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Most illegal street drugs are expensive to the user. Prices and drug of choice can range from two or three dollars or more for an individual non-prescribed painkiller up to twenty dollars or more for a package of marijuana. It is impossible to state an exact age range of drug users; however drugs are readily available beginning in grade school. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) discussed a study from 2007 that stated, “an estimated 2.7 million persons aged 12 or older used an illicit drug for the first time within the past 12 months” (p. 46). If a teenager is unfortunate enough to become addicted to narcotics they will likely need to pay for their
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76). These drugs are in fact safe when taken as prescribed by a doctor, however many drugs have adverse reactions if they are ingested while taking other prescribed medication. In addition to mixing these drugs, it is impossible to accurately self prescribe doses of prescription medication without a medical professional. The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) found that over the last decade the number of teenagers that have entered treatment for abusing prescription drugs has increased by 300% (Shannon, 2010, p. 76). It is a sad reality that some high school kids are transitioning into adulthood with newly acquired drug addiction. Many of these kids could eventually end up like the travelling homeless that I discussed earlier. While these are just two different groups within the United States it is easy to see the direct relation that they have to each other regarding their social group’s characteristics and accepted norms. As long as these norms and characteristics continue there will be an ongoing issue of drug use within society.
An Integrated Interdisciplinary Perspective on the …show more content…
In addition to this, peer and social groups provide additional influence on accepted norms. Within these norms are characteristics that the group will display. Some of the norms can include the method of how a drug is ingested into the body. This will have an impact on overall addiction to the drug that is abused. Social settings also can cause users to become nervous and feel shy. Some drugs, such as ecstasy, allow the user to feel comfortable and will reduce their inhibitions which can lead to dangerous associations with other users that experiment with a wider variety of drugs. Eventually over a period of repeated drug abuse, a user could end up as homeless. This is pretty much the end of the road for a drug user.
All of these examples can be explained by psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists. All three sciences seem to be interdependent on each other. These sciences by themselves cannot explain the drug problem as a whole. An integrated interdisciplinary approach provides the best overall explanation for a given situation. Without this approach there cannot be a full understanding of how drug abuse affects
76). These drugs are in fact safe when taken as prescribed by a doctor, however many drugs have adverse reactions if they are ingested while taking other prescribed medication. In addition to mixing these drugs, it is impossible to accurately self prescribe doses of prescription medication without a medical professional. The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) found that over the last decade the number of teenagers that have entered treatment for abusing prescription drugs has increased by 300% (Shannon, 2010, p. 76). It is a sad reality that some high school kids are transitioning into adulthood with newly acquired drug addiction. Many of these kids could eventually end up like the travelling homeless that I discussed earlier. While these are just two different groups within the United States it is easy to see the direct relation that they have to each other regarding their social group’s characteristics and accepted norms. As long as these norms and characteristics continue there will be an ongoing issue of drug use within society.
An Integrated Interdisciplinary Perspective on the …show more content…
In addition to this, peer and social groups provide additional influence on accepted norms. Within these norms are characteristics that the group will display. Some of the norms can include the method of how a drug is ingested into the body. This will have an impact on overall addiction to the drug that is abused. Social settings also can cause users to become nervous and feel shy. Some drugs, such as ecstasy, allow the user to feel comfortable and will reduce their inhibitions which can lead to dangerous associations with other users that experiment with a wider variety of drugs. Eventually over a period of repeated drug abuse, a user could end up as homeless. This is pretty much the end of the road for a drug user.
All of these examples can be explained by psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists. All three sciences seem to be interdependent on each other. These sciences by themselves cannot explain the drug problem as a whole. An integrated interdisciplinary approach provides the best overall explanation for a given situation. Without this approach there cannot be a full understanding of how drug abuse affects