a state of drug addiction characterized by “uncontrollable and compulsive drug seeking and use” (Estrada, 3/29/17). Thus, even though these individuals often do not have the intention of causing harm to others, the lack of self-control and rational thinking that accompanies drug use can negatively impact the entire community in a powerful way. To be specific, Dr. Thomas Drouhard, a general surgeon in Tuba City, discusses the increased violence associated with meth use among American Indians within the film. He shares that out of all the patients he examines, “every other trauma, every other stab wound, and every other assault is related to meth” (00:19:02-00:19:10). As his account suggests, the impaired cognitive abilities and irritability of meth users can cause them to be quick to anger and lash out violently bringing harm to shocking numbers of innocent people.

This nation is facing a problem with a powerful stimulant, known as Meth. Meth is a highly addictive drug that is, and a hard to kick. Meth is a huge money making business so the marketing of the drug is not only targeted to adults, but the younger generation as well. Despite the effort with the war on drugs, Law Enforcement is facing a tough battle of controlling the clandestine meth labs, and meth brought to the United States from Mexico. Meth not only hurts the user, but families, and communities as well. Education and awareness to the public can help with the battle on Meth. Although through education, intervention, and rehabilitation there is help to combat meth abuse, meth is a potent dangerous drug that destroys lives,

Social stigmas only add to these problems when one feels the need to hide who they or their family members are, the feelings they have, and hiding that alcohol or drugs made them feel better instead of looking for the help that is needed when the feeling of need the drug of choice

Dependence on drugs could also be due to genetically or biologically determined factors that influence a person towards drugs. Genetic predispositions to drugs which push individuals such as Blake towards the need to be high. The genetic factors create a gap that continually requires filling but which cannot be fully satisfied. Furthermore, low-income family and friendship ties may cause an individual to feel unwanted and eventually cause them to seek solace in substance abuse.

Drug addiction is stigmatized throughout society. Stigma is seen in all types of situations; race, religion, disease, mental health, addiction, what a person’s social and economic standing is. All those examples can be stigmatized, and we, ourselves, do this every day and may not know we are. Because society and especially the media has engrained these moral judgments in our minds about what is right or what is normal. But we should take a second to think about these things a little more in depth before defaulting to what we think we know about these problems. In the case of drug addiction, we see stigma in all types of shapes and sizes. Whether in the media or walking to class with a group of friends, we see it more often than not. That feeling you get when you see a person on the street walking through the rows of cars at a stoplight. Some people (myself included) roll up their windows and avoid eye contact hoping they will just walk by. Chances are that person is in that situation because of a serious addiction and really needs help, but isn’t afforded that chance because we the normal people avoid them at all cost. Maybe we can change that. Maybe we can break through these common stigmas and begin to make a change in the way addiction is viewed in society.

Since the early 1960’s there have been an alarming increase in drug use in the United States in 1962, four million Americans had tried an illegal drug. By 1999, that number had risen to a staggering 88.7 million, according to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

Stigma surrounding psychoactive prescription medications can have harsh psychological effects because of emotional distress, stereotyping, discrimination, and pre-justice. Family, friends, healthcare professionals, and co-workers can have a substantially negative impact on well-belling, and coping abilities of a patient dealing the stigma of addiction. Social Psychologist Valerie Earnshaw, a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, focuses her research on the health effects of stigma, specifically how stigma delays recovery. In her article, Drug Addiction Stigma In The Context Of Methadone Maintenance Therapy: An Investigation Into Understudied Sources Of Stigma, she states, “For MMT patients, using drugs as a coping strategy for