The Causes Of Addiction In Pop Culture And The Media

There are at least two different aspects of sociological imagination that apply to substance abusers. First, there is the issue of how the behavior developed within the context of external social influences. For example, substance abuse rarely begins in isolation; instead, the first experiences of most drug and alcohol users is typically within the context of social relationships within a particular subcultures and the norms, values, and expectations of individuals within those subcultures.

The prohibition of intoxicating substances is an issue that Americans have wrestled with since 1920; when liquor’s status as an end-of-the-day treat became that of an illegal poison. The prohibition of alcohol was brought about by advances in the fields of medicine that revealed the various detrimental effects of overconsumption. During the 14-year period of time between 1920-1933, known as “Prohibition,” local illegal alcohol establishments, or “Speakeasies” exploded. A government commissioned report concluded, “the number of speakeasies throughout the United States ranged from 200,000 to 500,000,” (Lee, 68); meaning that the government’s goal to hamper the demand for alcohol was not effective. The alcohol-based boycott of the 30s and 40s is a good historical model of modern-day drug prohibition. Just like with alcohol during its tenure of illegality, the flow of drugs is not being stopped simply because of the laws and policies in place barring trafficking, sale, and consumption. Just like with alcohol during its’ prohibition years, a black market is thriving on sales of illegal substances, that in turn puts money in to the pockets of criminals. From the 1.5 billion dollars that the federal government allocated to combat drugs in 1985, the amount has risen to an unprecedented 17.7 billion in 2000 (Office of National Drug Control Policy). When you pair that statistic with the findings that the percentage of the population 12 years or older that consume drugs has risen from

To date, there are five large and important areas of research that have been either neglected: (1) the sequence of drugs used and the development of different drug-using patterns; (2) the individual, group, and cultural factors influencing low-risk and high-risk outcomes among equivalent drug users; (3) the changing attitudes of both users and nonusers toward psychoactive drug use; (4) the impact of the media on drug use and drug choice; and (5) the process of socialization as it applies to patterns of drug use (http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/zinberg7.htm). I feel that we should also focus on studies: how drugs influence individual health and behavior, what use is being made of drug research, and how its findings influence public policy decisions.

If it were illegal to air these advertisements, the numbers of certain medications prescribed would decrease significantly. As shown by the law, direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTC ads) are illegal in the United Kingdom. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication gets prescribed 25 times more frequently in the United States than in the United Kingdom. This shows a correlation between the ads and the prescriptions being written (Stange). Drug companies advertise on television so they can successfully pitch directly to their patients. The reason they do this is because these medications are not nearly as good for a patient as they sound, therefore doctors do not prescribe them often. Without DTC advertising, people would not be able to self diagnose and convince themselves that they need a medication for a condition that they do not clinically have. A primitive example for this is adderall, the drug prescribed for patients with ADHD. Other places, such as the United Kingdom, allow doctors to make the calls and diagnoses, so only the patients with the disorder receive the medication. A common argument against this is that 64% of physicians surveyed concluded that these drug advertisements encourage potential

The social model of addiction tries to recognize and repair systematic problems within society that could impact a person’s choice about substance use (Doweiko, 2015). Cultural, environmental, and family components of a person’s life are all a part of the social model. These influences can either enable the development of addiction or increase resistance against addiction. For instance, in distinct cultures and environments, the manufacture, sale, and distribution of illicit drugs are considered as acceptable behaviors for a person to prosper and gain respect (Doweiko, 2015). Social aspects such as poverty, community immersion, unemployment, and family structure either influence or guard the person from substance abuse. Identification of adverse social influences so that these concerns can be attended to will decrease the probability of the individual relapsing or the continued abuse of substances (Doweiko, 2015).

In the articles “Prescription Drug Ads Should Be Better Regulated” and “Prescription Drug Advertising Empowers Patients”, the authors discuss the impact of prescription drug advertising on drug costs, consumer behaviors and consumers and Doctors’ relationship. While pharmaceutical companies support prescription drug advertising because they think that its effects are positive, Naomi Freundlich claims that prescription drug advertise should be more controlled. Because “Administration is underfunded and lacks the resources to enforce many of the regulations that are already in place” “big pharmaceutical companies must do a better job with self-regulation” (Naomi) in order to reduce the negative consequences of prescription drugs ads.

Drug and alcohol abuse has been around as long as humans have been around. People have always had the desire to use substances to make them feel relaxed or stimulated. So because drugs and alcohol have always been existent, they have always been a part of our American culture through politics, media and advertising, and other American concepts. The time period of 1950-2000 was exceptionally active for American culture, and there were many turning points in research and knowledge, legislature, media, and how the general public viewed drug and alcohol use.

I think you bring up a very good idea about criminalizing drug advertisements. I do agree that the primary recipient of these advertisements do need to be the doctors. On the other hand I would not like to see this happen. I actually look for advertisements at certain times. My son has Adhd and to find the medicines that work or newly released medicines, I have to at times do research. If the doctors were the only ones to have the information, we would not be informed enough to make decisions regarding his care. I agree that their seems to be a pill for everything as this is a billion dollar industry .However, I can attest to the fact that with out my sons medicine ,he would not be able to be in a classroom setting in school .Many patients

Society as a whole is impacted greatly by substance abuse and addiction. Not only does it hurt the abuser directly, but it also becomes an enormous financial and social burden on society. Addiction wrecks families, and also highly correlates with poverty because the drug abuser ends up giving everything that they have to keep their addiction going. It also places extraordinarily high demands on the education, criminal justice, and social service systems. Children and babies both are dangerously impacted by the addiction of their parents and the same addiction is likely to even show up in their own lives later on. Drug babies are being born every day already addicted to the same substances their mothers have abused; they are the ones who truly suffer the greatest consequences of the effects of addiction. Teenagers are peer pressured by the alcohol and beer industries to drink; many alcoholics in our society are a result from binge drinking while in college and even in high school. People bound by these addictions who never get the help they truly need or lose their family and feel alone often commit suicide because they feel they are unimportant to society and that ending their own lives is their only means of escape.

The taboos still exist when people talk about sex with others, and people do not know much about others’ sex lives. Also, people do not know the clear definition of sexual addiction, so they may be confused if they really have the sexual addiction or not. One of the goals of the media is to attract public’s attention, so the media talk about the sexual addiction and try to attract more audience. On the other hand, people are very curious about this topic since they know little about it. They will try to know more about others’ sex lives from the media to figure out whether they have the sexual addiction or not. Eventually, sexual addiction becomes a popular topic.

The best course of action, in protecting consumers of prescription medicine, would be to ban direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of these medications. Research has shown that DTC ads provide biased educational materials that promote medication over healthy alternatives (Stange, 2007). Conversations between the patient and health care provider revolve around DTC ads rather than the patient’s personal health. Discussing why the DTC drug is not the best option for the patient could result in decreased conversations about the patient’s behavior, family health history or recent patient health concerns. DTC advertisements create an environment through which patient vulnerability and fear of illness is manipulated and the selected drug serves as the best solution. These advertisements should encourage the patient to encourage communications between the patient and doctor on ways to become healthier; instead they foster a belief that drug dependency is a more viable solution than healthy behaviors. As of right now, only the United States and New Zealand do not ban the use of DTC ads (Stange, 2007).

This research was void of any indications or implications of individuals being forced into drug behavior or drug use. All that was found in the pages of research were willing participants. Social influence on addiction or even casual drug behavior is undeniable. However, the decision to engage in the behavior always starts with a participants’ willingness to try it. Easy access and the availability to substances enable individuals the opportunity to use continually, while free will gives them the ability to make the decision to participate over and over. In the world of addiction, participation is key.

The problems with prescription drugs consist of health risks, dependence, misuse, cost, and effectiveness. Constantly are there advertisements on television pitching a new drug whose side effects sound

Alcohol marketers have started to move their advertising efforts into digital and social media venues (Hoffman et al., 2014). Researchers estimate that approximately two-thirds of alcohol marketing is conducted via new media. Famous music, movies, and television shows have noticeable references to alcohol and drugs, these references as well as the move of advertising to digital and social media venues. The research team of Hoffman et al. continued research of the links among social media use and alcohol-related digital marketing. College students completed online surveys to measure their exposure to social and online media in general and their alcohol-related digital media use and alcohol use. Hoffman et al. found that young people with a positive conotation to alcohol advertising hold more favorable expectancies for drinking, approve of drinking at higher levels, believe drinking is common, and have greater intentions to drink than those that have a negative response to alcohol advertising. Overall, the results showed that participants’ use of digital media alcohol-marketing applications predicted their alcohol consumption and problem drinking. Hoffman et al.’s study gave insight on college student’s opinions on marketing and alcohol and drug use instead of just investigating how prevalent it is in media. The current study included student’s views on marketing to fully understand if the marketing truly affects student’s opinions (see

Advertising is a strong method used to spread a message or call attention to a product and the feelings that come with it. Many companies incorporate celebrities, humor, and attractiveness to advertise their products, which is very successful with all ages and populations. Unfortunately, this effective method is applied to alcohol and drugs. Advertisement of smoking and drinking ultimately glorifies these activities, which in turn make them appear as very normal, and research has shown