Drugs, Alcohol and Crime

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Assignment Question

Consult the readings about theories of addiction and discuss your opinion as to which is most relevant. In other words, What do you think are the main causes of addiction? Is the main cause physical, psychological or social? Or are all three dimensions involved?

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Introduction

For centuries, drugs and alcohol consumption have been a part of every day life. The Ancient Chinese would smoke opium in 'Opium Houses' to relax and contemplate, the Ancient Romans would congregate in large numbers and have parties with enormous consumption of wine and alcohol, and even as early as Queen Victorian times, Royalty and the upper class were a little partial to sniffing cocaine from their 'snuff' boxes. All of these types of behavioral patterns were seen not as illegal dealings but rather as a social way of life. It may not have been determined or documented if, those who indulged in such activities became addicted by means of social, physical or psychological means, and if so, did those addictions lead to crime to support those addictions?

During this assignment, the author will outline and discuss the main physical, psychological and social causes of addiction and to determine if these are based on individual problems or if all three dimensions are involved.

Definition of Addiction

physiologic or psychologic dependence on some agent (eg. Alcohol, drug) with a tendency to increase its use. (Miller, B. & Keane, C. 187, p18.)

There are many forms of addiction, such as, a person may be addicted to his/her form of sport, wanting to always improve on ones physical health, appearance and well being. Some may be addicted to social interaction by being around other people, some are addicted to life in general, enjoying what life has to offer. In general terms, these types of addictions are seen to be healthy and socially acceptable.

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However, there are other forms of addiction that can be harmful, not only physical, but mentally on the person directly and upon others around him/her. These addictions may consist of gambling, sexual offences (serial rapists, pedophiles, etc), drugs and alcohol.

Addiction to either alcohol or drugs can be fatal, not only to the user, but can have an devastating impact on those who have any form of relationship such as family, friends, employers and even innocent bystanders. The author believes that no one person sets out in life to become an addict to alcohol or illicit drugs, but rather due to the outside influences or other underlying problem areas, one may find themselves in.

Of all legal and illegal substances, alcohol is the one that most Australians regularly consume and for the majority, it is a normal part of our cultural and social activities. However, alcohol is also a major factor in homicides, domestic violence, and police custodies. Homel and Bull (16), suggest that the experience of alcohol-related disorder in our society is very common. Such disorder has implications for public policy, for not only does disorder contribute to a fear of crime, it contributes to the actual incidence of crime.

There are many reasons why people use alcohol, the most common being the social factor to interact with other people whether in-group functions or individually. Alcohol allows the body to suppress anxiety and allows the person to relax and give them a sense of wellbeing. This also allows them to interact with another person more confidently, for example a young male wishing to have a conversation with a female he is attracted to finds himself not having the courage to approach the female whilst sober.

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However, upon the consumption of a number of alcoholic drinks, his body's central nervous system is suppressed, his brain and thought pattern takes away his apprehension to socialise with a person of the opposite sex. His thought process is now relaxed and he finds within himself that courage that he earlier did not have. Over a period of time, this person may tend to believe that by drinking alcohol is his only way to relax and interact with other people. Slowly the continuos consumption of alcohol may lead him/her to become dependant on it just to cope with his/her day to day life.

Schlaadt & Shannon (14), suggest that whilst young adults congregate at gatherings such as sorority parties and sporting events etc, they will drink to become more socially active towards each other. The introduction of 'soft' drugs, such as marijuana, is introduced to heighten the euphoria of well being and allow both young males and females to communicate on a more open level. The author believes that at this stage, the use of illicit drugs is not due to peer group pressure or other external pressures but as a part of the individual allowing him/herself to become more socially active. The effects of the alcohol or drugs suppressing the body's brain of feeling apprehensive, allows that person to be more self-confident to communicate with others; however, this may not necessarily mean that the person now becomes addicted or dependant to those forms of drugs.

The author believes that some young adults, as a result of being curious, would experiment in the use of drugs in an attempt to see for themselves what effects they have. The most common for any young adult was to consume their first alcoholic drink or cigarette. These experiments could be started as young as 11 or 1 years of age.

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As they become older, experimenting with alcohol or cigarettes may increase to smoking marijuana or taking an ecstasy tablet, then perhaps LSD. At this point in time they may not believe that by conducting these experiments is causing a number of health issues with their bodies and also could be starting a journey down a path to becoming a full time user of heavier forms of illicit drugs.

Various forms of fashion, music and social events, for example, are seen to be a major influence on societies way of life. An example could be recognised in the fashion industry over the past four decades. Where there have been many styles of clothing products that have lead the consumer to purchase and follow such trends, for example in the 160's bright coloured flare pants and multi-coloured shirts were seen to be the accepted form of dress by young adults.

If you were not seen to be in the 'trend' as a young person, you were generally not accepted into the 'in-crowd'. Drug use in this era was also very common, again to be accepted by your peers, one would need to be seen using drugs or drinking alcohol freely as a form of rebellion against those who opposed it. Even today, many of these types of trends have not change for the younger generation.

Schlaadt & Shannon (14), suggest a similar view that one will copy the behavioral patterns and activities of others and peers as a direction of gaining acceptance by those within the group and a way of learning social behavior. The peer group pressure has a huge influence on young adults who just want to be socially accepted by others, a chance to 'fit in'. By being accepted allows young adults to gain more self-confidence but at the risk of indulging in the consumption of alcohol or illicit drugs.

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McAllister, Moore & Makkai (11), suggest that perhaps the physical properties of alcohol or drugs can lead to the addiction of a person of such substances whereupon if that person was to cease his/her use of a drug, pending long term use, places that person at risk of going into withdrawal. Such drugs include alcohol, opiates, barbiturates and other substances also have the properties that contribute to the process of addiction. However, McAllister, Moore & Makkai (11), also suggest that drugs such as marijuana, LSD and cocaine may not be addictive in the physical sense as a result of their properties. However, as a result of the effects endured upon their use may lead a person to become dependant on that particular type of drug because of their psychological addictive properties.

The author believes that if a parent, being that of the mother, was dependent upon a certain drug and was a long-term user during her stage of the pregnancy, may pass on the craving of drug addiction to her unborn child. Thus upon the birth of that child, having shared her mothers addiction whilst in the womb, would now also become dependent on drugs even though he/she is too young to even know what a drug is. As the child grows and becomes a young adult, he/she could more likely become a drug user. In an attempt to stop a child such as this becoming addicted, he/she would need to have medical support at a very early age within a drug re-habilitation clinic to give the child the best chance of having a normal life without the use of drugs.

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Such is the want or desire to use the drug, he/she very quickly becomes dependant on the drug believing that life will become unbearable if they do not have another dose and to then stop using the drug appears to be non existent. McAllister, Moore & Makkai (11), suggest that some of the reasons of drug abuse in the psychological field may be a result of low self-esteem, problems with self image or ego, problems associated with disfunctional families, the feeling of being rejected by society, or perhaps the person has been subjected to a personal tragedy who tries to escape the pain and reality through the use of drugs are just a few. Each person with a drug addiction are all individual cases with individual reasons on why they became drug dependent, even though some may appear to be similar in other ways.

The author believes that from the information presented within the readings, there is no one cause of addiction and that all three have some form of relationship. Each area whether physical, psychological or social all have some form of link between them. Some perhaps more than others, however, it appears that there is a dist0inct relation. For example, the person who uses drugs or alcohol only as a social activity, may become dependent upon them to enable them to communicate with others more easily; therefore, psychologically their mental ability to socialise without alcohol or drugs becomes a problem. Or the fact that the mere properties of a substance such as marijuana also allows a person to relax and converse with others without the fear of apprehension.

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Conclusion

There are many theories on the subject of drug addiction. Drugs and alcohol have been available for centuries all over the world. Today, the drug problem is every increasing amongst the younger generation. It is impossible to police every young adult who indulges in the consumption of alcohol or illicit substances, and at times, such indulges lead to a fatal result. There may not be any real short term answer to this problem; however, by educating those who are able to be educated and assist those who have already become drug users via rehabilitation clinics etc, may lessen the fatalities and allow those who are trying to assist others help understand some of the problems associated with drug abuse.

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References

Homel, R. & Bull, M. (16). Under the Influence. Alcohol, Drugs and Crime. Chapter 7 in Crime and Justice An Australian Textbook in Criminology by K.M. Hazelhurst (ed). Melbourne LBC Information.

Miller, B.F. & Keane, C.B. (187). Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, p 18.

McAllister, I., Moore, R. & Makkai, T. (11). Some Theoretical Perspectives in Drugs in Australian Society by these authors. Sydney Longman Cheshire, 11, Chapter 1.

Schlaadt, R.G. & Shannon, P.T. (14). Theories of Drug Use. Chapter in Drugs Use, Misuse, and Abuse by R.G. Schlaadt & P.T. Shannon. New jersey Prentice Hall, 14.

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Bibliography

Homel, R. & Bull, M. (16). Under the Influence. Alcohol, Drugs and Crime. Chapter 7 in Crime and Justice An Australian Textbook in Criminology by K.M. Hazelhurst (ed). Melbourne LBC Information.

Mason, G., & Wilson, P.R. (15). Alcohol and Crime. In Issues in Crime, Mortality and Justice. P.Wilson (Ed.). Canberra Australian Institute of Criminology, 15, pp. 145 158.

Miller, B.F. & Keane, C.B. (187). Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, p 18.

McAllister, I., Moore, R. & Makkai, T. (11). Some Theoretical Perspectives in Drugs in Australian Society by these authors. Sydney Longman Cheshire, 11, Chapter 1.

Peele, S. Addiction to an Experience. Chapter 5 in The Meaning of Addiction Compulsive Experience and its Interpretation. Mass Lexington Books.

Schlaadt, R.G. & Shannon, P.T. (14). Theories of Drug Use. Chapter in Drugs Use, Misuse, and Abuse by R.G. Schlaadt & P.T. Shannon. New jersey Prentice Hall, 14.

Witters, W.L., & Venturelli, P.J. (188). Drugs and the Law. Chapter 1 in Drugs and Society by W.L. Witters & P.J. Venturelli, Boston

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