Sociocultural View Of Drug Use: Analysis

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

How an individual utilizes drugs is partially up to their culture, family, friends, peers, doctors, race, job, position in society, social class, and most importantly themselves. Drugs can be positive or negative, it depends on a person's demographics in society and personal views. It is true that illegal drugs are related to several negative components of society’s family problems, high prison populations, violence, health problems, deaths, homelessness and many other. To some people drugs are the only way, the only way to survive a life killing disease, mental health problems, physical health problems, depression, stress, and anxiety. It is true that drugs impact social problems, but if people changed their perspective on less harmful drugs and how they can help, there may be fewer problems that our society would have to worry about. Before 2010, sentencings for possession of crack, which is cheaper and mostly used by the poor and African Americans,  were much higher than the possession of cocaine which is predominantly used by the middle class and whites. “Drug laws criminalize the poor, especially people of color, who now fill U.S. prisons in disproportionate numbers” (Macionis, 248). Court fines and legal council are expensive and the average lower middle class family can not afford to pay these let alone the lower class. Poor Americans are almost certain to fall back into a life of drugs and crime when they are released from jail because there are few programs in place to help inmates successfully integrate back into society. Finding a job as a convicted felon is near impossible so many turn to selling illegal items to support themselves and their family. Enhanced policing and tracking in poor communities makes it easier for law enforcement to arrest new and repeat offenders (Macionis,

What can a sociologist tell us about deviance, and drug use that we do not already know? If there is anything distinctive about the sociologist view, it is their emphasis on social context. One of the central ideas of all human experience is meaning. Meaning is something imposed and socially made-up, and has two features: it is both external and internal. Meaning is assigned externally to objects and behavior by social cooperation. But it is also assigned by the individual (internal): it is arrived at as a result of a private act of choosing on the individual’s part. The same behavior, the same phenomenon, the same material reality, can mean completely different things to different people, or to the same person in

The topic is talked about but quietly and behind closed doors. No one wants to admit that it is their problem. The stigma attached to drug use needs to be eradicated and instead be discussed openly and often. Recognizing it as an illness, identifying risk factors, educating and communicating are strategies needed to combat this health problem. The Health People 2020 objective SA-2.4 works to “Increase the proportion of high school seniors never using substances—Illicit drugs.” Educating adolescents, families and the community about the risks and consequences associated with illegal drug use makes objective SA-2.4

A social issue that has been around for years is drug abuse. Sociologist can apply the three major sociological perspectives to analyze how society influences people to carry out certain acts by setting up a framework for specific reasoning. The different concepts used all together gives sociologists a broader and less biased conclusion of the issue.

Drug culture in the United States is constantly portrayed in the media and various entertainment outlets. The heavy presence of drug use in mainstream music, television, and news, is often glorified or excessively denounced, causing many to hold misconceptions about the factual consequences illegal drugs have on the human body. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency has categorized illegal drugs into five groups: narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and drugs of concern.

There are three main types of drug education, sensational, affective and social. (Reist 19) With the first approach, educators use sensationalist claims and scare tactics to prevent young adults from trying drugs. This method has been proven to be remarkably ineffective, with recipients being more likely to turn to hard drugs and overdose. The second method, the affective approach, was not better. This method was based off the assumption that drug users and alcoholics have a chemical dependency because of a personal weakness or deficit. However, this method refused to acknowledge the recreational users at all. This was a major problem because people can use certain drugs and alcohol in small quantities, in a social setting without ruining their lives. These classes focused on improving decision making skills and improve individual self-esteem. The most current form of drug education focuses on helping young people resist social pressures to use drugs or alcohol. Although these programs have received more funding that other drug education programs, they are still ineffective, with the best programs only stopping or delaying drug use in the very small number of students. (Reist 21) For an education program to be effective, students need to receive truthful information about drugs and their impact on the body. Take cannabis for example, the current system teaches kids that trying

Research done by Bilchek and Crowe (1998) concludes that there are a host of problems that can arise when using prescription and illegal drugs. The most common problems that can arise have to do with academics, physical and mental health and delinquency (Bilchek and Crowe 1998). When students begin experimenting with illegal and prescription drugs, it can cause a destructive ripple effect in their lives. Beginning with academics, students that abuse illegal drugs may begin to have declining grades, a lack of motivation, and skip class more often. When students are concentrated on getting the next high, they will lose the motivation to study and keep up their grades. It could even escalate as far as skipping class or dropping out. This leads to poor performance and a downward spiral effect. If an individual becomes more concerned with the next high or rush he or she gets than their education, they will be unfortunately more likely to drop out. As a result of dropping out, the only option as a source of income is to find a low paying job to pay for the addiction that will inevitably form and be difficult to overcome. Not only will substance abuse have an effect on one’s academic career, but their physical and mental state as well. When an individual is under the influence, their ability to make suitable choices is considerably hindered. This can lead to injuries from

I have learned most of my judgments through school experiences. The high school I went to had a certain area where the drug users gathered and everyone who hung around those areas of the school looked poor with low hygiene. In addition, most people who gathered in this area also lived in government-funded housing referred to by other schoolmates as “The Patch”. By seeing low-income people using drugs everyday I created my own assumption that most drug users live in poverty. I believe high school is a socially constructed place and that I conformed to what others were saying because I was always trying to fit in with everyone and make sense of my surroundings. Now, I do believe it is more common for someone with low-income to be using drugs since that is what I was use to seeing everyday at school and I considered it normal.

Whether one is hanging around with the wrong crowd or maybe even watching their loved ones around them do something as cowardly as drugs when setting examples should be a main priority. Race and gender could cause a controversial upbringing between with many different perspectives. For instance, the author of this paper once believed that drugs were more common in African American Men up until an internship that showed a decent amount of Caucasian Women were involved in

Multicultural population has different values, beliefs, and traditions that influence stressors and eventually, substance use. The role of a person in a family, income, and education are the various factors that lead to repression, oppression, and inadequacy. Consequently, it acts as a barrier in the recovery from addiction.

I happened to grow up on a street in which drug abuse among youth is more common than anywhere else in the Islands of Zanzibar. I grew up seeing so many brothers and sisters involving in the use of drugs and eventually destroying their lives, some of my playmate and schoolmates who were less fortunate to finish their formal education to the University level the way I did, were also engaged in the drug abuse.

It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.

Drug use in America is one of the major issues we face and the problem has skyrocketed over the past three decades. Heroin and painkiller addictions exceed all other countries. It is important that we address some of the causes that lead to the abuse, how to treat the abuse, and how to prevent the distribution of illegal prescription drugs.

     Do people ever think about the consequences about drug abuse? Not many of us do but we all know what it does to us. Drugs are harmful to the brain and the body system itself; they affect the heart in many ways and because of that people become unconscious as to what their actions are. They do not realize how badly they can harm the community around them. Drugs are normally used by those who are not involved in activities such as, religious clubs, sports, etc. The users are normally stressed out with life and at times they just need something to set their minds aside from problems which occur in their everyday life. There are many reasons as to why and how drugs affect the community around the drug user