1. Personal troubles become Social Problems?
According to Mills, “Nowadays people often feel that their private lives are a series of traps. They sense that within their everyday worlds, they cannot overcome their troubles, and in this feeling, they are often quite correct.” (Mills, 1959) These personal troubles can lead to drug and alcohol dependency. Also in the video, Richards explains that we all are embedded with a structure which shapes and forms our actions. That every thought and choice that we make will have been heavily influenced by the sociological structures that we have experienced. We all have free will as individuals, yet our behavior is determined by a wide range of social factors such as income level, racial status, …show more content…
It is this type of attitude, which is failing the addict. It has been proven, that addiction alters the brain, thus making it a medical issue. I think that we need to look to decriminalizing some of the drugs to start with, by ending the war on drugs. The creation and selling of the drugs would still be considered a crime and should be prosecuted. However the possession (individual usage amount) and the usage of drugs would be treated as a medical issue. As I learned from the four questions paper, that there are different approaches countries have used to battle the drug problem. There is the “War on Drugs” versus decriminalization of drugs all together with the notion of instead treating the problem as a disease instead of a crime.
According Richards sociological wisdom can empower individuals trying to understand their own problems. If we all thought in a sociological wisdom type of way, we would realize that our problems are not just our own problems, but rather the problem of everyone we are connected to. We are empowered by seeing that we are not alone, but rather we are connected in a spider-web of there social …show more content…
He talks about two vastly different approaches, one being the “War on Drugs” (U.S.) and the other decriminalized drugs all together (Portugal) with the notion of instead treating the problem as a disease instead of a crime. Sentencing policies from the War on Drugs have created a large increase of incarceration for drug offenses. There has been an increase of both usage and deaths related to drug use, unlike Portugal, which ended the war on drugs and began to treat the addiction versus punish the addiction. He states that Portugal may be winning the war on drugs, by ending it. By treating the problem as a medical issue, the focus is on rehabilitation rather than prosecution. By decriminalizing the use of drugs, individuals may be more likely to seek help, with out the fear of being prosecuted for the usage and possession of illicit
According to Mills, “Nowadays people often feel that their private lives are a series of traps. They sense that within their everyday worlds, they cannot overcome their troubles, and in this feeling, they are often quite correct.” (Mills, 1959) These personal troubles can lead to drug and alcohol dependency. Also in the video, Richards explains that we all are embedded with a structure which shapes and forms our actions. That every thought and choice that we make will have been heavily influenced by the sociological structures that we have experienced. We all have free will as individuals, yet our behavior is determined by a wide range of social factors such as income level, racial status, …show more content…
It is this type of attitude, which is failing the addict. It has been proven, that addiction alters the brain, thus making it a medical issue. I think that we need to look to decriminalizing some of the drugs to start with, by ending the war on drugs. The creation and selling of the drugs would still be considered a crime and should be prosecuted. However the possession (individual usage amount) and the usage of drugs would be treated as a medical issue. As I learned from the four questions paper, that there are different approaches countries have used to battle the drug problem. There is the “War on Drugs” versus decriminalization of drugs all together with the notion of instead treating the problem as a disease instead of a crime.
According Richards sociological wisdom can empower individuals trying to understand their own problems. If we all thought in a sociological wisdom type of way, we would realize that our problems are not just our own problems, but rather the problem of everyone we are connected to. We are empowered by seeing that we are not alone, but rather we are connected in a spider-web of there social …show more content…
He talks about two vastly different approaches, one being the “War on Drugs” (U.S.) and the other decriminalized drugs all together (Portugal) with the notion of instead treating the problem as a disease instead of a crime. Sentencing policies from the War on Drugs have created a large increase of incarceration for drug offenses. There has been an increase of both usage and deaths related to drug use, unlike Portugal, which ended the war on drugs and began to treat the addiction versus punish the addiction. He states that Portugal may be winning the war on drugs, by ending it. By treating the problem as a medical issue, the focus is on rehabilitation rather than prosecution. By decriminalizing the use of drugs, individuals may be more likely to seek help, with out the fear of being prosecuted for the usage and possession of illicit