Sociology is designed to help individuals develop an in-depth understanding of the processes that affect the societal cohesion. Conflict, crime, violence, and war are just bust some of the challenges that societies around the world are forced to contend with as they attempt to achieve greater peace and cohesion. Besides politically and economically motivated conflict, drug and substance abuse has also been singled out as a major contributor to violence and conflict around the world. The abuse of drugs and other substances affects various tenets of society ranging from the economy to public health, to peace and co-existence and more importantly the social aspect of family. The multiple impacts accruing from this particular problem should be enough to warrant immediate action towards its elimination and yet, little change has been achieved despite the overwhelming efforts and resources that have been channeled and directed towards its mitigation. This paper offers a sociological analysis of drug and substance abuse with the aim of contributing to the increasing data regarding effective and efficient management and mitigation approaches.
The Sociology of Drug Abuse
A social problem is defined as a condition that brings about the negative impact on a significant proportion of society. In other words, when the effects accruing from a specific social problem are analyzed, it becomes apparent that the whole society is affected. Drug abuse entails the use of compounds that alter the normal chemical operation of the brain. The impact of these substances often transcends various societal boundaries, including education, healthcare, economics, conflict, crime as well as religion. For instance, drug and substance abuse can be linked to increased teenage pregnancies and higher prevalence of school dropouts. Youths and teenagers are often the most affected with most of them lacking the psychological and financial muscle that is necessary to achieve freedom from their behaviors and addictions. From a public health perspective, the abuse of drugs and other harmful substances directly affect the health and well-being of the users.
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Excessive and long-term use of alcohol is linked to liver problems, depression issues as well as death. The aspect of impaired judgment that is associated with the abuse of drugs often results in erratic sexual behavior. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases tends to increase in area with high prevalence of drug and substance abuse. It is also worth noting that traffic accidents accruing from driving under the influence tend to contribute to huge human and economic loss (Stimmel, 2014). All these outcomes translate to a huge wage bill for the taxpayers across the globe. Socially, families are being torn apart by the problem of drug and substance abuse. Besides social exclusion and isolation that tends to be prevalent among drug users, there is also the aspect of financial strain that is prevalent among drug users. With addiction, drug users become vulnerable to their urges and desires, and in most cases, they are pushed to extremes in an attempt to achieve the satisfaction of their urges. It is from such incidences that crimes and other forms of violence tend to arise.
The families, on the other hand, are torn between supporting their loved ones as well as protecting them from further harm. One approach that has been embraced worldwide to curb this particular issue. While it has proved to be effective, with countless addicts being transformed into normal law-abiding citizens, who, it is often criticized for dealing with a symptom rather than the real cause (Barry, McGinty, Pescosolido and Goldman, 2014). Countless other individuals without the financial or infrastructural capacities to access such solutions tend to be ostracized and abandoned by society. In this particular case, therefore, the society realizes an increase in homelessness and delinquency among teenagers. The greatest issue, however, is the productivity that is robbed off through drug and substance addiction. Most drug addicts are incapable of generating both economic and social wealth as their dependence on these substances tends to replace their motivation and aspirations.
It is necessary, therefore, to develop appropriate strategies that address the root causes of drug abuse. Such approaches can only be developed when societies are ready to reevaluate their values and priorities. The greatest impediment to the development of successful and effective approaches against drug and substance has been failing to appreciate the fact that social problems do not arise overnight, but rather that they develop over ages. This, therefore, means that various elements of society contribute to the development, spreading and reinforcement of negative tendencies and behaviors (Van Wormer and Davis, 2016). The case of drug and substance abuse does not occur naturally or as a result of some invincible force. Its occurrence arises from various social and environmental factors that can be identified within any given society. In other words, there are elaborate supply and value chains that foster the supply of drugs and other substances across the world.
Drug Abuse through Sociological Theories
It is by addressing the onset of both supply and demand of these substances that society can manage to develop effective approaches. The sociological approach of analyzing society is crucial, in that it forces an individual to not only become aware of the fact that structural and social forces have a great impact on personal experiences, but also the responsibility they possess by being part of the social force (Clinard and Meier, 2015). As earlier pointed out, the sociological aspect of drug abuse is to be found in its impact on increased homelessness, discordant families, and high rates of crime as well as unemployment. In this case, therefore, it becomes necessary to develop an in-depth understanding of how social interaction, inequality as well as social activities contribute to the prevalence of drug and substance abuse. The most crucial aspect of the sociological analysis of drug abuse is that it allows for the comprehension of the best way societies can develop effective solutions.
Based on the four core sociological perspectives, one can develop a detailed overview of drug and substance abuse and thus provide valuable insight on appropriate mitigation approaches. The social conflict theory proposes that the use of drugs within society can be traced down to extant social inequalities. In other words, in a world dominated by profit gains, wealth accumulation and power, money becomes a crucial motivator. In this case, therefore, drug use and distribution become not only a tool of control but also a form of escape for those who are poor and powerless. In this case, therefore, appropriate solutions should focus on the elimination of inequality. The high prevalence of drug addiction and abuse among poor communities tends to support this particular point of view (Van Wormer and Davis, 2016). When drug abuse is analyzed through the symbolic interactionism lens, it becomes rooted within a greater context. In other words, this particular theory acknowledges the impact of time and change on human perspectives and social interactions with various values and norms. In this case, therefore, while some drugs might have been socially acceptable at a given period back in history, new information and knowledge may, however, bring about a change of mind regarding their acceptance.
Structural functionalism, on the other hand, proposes the idea that the society works in coherence to promote and proper control and stability. In other words, it acknowledges the need for order as a precursor for coexistence. It is, therefore, necessary to minimize disruptive and chaotic aspects in an effort to promote peace and order. While all the above-mentioned perspectives and concepts hint at multiple causes of drug abuse and addiction, it is necessary to reiterate the fact that all of them fall within societal confines. In other words, their elimination is dependent upon synergetic efforts within the society. The best way of dealing with drug and substance addiction is by acknowledging it as a public health issue. In this case, therefore, drug users and addicts should be hospitalized into medical treatment centers which focus on the neurological and scientific aspects of addiction (Barry et al. 2014 and Yager, et al. 2015). This calls for the allocation of more resources towards increasing affordable medical treatment centers that handle drug users. It is also necessary to make drug and alcohol use screening a universal practice while dealing with adult patients. This will be vital in allowing for early interventions such as referral for treatment. Such strategies will come in handy in minimizing addiction rates (Stimmel, 2014). The crime and justice department one the other hand should direct its efforts and resources on cracking down on manufacturers and distributors.
Conclusion
It will also be vital to address the aspect of poverty and inequality within society by providing equal access to education and income generation activities. It is by eliminating inequality that society can deal with the aspect of social stratification based on wealth and power. The greatest solution, however, will be realizing that the drug addicts are part and parcel of families and communities and as such, they should be embraced rather than shunned. The psychological pain that is prevalent among most drug addicts should be at the heart of the strategies that are developed against drug and substance abuse. It is necessary to acknowledge the social responsibility that every individual is accorded by being part of the global community. In this case, therefore, it is necessary to develop a sense of self-awareness regarding the impact that one contributes to the well-being or destruction of society.
References
Barry, C. L., McGinty, E. E., Pescosolido, B. A., & Goldman, H. H. (2014). Stigma, discrimination, treatment effectiveness, and policy: public views about drug addiction and mental illness. Psychiatric Services , 65 (10), 1269-1272.
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2015). Sociology of deviant behavior . Nelson Education.
Stimmel, B. (2014). Drug abuse and social policy in America: The war that must be won . Routledge.
Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2016). Addiction treatment . Cengage Learning.
Yager, L. M., Garcia, A. F., Wunsch, A. M., & Ferguson, S. M. (2015). The ins and outs of the striatum: role in drug addiction. Neuroscience , 301 , 529-541.
