"Drug Use in the Context of American Culture."
Alcohol is such a big part of American life today that we rarely stop to
consider our pattern of drinking. We drink wine with dinner, or have a few
drinks after work, or even a few beers while watching a ball game, but when a
pattern of drinking begins to emerge, it can become a problem. In the 1970s
substance abuse in the United States was substantially higher than it is now.
Over the last few years there has been a change in this trend. This is true among
certain subgroups, such as adolescent, and in relation to certain drugs, such as
marijuana. The use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs is widespread in our
society and is associated with an increased risk for many different health
problems. “There are more deaths, illnesses, and disabilities from substance
abuse than from any other preventable health condition. Of the two million U.S.
deaths each year, more than one in four attributable to alcohol, illicit drug, or
tobacco use.” (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1993, p. 8)
In some societies, alcohol is associated with violent and anti-social
behavior, while in others drinking behavior is peaceful. This is related to
different cultural beliefs about alcohol, and expectancies regarding the effects of
alcohol. Analysis of cross-cultural research reveals four near-universal
‘constants’, proscription of solitary drinking, prescription of sociability, social
control of consumption and behavior, and restrictions on female and ‘underage’
drinking. The truth is drinking is, in all cultures, a social activity, and most
societies have specific, designated environments for drinking.
The 1960s were the heyday of illegal drug use. Hippies smoked marijuana,
kids in ghettos pushed heroin, and a Harvard professor named Timothy Leary,
urged the world to try LSD. In 1972, 60% of Americans thought that marijuana
was physically addictive. Research shows that marijuana is not physically
addictive, but it can be psychologically addictive. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s
drugs became more glamorous, without becoming better understood. As drug
use increased over the years, Americans began to see it as a problem. By the
mid-80s, the introduction of crack cocaine turned youth drug use into a truly
terrifying issue. Crack was cheap, plentiful and highly addictive. By the last
decade of the millennium, it appeared that fewer people were using drugs. The
recent upswing in the use of heroin and "club drugs" was startling. "Ecstasy and
crystal meth are popular in California, meth is big in the Midwest, and the New
Jersey Turnpike is just ‘the Heroin Highway’.” The decline in illicit drug use by
the Nation’s adolescents since the mid-to late-1990s has leveled off. Among 8th,
10th, and 12th graders, most measures of illicit drug use remained unchanged
from 2009-2010. Trends in lifetime use of amphetamine and methamphetamine
indicate statistically significant declines from peak-year use among all three
grades.
Many people do not understand why or how others become addicted to
drugs. It can be wrongfully assumed that drug abusers lack moral principle or
willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change
their behavior. Drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more
than good intentions.
So what is the U.S. doing to reduce the consumption of psychoactive
substances? The most effective way to treat drug addiction seems to be a
combination of medication and behavioral therapies. Other substances can be
used as substitutes for a drug, for instance methadone can replace heroin. Such
substitutes act like the drug in some ways without inducing some of the more
harmful effects. Another treatment often used is behavioral therapies that
replace the motivation to use drugs with the motivation to engage in other
behaviors. Effective public health programs can reduce the overall health burden
of drug use, and treatment must be accessible to all in need.
“Reference Page”
Substance Abuse in the United States: The Extent of the Problem
Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK16378/
Jennifer Robinson, (2002) Decades of Drug Use: Data from the '60s and '70s
Retrieved from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/6331/decades-drug-use-data-from-60s-70s.aspx
(Revised March 2011) NIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction
Retrieved from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/understand.html
The World Health Organization (2004) Psychoactive Drugs Tobacco, Alcohol,
and Illicit Substances
Retrieved from
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/psychoactive-drugs/index.htm
(Revised April 2011) NIDA InfoFacts: Nationwide Trends
Retrieved from
http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/nationtrends.html
Florida Institute of Technology (2010) Facts about Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Retrieved from
http://www.fit.edu/caps/articles/facts.php
Social Issues Research Center. Social and Cultural Aspects of Drinking
Retrieved from
http://www.sirc.org/publik/drinking3.html