BEHAVIOR, ADDICTIONS, AND THEORIES

Behavior, Addictions, and Theories



Behavior, Addictions, and Theories

The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology describes drug addiction as "Dependency with grave consequences for the individual and society." (Marshall, 1998, p-173) It also suggests that not all drug users develop dependency and such consequences do not always follow. The favorability of other terms such as 'drug abuse' is also implied. A pharmacologist's definition of addiction is "A substance that, when taken into the living organism, modifies one or more of its functions." (Robson, 1994, p-154) Drug or morphine addiction was not widely used until the years before the First World War. In 1958 The Interdepartmental Committee on Drug Addiction was established. In its first report in 1962 the committee described addiction as a medical condition rather than a criminal issue. The report then did not consider drug addiction as a problem to be located in specialized institutions and regarded treatment as an appropriate response. Dr. Eduard Levinstein, a German physician, viewed drug addiction as a human passion such as smoking, greediness for profit, gambling, and sexual excess (Berridge, 1999) There is also the psychological addiction. "Researchers at the University of London warn that the relaxing effect of smoking is a psychological addiction." (Dr. Usmani, 2002, p-57)

Any individual's opinion as to the meaning of addiction is bound to be colored to a large extent by the attitudes of the culture to which he or she belongs. The concept of addiction is a difficult one especially since attitudes are by no means consistent across nations, time, or even small sub-groups within a society. The term addiction when used in relation to drug misuse refers to physical as well as psychological dependency. Physical dependency is when the withdrawal syndrome develops when the drug is withheld from the user. This is the characteristic of those drugs whose main effect is to inhibit or depress brain function such as tranquilizers, alcohol and sleeping pills. Psychological dependency is described as when a strong intense craving for the drug which has become associated in the individual's mind with pleasant or even unpleasant drug related experiences is touched off by elements of the environment, for example, a smell, a person or even a syringe.

The study of drug misuse and in understanding factors in explaining why people use drugs on a regular basis is a complex social problem and not simply a clinical or pharmacological one. There are many sociological theories on why people, especially young people, use illegal drugs. Most theories are based on the need of the individual to escape certain problems or pleasures. There is no single cause of drug misuse and due to the complex nature of drug misuse means there are no simple solutions. External and environmental influences such as family, religion, community, peer groups, sub-cultures, as well as one's own circumstances may affect the individual to take drugs.

Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung, states, "Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism" ...