Sociology of Substance Abuse - Exam #2

alcohol content

• beer (4% alcohol, iced beer 8%)

• wine (10-15% alcohol, fortified wine 20%)

• distilled spirits (40-50% alcohol, 80-100 proof)

• one drink or unit: 12 oz beer, 4 oz of wine, & 1.25 shot of liquor

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)

• intoxication is measured by this

• measure: grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood (ex. 0.10 BAC = 0.10g per 100 millilters of blood)

Key BAC Amounts: 0.08

intoxication

Key BAC Amounts: 0.20

severe impairment

Key BAC Amounts: 0.35

coma

Key BAC Amounts: 0.40

possible death

What is the medical pro of drinking?

Alcohol has been found to protect against heart disease in recent research. It also adds relaxation and sociability.

What are some negative health impacts associated with heavy use of alcohol (5 points)?

• increased risk of GI cancer

• liver damage

• depressed immune systems

• long-term heavy use can lead to cardiovascular problems

• vitamin deficiencies

What are some negative health impacts associated with long-term use of alcohol?

• neurological damage

• brain development (for intoxicated children and adolescents)

• death

How many deaths does alcohol use cause annually in the U.S.?

100,000

What percentage of individuals who commit suicide are intoxicated? What about an offender or victim in a homicide?

25-35%; 50%

What causes a large amount of fatalies when it comes to drinking alcohol?

automotive accidents (DUI’s)

binge drinking

the consumption of five or more drinks in a sitting for men, and four or more for women

Wecshler on Binge Drinking & College Students

• surveys indicate that this is a prevalent behavior among university students nationwide

• frequency measures (non-, infrequent, and frequent)

• more than 40% of students reported binge drinking in the two weeks prior to the respective surveys

• lots of criticism with the term “binge drinking”, some use “heavy episodic drinking”

What are some negative effects of binge drinking (5 points)?

• blackouts & hangovers

• fights & arguments

• academic problems

• trouble with the police

• risky sexual behavior

secondary binge effects

problems experienced by other students and citizens as a result of students binge drinking (ex. physical assaults, verbal assaults, property destruction, DUI, etc.)

Durkin, Wolfe, & Clark on Binge Drinking

• researchers in the behaviorial sciences have made few attempts to explain this behavior

• basically, demographic studies show that the high risk groups for binge drinking are: men, greeks, & athletes

• blacks have low rates of binge drinking

• suggest using sociological theories of deviance to explain this (ex. Differential Association or Social Bond Theory)

Differential Association & Binge Drinking

• variables related to differential association explain about half of the variance in binge drinking

• peer associations were the best predictor of binge drinking

• other significant predictors are specific definition, neutralizing definitions, and direct effects

Social Bond Theory & Binge Drinking Research

• three studies have directly tested social bond theory on binge drinking in college students (results found to be consistent)

• SBT explains a modest amount of the variance in binge drinking among college students (between 10-22% of variance is explained; each element of the bond is not equally important in explaining this behavior)

• attachment is not related to this behavior

• commitment is negatively related to this behavior

• conventional beliefs are negatively related to this behavior

• involvements - most types have little impact on this behavior

Drunk Driving & College Students Research

• appears to be a common behavior for university students (25% prevalence)

• each year about 1100 die in DUI accidents

• little theory based research

• number of SBT variables appear to be related to DUI in college students

Social Bond Theory & Drunk Driving Research

• attachment - parental attachment not related to DUI; female students living with parents are actually more likely than other college women to drive drunk

• commitment - negative relationship between GPA and DUI; negative relationship between religious commitment and DUI; negative relationship between commitment to higher education and DUI

• involvement - negative relationship between hours studying and DUI; postive relationship between hours working and DUI; those with modest participation in extracurricular activities less likely than those with either no or high participation to drive drunk

• belief - respect for authority negatively related to this behavior; acceptance of conventional beliefs negatively related to DUI

qualitative methods

ways of researching that rely on verbal descriptions and analysis (ex. observational studies and qualitative interview)

Why should anyone use qualitiative methods?

• advocates claim they offer a deeper understanding that surveys do (ex. Denzin - thick description)

• some populations aren’t easily reached by traditional surveys (ex. crack prostitutes, bath salt users, etc.)

Statement of the Problem of Meth

• very little is known about the people who produce meth

• very little is known about the roles of women in drug production and distribution

• meth production is extremely hazardous compared to the production of other types of drugs

• can result in fire/explosion

• many ingredients are dangerous to obtain

What was the first documented production and who did it?

Clandestine in 1965 by the Hell’s Angels

stratification

the systematic ranking of groups and individuals

Hierarchy of Meth Producing Groups: Cooks

the highest ranking people in the group

Hierarchy of Meth Producing Groups: Gasman/Juicer

obtain key precursor chemicals - generally anhydrous ammonia

• very dangerous

• burns respiratory system if inhaled

Hierarchy of Meth Producing Groups: Shoppers

get needed ingredients from stores (ex. pills, batteries, etc.)

• pseudoephedrine sales are limited and tracked

smurfing

term that is used to describe a person or group of people that go from one store to another in order to fain enough pseudoephedrine to make meth

Hierarchy of Meth Producing Groups: Dope Hoes

trade sex for drugs. but only with cooks

• unlike crack users who have sex with both dealers and johns for drugs

Hierarchy of Meth Producing Groups: Simple Users

lower rung of ladder. Lack prestige and are despised by other members of group.

• contribute nothing; show up at inopportune times; behaviors is often erratic; and possibly snitches

Learning Among Group Members

• differential association plays a major role in the group

• formal learning takes place on several levels, all involving the learning of various techniques (how to cook meth, how to get precursor chemicals safely, and how to smurf)

methamphetamine abuse

• the rate of drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, including methamphetamine, increased 10-fold from 0.5 per 100,000 people in 2009 to 5.0 per 100,000 people in 2019

• nationwide, meth-related hospitalizations increased 270% between 2007 and 2015

• illicitly manufactured meth has been responsible for the second highest proportional increase in fatal overdoses from 2007 to 2017 in the US, following fentanyl analogs

patterns in meth abuse

• meth use has been endemic in the western US for decades, particularly in rural communities where use is more prevalent than in metropolitan areas

• recent data suggest that meth use has spread to other regions of the US where it is associated with unstable housing, low income, and rural residence

• growing numbers of Native Americans and African-Americans users as well in recent years

• COVID impact - apparent increasing overdose mortality in African-Americans

• black overdose mortality in CA was therefore 34.3% higher than that of white individuals in 2020 Q2-Q4. This reflects growing meth, cocaine, and fentanyl involved deaths among black communities

co-occuring meth & opioid abuse

• opioids have been involved in over hald of psychostimulant-related overdose deaths, indicating an intertwined status of the current opioid and stimulant overdose crisis

• recent survey data suggested that people who use poly-substances often take a stimulant with or after opioids to balance out opioid sedative effects

• although both cocaine and meth combined with opioids increase the risk of overdose, meth is associated with an increased risk of overdose, regardless of opioid use

• recent studies have found co-occuring meth and opioid use related to: injection, benzodiazepine, binge drinking, cocaine, HEP C, homelessness, severe mental illness, and unsuccessful treatment

• s tudy of national sample of drug users from rural areas foudn that in terms of ODing in the last six months: meth & opioids - 22%, opioids - 14%, & meth - 6%

The prevalence of amphetamine use in Hardin County family recovery court is increasing/decreasing?

increasing

Middle-Class Motives for Non-Medical Prescription Use among College Students

qualitative study of non-medical prescription stimulant use among 22 college students

academic doping

the use of stimulant drugs to improve educational performance

• viagra for the brain

• adderall, ritalin, strattera

• previous research seems to suggest academic doping is more common among students in highly competitive majors like pre-med

What are some theoretical links to the non-medical prescription use study?

• strain theory - pressure/motivation

• differential association/learning - justifications

Strain in the NMU Study

• consists of the pressure to achieve academic success

• goal is clearly defined, but the means to meet this goal is often unclear

• general strain theory

• fear of academic failure is an example of the type of strain known as “failure to meet positively valued goals”

• pressure of academic achievement creates a “negative affective state”

Vocabularies of Motive (C. Wright Mills)

explanations people give for actions they have performed (answer the question why?)

• with crime/deviance, these explanations take the form of justifications used to negotiate a “normal” identity

• in current study, subjects point to their “proper” motives for academic doping:

• linked to the motive of success - fulfilling a responsibility

• prescription drugs are different from “street drugs”

• not taking them to “get high” or “party all night”

• moderation - only taken during midterms, finals, and when doing papers

• take at recommended dose and take orally (don’t snort)

Middle-Class Socialization

• authors link middle-class family socialization to this phenomenon in two ways (ex. differential association & social learning)

• emphasis on “success” and “winning” (don’t always teach means, just goals, and Shover & Coffey’s study of telefraud)

• value of talking and excuse making in middle-class homes (research shows middle class parents more likely to give children opportunities to explain away bad behavior that do working and lower class parents & proper excuses making can allow one to evade punishment)

Cicero & Ellis Study: Prescription Opioid Epidemic (Introduction)

• conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies that have used a qualitative approach to examine the development of an opioid-use disorder

• of particular interest is the motivations that researchers have uncovered for people abusing prescription opioids

• three phase of drug abuse: initation, persistence, and resistance

Cicero & Ellis Study: Prescription Opioid Epidemic (Motives for Abuse)

• prescription opioids as a safe alternative to illicit drugs

• they are safer than heroin or other narcotics available on the street

• many users convinced themselves that heroin addicts were junkies, but pill addicts were more socially acceptable

• getting high understates the reward value of opioid

• people initiate opioid use for euphoria, but frequently continue for other reasons such as self-medication

• the most cited reasons included use as a response to life stressors or as a means of self-medicating psychological issues, effects of trauma, or emotional pain

Cicero & Ellis Study: Prescription Opioid Epidemic (Cycle of Dependence)

• eventually, the development of physical dependence, manifested by a withdrawal syndrome, develops

• continued opioid use now becomes a driving force to avoid withdrawal

• primary motivation is no longer getting high or relief from life’s difficult circumstances

Cicero & Ellis Study: Prescription Opioid Epidemic (Transition to Heroin)

• as the supply of opioid analgesics decreased and the price rose, addicts faced two stark choices: stop using opioids altogether, or shift to something more accessible and affordable

• for the vast majority of users, they turn to heroin as a cheaper and more readily available alternative

• usually snort or smoke at first

• tolerance grows and snorting or smoking becomes more expensive

• turn to injection