Social Control/Bonding Theory

There are many factors such as biology, environment and development that results in the persons initial introduction into the world of drugs. Drug abuse may start as a way to socially connect. More often than not people try drugs for the first time in social

People use drugs as a solution to reduce stress, to relieve the boredom, for enjoyment and also to forget all the dilemmas they have. Besides, drug also can act as an energy booster. For example, when students take drugs, they able to stay up all night to study and complete all of their assignments while for athletes they able to perform well during the competition and at the same time to stay fit. Sometimes, people use drugs as they are curious how the taste of drugs is and want to experiment the feeling of drugs. They think by taking drug only once will not give any bad consequence to them. It is true for some people, but others when they

Social control/bond theory was developed by Travis Hirschi in1969. The social control approach is one of the three major sociological perspectives in understanding crime in our contemporary criminology. The theory holds that individuals will break the law as a result of the breakdown of the social bonds (Akers & Sellers, 2004, p. 16). Control theorists believe that an individual conformity to societal social values and rules produced by socialization and maintained through social ties to the people and institutions. The social bond may include family attachment, an individual commitment to social norms or institutions like school, employment, churches and mosques. The key elements of the social bonds theory are an attachment to other individuals in the society and the desire to remain committed to following rules. In addition, an individual involvement in typical social behaviours as well as one 's belief or the value systems a person ascribes. According to the theory, crime and delinquency will result when a person bond to society is weak or lose (Demuth & Brown, 2004, p.65). Moreover, as social bonds increase in strength, individual costs of crime increases as well and this ultimately act as a barrier for committing a crime.

All around the world anyone can find people that are addicted to some form of drug. Drug addiction is a huge issue that has been occurring for about thirty years now and is occurring to this day for many reasons. Some of those reasons may be that something is going on back home and they have had enough, or because of stress, peer pressure, biological reasons and the list goes on. However, there has been law enforcement due to drugs since the mid 1980’s. People have many viewpoints to when it comes to drug use and addiction. There are three perspectives people have that view the use of drugs and drug addiction which are structural functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionist.

The main use for people to use drugs is to escape reality, they do this all the time. You can say users of drugs use them to escape and have them help them find their pursuit of happiness. There are countless number of drugs that people take that helps them escape reality and makes them forget about their humanity. In the book Brave New World there is a drug that goes by the name of soma. Soma, is a hallucinogen described as "the perfect drug” in the book. Soma comes with all the benefits such as the ability of calming people, letting the user see the world in surrealistic, and ten-hour long highs with none of those pesky drawbacks such as brain damage and long term damages to the user’s body unless the user over abuses it. In real life there

In society, drugs have been the downfall for many people. There are many reasons that a person may use drugs such as: peer pressure, relief of stress, increased energy, to relax, to relieve pain, to escape reality, to feel more self esteem, and for recreation ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). What is it that causes the obsession and compulsion to use drugs? Why can some people stop and others go on to become addicts? Addiction is often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011).

Addicts use drugs to overcome their feelings. If an addict is feeling sad, happy, or angry, they use. This leads to their addictions. After a while, the addict can’t hold a steady job,

Wise and Koob state that addiction begins with positive reinforcement, habits, a person feels the “high” of the habit, however, then the tolerance sets in which conditions the brain for negative reinforcements and one increases the use to enjoy the habit (2014). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012), drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. This disease is complex disease that is treatable, however it is a lifetime of treatment, sending many into relapses over and over again. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

For years people have been abusing drugs and alcohol. “People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives”(www.drugfreeworld.org).

New evidence supports a connection to evolution. Linden proposes that the science that treatment of addictions is assisted with the use of medications and the psychological tools we have now, combined into a complete treatment program. The psychosocial model offers the difference in using and abusing drugs and alcohol. Accordingly, the psychological aspect of this model offers a perspective of an underlying mental disorder or imbalance that is at the core of the addiction problem. One avenue, from a treatment standpoint, is the absence of guilt for abusing drugs or alcohol. This, in no way, diminishes the need for retribution for the actions, such as thefts, during the abusing period. It does, in my opinion, make way for a more effect start on recovery. The removal of the failure feeling of using in the first place allows for an opening of the mind to alternate theories of reason. Is it possible there is a medical or biological reason? Sure, there is. However, the reasons will differ greatly from one person to

Drugs some use them to escape pain, others use them for pleasure, and some use them to just fit in. Either way drugs are a harmful substance that may seriously affect the body. Drugs mess with the brain in ways that we couldn’t even imagine. From destroying brain cells that help with critical thinking to destroying cells that give us the ability to feel pleasure. Drugs take the place of our natural body functions of the body. They fool receptors of the body and make it to where our bodies produce less of what we need. Over a period of time this may produce very severe consequences on the body. With all the risks involved with drugs it’s a wonder why some people use them.

The second perspective on this question is Psychodynamic Psychology. In a report published by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, A Psychodynamic psychologist may approach this problem by investigating and understanding a drug abuser’s past and present behaviour by focusing on the person’s unconscious processes. Therefore, psychologists would focus on the abuser’s experience during childhood or past troubled relationships that may manifests itself later on in life, which then causes the individual to abuse drugs. The report continues to state “The ingestion of the drug provides him with the self-esteem which he does not possess. Through the incorporation of the drug, he supplies for himself the feeling of being accepted and thus of being self-confident; or he creates the experience of being merged with the source of power that gives him the feeling of being strong and worthwhile” (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1999). Self-esteem is an incredible force that drives us to get up in the morning and face another day. Some individuals are born with an innate sense of self-confidence and

Although some people argue for the legalization of drugs, addiction to these substances has caused a huge increase in violent crimes in the home, at school, and on the street. Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to create compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. This is a false and uneducated belief. Drug abuse may start as a social problem or social escape but one the addiction has taken ahold of a person

A lot of people link drug abuse with crime, at times even with violent crime. This association comes from psychopharmacological association that imply that people may engage in criminal acts after taking some kind of substance known to undermine their judgment as well as self-control result in paranoid thoughts and distortion of inhibitions (Sewell, Poling and Sofuoglu, 189). Though all substances that affect the central nervous system might result in this kind of relationships, scientific information indicates that some type of drugs have a more strong effect than others. Such drugs are alcohol, cocaine, phencyclidine and amphetamines (McCauley, Ruggiero, Resnick and Kilpatrick, 136). Inversely, cannabis and heroin are less associated with desire to commit

The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.