Sociology - Drug Addiction Theory DRUG ADDICTION and THEORIES of DISEASE Drug addiction is unlike other medical diseases, primarily because it is the result of voluntary behavior rather from exposure to bacterial organisms, viruses, or from genetic disorder. Whereas symptoms normally associated with organic diseases are well defined in strictly objective terms, the symptoms of addiction rely on subjective definition, and to a large degree, on cultural norms and expectations (Reinarman, 2005)
Unlike different responses to addiction-prone drugs, instances where immunity confers protection are capable of being definitively identified and their mechanisms understood, strictly in objective principle. A fundamental difficulty in characterizing drug addiction as a disease is that so many individuals indulge in the very same behavior without developing any symptoms of addiction at all (Sullum, 2003)
1995). They are not however not effective in determining if women offenders perceive a trigger event or the causality of specific situations or series of decisions with members of the opposite sex they have significant relationships with (Chan, Guydish, Prem
2005). Previous empirically derived studies using quantitative, statistically robust methodologies have been very effective in capturing the externally-driven stimuli and conditions that lead to drug abuse and relapse on the part of women offenders, yet in these analysis there is no mention of the attitudinal and perception factors that also lead to relapse (Guydish, Chan, Bostrom, Jessup, Davis, Marsh, 2011)
The research questions pertaining to increasing their knowledge of what constitutes unlawful behaviors, identifying the triggers associated with drug use, and increase their knowledge of and identification of coping skills to remain drug-free are the basis of this methodology section. Methodologies pertaining to drug treatment programs often concentrate on the externalities and easily tracked causes, neglecting the internal, attitudinal and situational factors that trigger relapse (McCusker, Vikers-Lahti, Stoddard, et
Did 50% of participants who attended all workshop sessions, increase their assertiveness in using coping skills to take control of their environment and remain drug free? Modifying The Methodology The current approach of using a combined qualitative and quantitative research methodology is not capturing the most elusive aspects of offender's motivations, their own attitudes. Previous studies indicate that female offenders choose to relapse for associative and belongingness needs while men continually seek to assert dominance and defiance through drug abuse (Pelissier, Jones, 2005)
" They think it's okay because it is prescription "medicine" -- so what could be the harm? Three categories of prescription drug abuse have been identified: (1) Patients who come to the doctor with an already established dependence on a prescription drug; (2) patients who develop drug dependence during the course of taking drugs that were prescribed by a physician; and (3) patients who come to the doctor seeking drugs in order to divert them -- that is, to get drugs they intend to sell (Gerada & Ashworth, 1997). Additionally, heroin users often turn to prescription drugs when they cannot obtain heroin (Bailes, 1998)
Problems arise when patients increase the dose in hopes of gaining more relief or begin to take more sooner than prescribed instead of waiting for the first dose to work. This can lead to addiction and to addiction-related behaviors such as doctor-shopping, fraudulent prescriptions, pharmacy thefts, and various techniques addicts use, such as the use of scams to obtain drug supplies (Byrd, 2001; and Longo et all, 2000)
When an individual takes a drug for a long period of time and in high enough doses, the body adapts to it and develops a tolerance to it. Bigger doses are needed to produce the same effect (Carlson, Eisenstat, & Ziporyn, 2004)
In a recent issue of the New York Times, the "House and Home" section reported that American medicine cabinets have been "super-sized." "With the sales of lotions, potions, 'nutraceuticals' and pharmaceuticals climbing to new heights, manufacturers are responding with medicine cabinets that are taller, wider and deeper than ever before" (Critser, 2005)
Painkillers, obtained legally by prescription only, have great potential for abuse and addiction, but their users often think taking them is safer than abusing heroin or a "street drug." They think it's okay because it is prescription "medicine" -- so what could be the harm? Three categories of prescription drug abuse have been identified: (1) Patients who come to the doctor with an already established dependence on a prescription drug; (2) patients who develop drug dependence during the course of taking drugs that were prescribed by a physician; and (3) patients who come to the doctor seeking drugs in order to divert them -- that is, to get drugs they intend to sell (Gerada & Ashworth, 1997)
Purdue representatives ("detail men") encouraged doctors to prescribe OxyContin for minor ailments like chronic back pain. Currently, Purdue is facing more than 300 lawsuits for improper promotion of the drug as well as overly aggressive marketing (Gillis, 2004)
Adolescents are certainly not the only ones abusing OxyContin, but they seem to be more vulnerable to addiction. "The time from first exposure to abuse of or dependence on OxyContin may be more rapid due to (1) the wide availability of the drug in pharmacies and doctor's offices and on the street; (2) its aggressive marketing and promotion in an atmosphere of optimal pain management; (3) its positive image in comparison to heroin; (4) the ability to begin use with oral ingestion and to progress to snorting or intravenous use; and (5) the ease with which the tablet is crushed, thus destroying the controlled-release coating and making the active ingredient immediately available for a powerful heroin-like high" (Katz & Hays, 2004, p
Moreover, brand name drugs are worth more on the street than generic equivalents are because people feel sure they are getting the real thing. Generally, addicts prefer drugs that have "a rapid onset of action, high potency, brief duration of action, high purity, water solubility (for intravenous use) or high volatility (ability to vaporize if smoked)" (Longo et al
Prescription Drug Addiction When people think of drug addiction, they usually picture the use of illegal drugs such as heroin or crack cocaine, but people who use prescriptions drugs for non-medical purposes -- and become dependant and preoccupied with a compulsive need for them -- have become a serious problem in the United States (Meadows, 2001)
According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, some of the responsibility rests at the feet of drug advertising. They believe that when controlled substances are aggressively marketed, it opens the door for potential abuse because aggressive marketing leads to over-prescribing (Metzler, 2005)
The abuse of OxyContin, for example, has jumped 40%. Among adults who are 26 and older, the jump was 60% (Sverdlik, 2005)
We have become a medicated nation with "a pill for every ill." The media promotes the idea that every malady and symptom can be treated with a medicinal agent (Wilford, 1990)
However, there are some teenagers who resort to drugs. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that parents, who do not give much attention to their children, put them at a higher risk of becoming a drug addict (Renner & Gastfriend, 2008) There are some reports and medical papers that have concluded that the gene for drug addiction can be passed on from one generation to another (Weaver et
This sort of approach is required so that decent assumptions can be made by the facts and the data that is attained. It is important for the researcher to be able to find out the new and volatile data and make himself comfortable with it soon as well (Saunders et