Summary
The article is introduced following the growing public health concern over the use of nonmedical prescription drug. The authors continue to show how in 2011 persons aged 12 or older used the drugs as psychotherapeutic prescription. Research conducted shows the number of new pain reliever users to be 1.9 million, tranquilizers 1.2 million, stimulants 670,000, and sedatives 159,000. Nonetheless, the highest prevalence is found to be among persons between 18 and 25 years old. The average age of nonmedical users was 22.4 years.
The authors managed to explore the interplay present of individual factors and social context having an impact on the initiation process of using the nonmedical drug for prescription purposes. The factors presented by the authors about the issue at hand included things like the different kinds of prescription drug exposure plus their effects, motivation to using the drug, access, and the physical and social environment of the individuals using the nonmedical prescription drug. The studies conducted have shown that initiation is a social process and for this study, the influence of peers and friends was a referenced factor.
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The authors continue with the discussion by introducing Zinberg’s drug, set and setting theoretical model to determine the nature of drug experience on an individual. Zinberg’s assertion is that set and setting have proved to provide an analytical structure when considering interconnected factors leading to the initiation of the drug use.
Since social learning process has been discussed further using Aker’s social learning theory that within a social context there are certain behaviors learned. The components raised include imitation, differential association, definition, and differential reinforcement. Individuals with deviant behaviors raised concerns over differential association by looking at things such as their attitudes, values, motives, and techniques. All this are attributed to their interactions with peers, family, and friends and culminates down to their behavior. The association further gives an explanation of deviant behavior being normalized in the use of nonmedical drug prescription.
The study took place between 2008 and February 2012 where the authors managed to interview 120 people aged between 18 and 25 years. The individuals picked were those who had used the drugs as nonmedical prescriptions 12 times in the previous 6 months before the interview. Pharmaceutical opioids, stimulants, and central nervous system (CNS) are the nonmedical prescription drugs under scrutiny. The strategy used in recruiting these individuals was snowball and the use of key informants.
The questions ranged from early life histories, employment, school, and personal relationships to medical histories, current life, and nonmedical prescription drug use impact on lifestyle, health, and social relationships. The research inquired more about the individual’s thoughts, feelings, surroundings, and expectations with regard to their first exposure to drugs and initiation time. After the interview, the participants were given50 dollar honorarium for dedicating their time for the success of the project.
The findings of the study showed a common trajectory for initiation, which is characterized mostly by exposure to the nonmedical prescription drug use. It also included motivation, access, and opportunity to initiate the use of nonmedical prescription drug. It is evident that the participants were exposed to the drugs at different life stages. Also, the exposure was in different social situations by their doctors’ prescriptions, peers or friends, and parents.
The authors acknowledged that the study had limitations with regard to the sample not being representative enough of the general populations. Therefore, the findings reached cannot be generalized. Using a specific age cohort in the study results in bias findings and since majority are college students, ethnic breakdown was hampered. The article also gives focus to prescription drugs as a whole, which results in failing to fully inform and educate the public because integration of the different drug categories was not considered. Further research needs to be conducted to identify the best approaches that can be implemented to address the rising public health concern among adolescents.
Analysis
The article gives a clear picture of how initiation is a social process ascribed mostly to individuals engaging in the use of nonmedical prescriptions drugs. Family and peers are the direct social influencers of such deviant behaviors for different purposes like enhancing their academic performance, to get high, while others wanted to fit in with friends.
The article managed to talk about the prescription drugs, but failed to categorize them to enable them obtain good foundations and understanding of the problem. Evidence from the article is that the ethnic group represented was not enough to cover the different people present in our community.
