Drugs And Alcohol Final

Front 1

Positivistic Definition of Alcoholism

Back 1

- relies on the amount an individual drinks; individual cannot stop drinking (reliant on quantity and necessity)
- it is a fact an individual is an alcoholic
- reliance on the medical model
- "fact"- evidence associated with the body (physical tolerance)
- basic syndromes- brain and behavioral dysfunctions (ex: wet brain)

Front 2

Dramaturgic Definition of Alcoholism

Back 2

- not based upon quantity but based on performance
- how well a person can manage themselves regardless of how much that person drinks
- there's a Perceptual Control that has been given to our society (ex: males v. females; how people respond to it)
- can the person who is drinking adequately deflect the label of an alcoholic
- stigma= social blemish (an alcoholic is one of them)
- Master Status- the first thing we think of when we see someone (that person's an alcoholic)
- based on how a person perceives you

Front 3

Interactionist Definition of Alcoholism

Back 3

- defined within specific social conflicts (ex: family)
- within an isolated group of people (people we know; people who deal with an alcoholic)
- disruptions within small social groups
- movie: 28 days
- this definition wants to add to the other two definitions by saying specific behaviors that disrupted specific situations created a memory that stays with these people
- focuses on the "mini dramas"
- Definition of the Situation: specific behavioral consequences of drinking that requires some kind of resolution vs. drinking itself (resolution is necessary)
- The Situated Vocabularies- drinker's efforts to rationalize; cannot overocme other's efforts to intervene (others are going to act on this loss of control). Tied to the emotional impact of drinking within the small social circle

Front 4

Affirmation Narratives

Back 4

- a substance that is associated with the celebration of achievement or status marketing (alcohol is this)
1. Freedom To
2. Regular Status
3. Mystification

Front 5

Freedom To

Back 5

- symbolization of the drink as an emblem of independence and personhood
- Ex: The Shawshank Redemption- drinking on the roof symbolizes being normal (sense of normalcy)

Front 6

Regular Status

Back 6

- the "regular" identity. It's the establishment of a stable self outside of the home/workplace
- the "third place" identity- having a place to congregate outside of the home/family. The bar/pub/tarvern took on this "regular identity".
- establishes alcohol as an important symbol associated with the male identity

Front 7

Mystification

Back 7

- glorification of alcohol as "miraculous" (it's more than a substance that can get us drunk). It's even in religions.
- process by which alcohol is made= significant preparation (a result of a ritual)
- movie: Mr Roberts (making alcohol by mixing random stuff)

Front 8

Prohibitive narratives

Back 8

- returns us back to a positivist definition of alcoholism
- after prohibition, the US holds the individual as accountable (it's up to them to assume responsibility)
- moral imperative to control drinking episodes
1. Asynchronic Drinking
2. Prodromal Drinking
3. Alcoholic Spectacle
4. Societal Gaze

Front 9

Asynchronic Drinking

Back 9

- out of time; out of rhythm. ex: no drinking in the morning (this is how we think); binge drinking is drinking out of rhythm

Front 10

Prodromal Drinking

Back 10

- drinking to the point of blackouts (passing out, unconscious, failing to remember parts of time) or to the point of aphasia (an individual blacks out but remains conscious- an individual is moving around and being awake but the brain is shut off)

Front 11

Alcoholic Spectacle

Back 11

- the drinker making an embarassing scene to the extent that it (the scene) becomes a part of collective memory.
- these spectacles if repeated can create paranoia in family members/friends
- this discredits the alcoholic individual (denies ability to do dramaturgic definition)

Front 12

Societal Gaze

Back 12

-perception of a judgment response on the part of observers (alcoholics feel this)
- felt experience of disapproval (the alcoholic and his/her people feel this)
- they feel society is harsh (a pessimistic view)
- relates to alcoholics b/c sometimes they are seen as moral degenerate

Front 13

Modern Alcoholism Era

Back 13

-post-depression to late 20th century. Focuses on the Medical Model
- view alcoholics more sympathetically b/c they are seen as individuals not choosing to become an alcoholic, but they are predisposed to become alcoholics
- alcoholics were related/treated like diabetics
- not seen as moral degenerates anymore

Front 14

20th Century Orientation to Problem Drinkers

Back 14

- sees alcoholics as casualties of a "class struggle" (an internal struggle to maintain dignity, worth and middle class respectability)
- alcoholics are struggling to keep dignity in the world (internally conflicted)

Front 15

Medicalization of Deviant Drinking

Back 15

- alcoholic is not "morally deviant"
- alcoholic seen as sensitive, intelligent, has doubt, guilt, shame and victimization (they've been sinned against).

Front 16

Narcissistic Imagery

Back 16

- greek god Narcissus who kept looking at himself in the pond and became consumed by his image.
- medical model sees alcoholic as a self-obsessed and disabled emotionally(they lack emotionally-healthy intimate bonds)
- irrational loneliness of the alcoholics- the alcoholic sets himself/herself up to fail in relationships, jobs, etc.
- movie: The Lost Weekend

Front 17

Hiding

Back 17

-the alcoholic keeps pre-mediated secrets (ex: hiding bottles of alcohol)
- alcoholic thinks people will be harsh, so they feel that they have to keep secrets
- symbolized by the object "out of sight". They keep the objects out of sight
- this sets up a system of lies/ "passing" as sober

Front 18

Alcoholic complexity

Back 18

- the alcoholic dialogue is no longer normal dialogue
- extreme lengths created by an alcohlic to isolate self from non-alcoholics
- it's a "tangled web"
- there's an uneasiness in dialogue with an alcoholic b/c you never know what will happen. Feeling of dissonance.

Front 19

Alcoholic Alibi

Back 19

-the drinker wants to blame everyone/everything else
- ex: The Lost Wknd- Don blames Wick and Helen
- drinker seeks to "externalize blame"
- drinker has a denial of the full extent of alcoholism ("cannot be cut off completely"). Ex: saying they just need a little bit or they just want to see it

Front 20

Seeking Congruence

Back 20

- drinker has the perference for established casual connections
- superficial ties created within 3rd places (bars)
- has detached companionships (alcoholic don't let people in/give a perosn their heart)
- there's a fear of intimacy

Front 21

Institutional Complicity

Back 21

- the promotion and selling of alcohol as a necessary substance
- the allowance of an alcoholic (with money) to drink- in spite of knowing better. Alcoholics can go to bars and get served even if people know they're an alcoholic
- this concept was more of a big deal in 1940s-50s. There was a semi-agreement to not promote alcohol back then (this is not the case now)

Front 22

Alcoholic Simulation

Back 22

- the narcissistic replacement of sex with alcohol (object catharsis- in and of itself)
- Implication of lack of heterosexual desire (among males). This is shown in movies like The Lost Wknd (Don avoids his relationship with Helen)

Front 23

Spiritus Contra Spiritum

Back 23

- "spirits against spirits"
- alcohol (spirits) destroys the soul
- search for spiritual meaning/artistic prowess (myth of booze and muse) via alcohol- misguided
- a lot of the great old writers/artists were alcoholics, thought that alcohol helped them
- alcoholic sees self on a spiritual quest (turning to alcohol to find salvation)
- experts think: we need to replace one spiritual quest (alcoholism) with another (sobriety)

Front 24

Alcoholic Depravity

Back 24

- manic overindulgence of alcohol
- fills "hole in soul" with alcohol
- example of this in Leaving Las Vegas

Front 25

Spiritual Thirst

Back 25

- alcoholic see self as a misguided artist
- provokes fear, anger and resentment among others

Front 26

Liquid Courage

Back 26

- origin: it's a primer for a showdown
- with an alcoholic it's not a showdown, but just trying to "get by" with everyday life tasks- extent of addiction

Front 27

Alcoholic Pathos

Back 27

- alcoholic cannot see the absurdity of his "act" (thinks he's fooling others)
- allows self to be a contradictory victim (the alcoholic creates a lot of chaos and he/she is also victimized by this chaos)- creates and is victimized by chaos and opportunism

Front 28

Family Dilemmas

Back 28

- alcohol is not only a disease of the self, but a disease of the system (family)
- alcoholism: a family disease? Takes place in context of "role adaptation". All the people in the family behave in conjunction with rhythms of alcoholic
- Afflicted non-alcoholics: non alcoholics begin to see the world/others negatively
- Female alcoholic: domestic anchor becomes unhinged (when she begins drinking the house seems to unravel)

Front 29

The Wayward Drinker

Back 29

- individual responsibility to fulfill role obligations
- primary roles (keep the institution going)- in the Western World, the most important primary role is the mother
- ex: When a Man Loves a Woman

Front 30

Masculinized Femininity

Back 30

- association with the assertion of the female as a sexual object
- women alcoholics are said to be more "masculine" (more assertive, more sexual- wants to own her sexuality)
- alcoholic woman is seen as more assertive and she takes an ambiguous heroism (there's a sense that she can't do this on her own- needs help from a doctor, psychiatrist, counselor, etc.)

Front 31

Desexualization

Back 31

- seen as a conflict between the "sexualized girl" and the "proper woman" (a girl being sexual but then needs to change into a proper woman/mother)
- alcoholism is "threatening motherhood" and the woman needs to retrieve this motherhood and make amends (she desexualizes herself to try and recover her motherhood)

Front 32

Spacing Dilemmas

Back 32

- ongoing discomfort that the alcoholic feels about living in the home (feeling out of place)
- specific dilemma: secretive hiding places (where do I hide them so no one knows?)
- General dilemma: the drinker's place in the home
A.) special attention to alcoholic mother (domestic symbol)
B.) loses privileges to make decisions (the drinker loses these)
C.) absence of the female drinker- there's an unaccounted place in the home (seen in US: the household is not a home without the presense of mother)

Front 33

Enabling Playmate

Back 33

- sexually related to the addict/alcoholic and becomes a part of the addict/alcoholic's definition of his/her sexuality
- he/she begins to experience confusion in regard to recovery
-the male has to assume an antagonist kind of role
- Ex: Michael (Andy Garcia) shows this in the movie

Front 34

the Alcoholic Pretense

Back 34

- In When a Man Loves a Woman, Michael makes no reference to the word alcoholic until she goes into rehab
- there's a silent understanding of identity
- process of avoiding explicit reference

Front 35

Post Pretense

Back 35

- decronstructing the secret (of the word/meaning of alcoholic)
- explicit definition of labels- a family understanding of it

Front 36

The Alcoholic Relationship: two main issues

Back 36

1.) Career of emotional attachment in conjunction with alcohol consumption- alcoholics "contaminate" each other with their disease of alcoholism
- Ex: Days of Wine and Roses
- they develop an emotional attachment
2.) Alcoholic couple forms a convoluted bond indicating: loyalty/distrust; love/resentment; sympathetic understanding/misunderstanding

Front 37

Existential Dilemma

Back 37

- "soulmate" love seems like it was destiny that brought them together but it's actually built on choices
-Key Conflict: alcoholic soulmates solve their problems of loneliness by simply being together, but create new problems that make them lonely again
- Key Contradiction: alcoholic couple becomes stable via alcohol consumption; but alcoholic couple continues to make decisions that threaten stability

Front 38

Cynical Gaze

Back 38

- a point of view of alcoholics that regard the world as harsh, ugly and dull/boring. Drinking makes the world more tolerable to them.
Ex: Joe starts out like this but Kirstie turns into an even harsher version of this as an alcoholic

Front 39

Compliance Dramas

Back 39

- use of sex (call for sex, witholding sex, rejection of sex) in conjunction with alcohol
- sex= weapon
- alcohol= ammunition
-these two become intertwined

Front 40

Error Signal

Back 40

- simply a sign that something is wrong
- in the context of an individual perceiving something: it's the realization (by one alcoholic) that the couple lacks practical spiritual grounding
- ex: Joe comes to the realization that he is a drunk and needs someone to help him (he lacks practical spiritual grounding)

Front 41

Under Error Signal: Spiritual Anchoring

Back 41

- alcoholic's decision making is flawed and salvation via communal commitment and abandoning his or her cynicism (the alcoholic realizes that salvation must be thru some kind of help)

Front 42

Under Error Signal:
Bottoming Out

Back 42

- a feeling of utter degradation and powerlessness after a drinking episode
- ex: Alice in When a Man Loves a Woman feels this after she slaps her daughter

Front 43

Under Error Signal:
The Third Perspective of Alcoholic Sponsor

Back 43

- a guide, guardian angel to impress upon the alcoholic that a "new world" exists

Front 44

Schismogenesis

Back 44

- by Gregory Bateson
- it's a fork in the road of a couple. The fork in the road denies mutual travel (the couple is going to individually go their separate ways)
- It has bleak options: you can deny a problem that you've already admitted to, or you can let go and terminate (let this other person go)