The Alcohol Problem in Sociological Perspective - Assignment Example

CHAPTER OUTLINE Alcohol and Other Drugs I. The Problem in Sociological Perspective a. Background of the Problem i. Drug Use In Ancient Societies - Ancient societies used drugs as some kind of medicine in order to relieve some of their pains ii. Defining Drug Abuse 1. Drug abuse is often defined as the use of drugs which results damage to a person’s health, causes harm to the person’s physical and psychological performance, and meddles with a person’s social life although definition of drug abuse could also vary from a group’s point of view to that of another 1.1 Group A may think that merely smoking some marijuana is drug abuse 1.2 Group B may think that the use of marijuana is simply “more of the usual” iii. Social History of Drugs – social definition plays an important part in determining whether a certain drug is good or bad b. Attempts to Deal With the Problem i. The Failure of Punishment – Many attempts of punishment for the use of tobacco, coffee, and the like failed due to the fact that authorities could not resist the beacon of profits 1. King James I of England issued a booklets which cautioned his subjects of the dangers of smoking tobacco 2. 1634’s czar of Russia commanded that the noses of tobacco smokers be cut off 3. In China, smokers of tobacco were guillotined 4. Turks ruler put tobacco smokers to their death 5. English Women organized themselves in an anti-coffee campaign ii. Changing Social Definitions – the way people view drugs depends on people’s subjective concerns thus it may vary from time to time; what is an illegal drugs now may be legal in the future c. The Social Problem and the Pro-Drug Orientation of U.S. Society – A drug is a stuff human beings take in order to modify their way of thinking, perceptions, feelings, physical functions, or behaviors categorizing drugs, cigarettes, coffees and even sodas as drugs in the process i. Drug Abuse as a Personal or Social Problem 1. Personal Problem - when a certain drug begins to affect the way a person deals with life 2. Social Problem – When a huge amount of people starts to be disturb with a certain drug and they decided to do something about it ii. Nicotine as a Social Problem – nicotine is one of the most active ingredients in tobaccos or cigarettes and smokers know the dangers nicotine has with it yet they still continue to risk their lives believing that their time to die isn’t yet to come iii. Alcohol as a Social Problem 1. People who drinks excessive amounts of alcohol could get serious ailments making themselves a burden to their family and to the society in the process 2. Drunk driving is also one of the primary causes of accidents in the society d. Addiction and Dependence i. Addiction and Nicotine – Nicotine is far more addictive than other drugs which could be proven by the fact that even people know that continuous smoking could kill them or could amputate their body parts they still could not resist the beacon of nicotine ii. Avoiding Withdrawal – Most people find it hard to quit from doing drugs due to their fear of withdrawal or the extreme suffering caused by nausea, gagging, aching, uneasiness, and dejection II. Looking at the Problem Theoretically a. Symbolic Interactionism i. The Temperance Movement and the Meaning of Drugs 1. the meaning of a drug relies on who is taking it into account 2. Protestant movements were very serious on their fight for temperance and on transforming the new settlers into “godly” people b. Functionalism i. The Social Functions and Dysfunctions of Drugs – Drugs is functional when it is helpful to a person or to a particular patient and it is dysfunctional when it impedes a person’s physical or social performance ii. Latent Functions of Drug Control: The Example of Marijuana – Some authority figures protects their positions by classifying as many drugs as feasible 1. Anslinger regained a stable footing on his position when he started out a campaign against the use of marijuana c. Conflict Theory i. Drug Laws as a Way to Control Society – Power is an important issue in legalizing or illegalizing a particular drug thus, in the end it is all about protecting one’s personal interest 1. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was used as a political instrument on which they drove away Mexicans who were condemned of taking jobs away from the citizens 2. The illegalization of opium dens in 1875 was made as an assault to the Chinese who, accordingly, jeopardized the jobs of the white people 3. Drugs was used as a way to control those people who would most likely revolt against those who are in power III. Research Findings: The Use and Abuse of Drugs a. Medicalizing Human Problems i. The Appeal of Medicalizing Human Problems – Medicalizing Human Problems is the endeavor to solve human’s pains and sufferings by the use of medical “solutions” 1. Using prescribed drugs helps a person ease his daily sufferings such as stress, irritability and the like 2. Abusing legalized drugs could worsen a patient’s condition making them very dependent on drugs and suicidal on worst cases b. Medicalizing Deviant Behavior i. Teachers and doctors tends to classify a child’s unacceptable behavior into some kind of illness like ADHD or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder ii. Politicians uses their power to label the rebels as people who were mentally disturb in order to protect their own interests c. Functions and Dysfunctions of Medicalizing Human Behavior i. The functions of medicalizing human behaviors is usually to serve the interests of politicians, parents, as well as teachers on the façade that their main function is for the betterment of their “patients” ii. Drugs has many dysfunctions for their users such as being labeled mentally ill, hallucinations, and loss of freedom d. Drug Use by Students i. The social class of senior high school students is one of the best determinant on whether a person would be likely to use drugs or not 1. Senior high school students who lives on a high income family often have plans on going to college because they could afford the fee, lessening the likelihood of them using drugs in the process ii. Underage drinking and the use of marijuana is common on high school students iii. Men tends to use more illegal drugs as compared with women added to the fact that the most common drugs college students uses are alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana e. The Effects of Drugs i. Why Drug Experiences Differ – Drugs affects each individuals in different manners 1. The effects of drugs depends on three main factors: 1.1 Drug – the quantity of the drug, its quality, as well as the way it was administered all plays important factors on how the drug would affect a person 1.2 Individual – a person’s state of mind such as dejection, relaxation, nervousness and the like along with the person’s body weight and metabolism could also contribute a lot on how a drug would affect a person 1.3 Setting – the setting could have an effect on the person’s anticipations which in turn, could play a part on how a drug would affect a person IV. Research Findings: The Recreational Mood Elevators a. Alcohol i. Alcohol Consumption as a Social Problem – a huge number of Americans are alcoholics or those people who have grave problems associated with the intake of alcohol on their system 1. Alcohol is considered as the most expensive of all drug abuse problems 1.1 Billions of dollars were used to treat alcoholics 1.2 Reduced yields on production as well as accidents associated with drunk driving also costs billions of US dollars 1.3 Broken families is also one of the prices people have to pay due to the excessive intake of alcohol ii. Feminizing Macho Drinking – Before, getting drunk was seen as a way on which men could prove their masculinity, however, at this point in time, alcohol drinking was also being part of the feminine culture, signaling the way on which a girl is beginning to enter womanhood iii. Health Consequences of Drinking Alcohol – solid research is needed in order to better understand certain social problems 1. Fourteen or more drinks a week is good for a person’s health in that it accelerates the construction of a good cholesterol, HDL 2. Binge drinking – having five or more drinks at the same occasion heightens the danger of abrupt death from stroke or heart attacks 3. Heavy drinking causes problem on the heart, endocrine, metabolic, immune as well as reproductive systems, along with other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and the like iv. Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Child Birth – intake of alcohol could cause serious problem for pregnant women since fetuses cannot metabolize alcohol thus resulting to fetal alcohol syndrome 1. Children are born addictive to alcohol which causes them to experience agonizing withdrawals 2. Alcohol causes brain damage to the child which could cause life long disability v. Significance of How People Learn to Drink – how a person learned how to drink plays an important part on whether a person would have alcohol-related problems or not vi. Biology, Sociology, and Alcohol Addiction – Genes, environment, and the like are all determinants of whether a person would be alcoholic or not b. Nicotine - is the second most popular drugs in the United States of America in spite of the dangers it poses to a person’s health c. Marijuana – the third most prevalent recreational drug in the United States i. Health Consequences of Marijuana Use 1. Negative Consequences 1.1 Marijuana could damage a person’s respiratory system 1.2 Marijuana could damage a person’s motor organization and decreases awareness of external stimuli 2. Positive Consequences 1.1 Eases glaucoma and migraines 1.2 Decreases nausea and gagging of ehemotheraphy patients 1.3 Alleviates asthma, epilepsy, nervousness, melancholy, pain, reduced appetite, as well as withdrawal from alcohol and narcotics ii. Addiction and Marijuana – although there are people who could quit anytime after smoking marijuana, there are also those people who became addicted to it to the point that they experiences withdrawal syndromes when they tried to quit iii. Social Consequences of Marijuana Use 1. Although study showed that students smoking marijuana tends to get low grades or to drop out from school, people still need to consider the fact that most marijuana smokers came from broken families, and the like, thus, marijuana is not the only one to blame from the above mentioned negative consequences 2. Marijuana is linked with amotivational syndrome which takes away a person’s motivation to do their work although the research they conducted here was based more on monkeys than on actual human beings iv. Subjective Reactions – marijuana is an brilliant example of the subjective nature of social problems to the point that marijuana could be pictures as a danger to society as well as a cure for medical problems d. Cocaine – the fourth most popular drug used for recreational purposes i. The Social History of Cocaine 1. In 1500s Spaniards viewed coca leaves as products of evils 2. In 1800s physicians acclaimed cocaine’s medicinal purposes 3. In 1910 cocaine was viewed as a hazardous drug 4. In 1914 the Harrisson Act categorized cocaine as a narcotic in spite of the fact that it is just a stimulant ii. The Black Market in Cocaine – the Harrison act was the starting point of the black market of cocaine which delivers cocaine efficiently iii. Uses of Cocaine 1. Cocaine could be used in the field of medicine as local anesthetic, vasoconstrictor, and the like 2. Coca plants could produce shampoo, soap, toothpaste, flour, tea, calcium, iron supplements, and even help to grow hair iv. Dysfunctions of Cocaine 1. Cocaine’s high is very powerful to the point that a person would be willing to give up the things and the people who are important to them just for a chance to get “high” 2. Cocaine could also cause heart attacks, brain impairment, and death v. Crack Cocaine 1. crack cocaine could be easily produced resulting to violence in the process since a lot of people are willing to do everything to get hold of a crack in the same manner that a lot of people are willing to do everything to get hold of a customer who would buy crack cocaine 2. Racial discrimination are also included in the sale of cocaine since punishment for the use of cocaine is more severe as compared to the use of powdered cocaine because most African Americans uses crack cocaine whereas the whites uses powdered cocaine vi. Principles Underlying a Drug’s Social Reputation - a drug’s status is not founded on impartial conditions in that events as well as people surrounding a certain drugs determines whether it would be considered a good drug or a bad drug V. Research Findings: The Hallucinogens a. LSD – (lysergic acid diethylamide) is psychoactive which could produce psychoses resulting to heightened imagination or hallucination b. Peyote and Mescaline – peyote and mescaline was legal for Native Americans and it always had die hard proponents and new converts c. Psilocybin – (Psilocybe Mexicana) was also used in Mexico and it produces spiritual or religious prominence d. PCP – (phencyclidine hydrochloride) also referred to as angel dust, could produce hallucinations, and was used and created as pain killers in 1957 e. Ecstasy – (MDMA methylenedioxyamphetamine) a common party drug which gives an elated rush VI. Research Findings: The Amphetamines, Barbiturates, and Heroin a. The Amphetamines – was discovered in 1887 and became popular in 1920s i. Could widen the bronchial tubes ii. Could be used for hyperkinesis and appetite suppressant iii. Could develop feelings of elations, paranoia, hostility, and the like b. The Barbiturates – was developed in 1862 by Dr A. Bayer of Munich Germany by mixing urea with malonic acid i. Used as an anesthetic as well as a treatment for nervousness, insomnia, and epilepsy ii. Could cause physical dependence and withdrawal syndromes such as nausea, nervousness, sweating, trembling, coma, and even death c. Heroin – could be derived from a flower called opium poppy i. Addiction to Heroin 1. Heroin may be addictive to some people and withdrawal from it could cause a lot of pain which is primarily the reason why many people goes to extra measure just to avoid the pain of withdrawal 2. There are certain cases wherein heroin users are not physically dependent on the drug and could stop its use in any given period of time ii. Fetal Narcotic Syndrome – occurs when pregnant women used heroin during their pregnancy 1. Newborn babies experience insomnia, shivering, sneezing, etc 2. Babies are likely to be born prematurely, underweight, and may even face problem of not surviving life VII. Research Findings: Narcotics, Crime, and the Law – Different conditions in life plays a significant factor on whether an addict would resort to crime or not i. Poor people have to resort to thief or to other crimes to be able to buy narcotics ii. People who have enough money could buy narcotics without resorting to crime iii. Laws causes the black markets on which crimes materializes and which results to number of deaths of those who buys street narcotics VIII. Social Policy a. The Dilemmas of Social Policy – all drugs is safe as long as they are used adequately, in the same manner, all drugs are harmful if used in excessive amount i. The “Get Tough” Approach – this is the implementation of severe punishment in order to discourage people from using drugs 1. does not work when a one is determined to get hold of a drug 2. get tough policies only serve to fuel black markets which in turn causes crimes since the poor needs to prey on others in order to be able to buy expensive and unsafe drugs from the black market ii. When reasonable backfires 1. Smuggling would follow as soon as tax for drugs escalates 2. Black markets would only encourage underage to use drugs b. Deciding Social Policy i. Banning Advertising ii. Drug Education – a formal education could cause users which knows jow to use certain drugs moderately iii. Drug Addiction – since locking up drug addicts does not work and in often case only causes more crime then the reasonable thing to do would be to sell drugs in cheap prices which in turn could help eliminate crimes iv. Methadone Maintenance – this only transfers ones addiction to that of methadone thus achieving nothing in the process v. Alcoholics Anonymous – started in 1935 in Ohio, former addicts facilitates the program since they were better able to relate to the feelings of the current addicts they are counseling vi. Principles of Effective Social Policy 1. Must match the subculture of its objective group 2. Must match broad cultural values 3. Must be related to the realities of the users IX. The Future of the Problem a. Drugs depends on popularity or on what is “in” at the present b. New inventions of drugs would come into existence making physicians “drug dispensers” in the process c. There would still be drugs that are socially accepted, in the same way that there would be drugs not accepted on our society d. Drug enforcement agent would still continue to make certain drugs illegal as a way of preserving their jobs e. Black markets would still continue to exist due to the stubbornness of drug enforcement agents to legalize drugs f. Totalitarianism would come to existence due to the view that drug users are bad people and those who do not use drugs are good people Reference: Chapter 4: Alcohol and Other Drugs Read More