Alcohol and other drugs

6 important questions on Alcohol and other drugs

What does medicalize human problems mean:

In the 30's people started to prescribe drugs that were before considered a normal part of life. Not fitting in, stress, anxiety, inability to concentrate all became medical conditions.

What is a drug

A substance that people take to produce a change in their thinking, consciousnes, emotions or behavior

What do symbolic interactionists say

They stress that objects and events have no meaning by themselves, objects and events take on whatever meaning people give them


drug, set and setting. Welke drug, welke persoon/groep en welke locatie
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What do functionalists say about alcohol/drugs

They study its functions/dysfunctions, whether it is legal/illegal. Functions are intended positive effects, unintended negative effects are dysfunctions
function: people loosen up > social events. People make money by producing, selling etc
dysfuntions: those who abuse them, also for their family members.

Conflict theory about alcohol/drugs:

Conflict theorists point out that drug laws are sometimes used as political tools. (E.g. Chinese people in US) If a particular drug is common among some group, to make the drug illegal > police can control. But by making a drug legal, government can protect groups that profit from them, such as doctors etc.
Some groups (powerful government) controling other groups

What principles underly a drug social reputation

- a drug's reputation is not based on objective conditions. How harmful doesn't matter.
- drugs gain their reputation and acceptance through the people and events with which they are associated with
- drugs associated with higher status people are likely to be defined as good, drugs that are associated with lower status people are bad
- the reputation of drugs changes over time

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