Comfortably+Numb,+Exploring+Drug+Treatment+Programs



Mitchell Barnett n8281882

The Artefact
PINK FLOYD - COMFORTABLY NUMB []

Comfortably Numb is a song written and produced by Pink Floyd and was released in June of 1980. This song depicts the nature of drug use and uses lyrical metaphor to accurately portray what drug use is like in a real world setting. According to Pink Floyd, the lyrics in the verses represent what medical doctor says to the protagonist named “Pink”. The chorus is therefore the thoughts from within Pink’s mind whilst being treated. The music video released with this song depicted the bands manager, accompanied by paramedics, bursting into a hotel room to find Pink overdosed in a chair only to be dragged out by paramedics and forced to play at a concert despite his condition. This song depicts the effects of drugs upon the brain and relates to my initial topic of drug rehabilitation by accurately portraying the effects that the drugs have upon the protagonists mind. The addictiveness of a substance can often be difficult to understand and this is where the lyrics of this song are most useful. The chorus provides a perspective on addiction that the vast majority of society will most likely never truly experience whilst the verses provide insight into a conversation between a doctor and a patient and fully supports the ideal of “the drugs only make it worse”. One particular aspect within drug use investigation is that of treatment and rehabilitation.

Literature Review
According to Singh’s 1998 journal article, “Drug Misuse: Prevention, Harm Minimisation and Treatment”, drug tackling strategies have analysed two techniques that have been proven to assist in drug rehabilitation with these strategies being total drug abstinence and harm minimisation with both strategies being proven methods of drug rehabilitation. Another relevant piece of literature lies in Preston’s 1991 article “Drug Abstinence Effects: Opioids”. This journal article published within the British Journal of Addiction analysing the effects of abstinence as a positive rehabilitation technique but also explores the negative side-effects abstinence can have upon the patient. Both articles were useful in formulating an educated and informed view of drug addiction and rehabilitation. Drug rehabilitation is an important area of investigation as research has shown that people afflicted with drug addiction are more likely to commit particular crimes in order to feed their habit. In the year of 2011/12, over 93,000 people within Australia were arrested in regards to drug addiction or a drug fueled crime with cannabis driven crimes being the most common in these specific years. Finally, a study performed in 2007 by the University of Cincinnati determined that drug treatment within incarceration facilities also yielded positive results, with the re-offending rate for offenders going through the program being 42% as opposed to the control group with 50% re-offending (Ojmarrh et al, 2006). According to statistics taken from a 2010 national drug survey (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2010), In 1995 before most drug prevention strategies were implemented, the percentage of people within the studied area using illicit drugs peaked at 16.7%. And although statistics nowadays aren't as high as this, they are on the rise. As of 2010 the percentage had risen to 14.7%. This represents a concerning statistic as if trends continue, drug use in the community will rise to an all-time high resulting in an increase in negative drug activity including crime. Over the past few years science has invested more money and time into investigating the effects of drugs upon individuals and the community and have increased the amount of effort put into publications used to educate the community on drugs as seen in the national drug campaigns publication “Drugs: The Real Facts” released in 2013. Publications like this one were formulated due to a realisation that drug addiction is a social issue as well as an individual problem. Methods including school based education, drug rehabilitation facilities and needle exchange clinics are all methodologies used by the Australian government to tackle drug use within the country. Several studies have been performed on each of these strategies with particular interest being held in needle exchange clinics. Since these clinics were opened the number of people contracting blood borne diseases like hepatitis C and HIV has been reduced dramatically (Drummond, 2002). Needle exchange clinics lie within the category of harm minimisation and therefore are a preferred method in many communities as it understands the idea that people will do drugs and that they should be able to do so safely as opposed to the abstinence method which believes that the world is an ideal place where people simply won’t do drugs. The fact remains that abstinence is simply not a realistic strategy as it lies upon the black and white principle of do drugs or don’t do drugs with no safe middle zone and thus this is why governments have invested increasingly more money in harm minimisation techniques to ensure drug use that is as safe as possible. Abstinence has been shown to result in psychological and physical damage, including shock, anxiety, and increased strain on the cardiovascular and respiratory system resulting in a deteriorated quality of life for the subject (Preston, 1991). However, there are a number of limitations involved in these methodologies. Firstly, abstinence is seen as the ideal solution, with no one doing drugs and therefore ensuring safety for the community. However, in terms of realism it is not a realistic strategy. On the other hand however, harm minimisation allows drug users to use drugs safely with no incentive however to prevent drug use. Therefore the ideal strategy lies in a combination of both abstinence and harm minimisation, allowing users to safely use drugs whilst simultaneously enforcing rules forcing them to change their behavior. However, these programs are often considered harsh as unrealistic as the subject is tempted constantly by what their carer is telling them they just should not have. If these limitations are not considered, one strategy may be favoured over another resulting in poor results and no aid given to people using drugs.

Cultural and Social Analyses
It is important to consider society and culture when analysing the social issue of drug use within communities. Firstly, in regards to social aspects, studies have shown that a vast percentage of people within Australia who have been found guilty of a crime were or have been under the influence of drugs in the past year (Australian Crime Commission, 2013). This poses quite a strain on the system as it would stand to reason that by reducing the number of people on drugs within the community; statistics in regards to crime would also decrease. In regards to social trends, although recreational drugs are still prominent in certain cultural and social circles, the social stance on strong illicit drugs like heroin when combined with the increase in education delivered in high schools around Australia, drug tackling government groups hope to decrease the number of offenders in coming years (Singh, 1998). School programs have begun to implement a number of education strategies to give children and teenagers all the information needed to provide them with a clear and reasoned view of drug use and drug culture. By educating students in regards to the chemicals, side-effects, health risks and dangers students are at least educated and can therefore make educated choices in regards to their drug use should they choose to live that life. However, with the development of the internet in modern society, children and teenagers are becoming exposed to more and more adult content in regards to drugs and the using of drugs. Like a true double edged sword, the internet has the power to both educate and expose young people in regards to drugs. Through a simple internet search a young person has the ability to find out all the information they could possibly need to better understand or become involved with drug culture in society. Finally, the media has on occasion been known to portray drugs in a positive light or neutral light with some video games even representing “health upgrades” by way of pills or tablets. And although this does not definitively make a child want drugs it can have detrimental effects on whether or not the child will take them. The social groups most affected by drugs cannot be completely labelled due to such a variety in people who partake in drugs. However, statistics show that there are a few groups that are more susceptible to use drugs including people of lower socio-economic demographics and indigenous Australian’s and therefore these areas are where a number of harm minimisation and education schemes have been implemented to provide as much education as possible to the people within these areas (Drummond, 2012).

Analyses of the Artefact
In regards to the cultural artefact discussed at the beginning of this report, the song comfortably numb perfectly depicts the effects that drugs have upon the minds of people and the complications that addiction can cause within the human mind. The lyrics also perfectly describe the complications within drug addiction including the feeling of “numbness”. More importantly however, this cultural artefact describes in depth the idea that the drugs only make it worse. Pink is seen to be a habitual drug user, and is still however, injected with more drugs to combat the original drug resulting in a vicious cycle. Personally, this song explains to me, through analysing the lyrics, the psychological aspect of drug use. As a person who has never come into contact with drugs, these lyrics give a good indication as to the nature of addiction. Through this assessment piece I was exposed to statistics on drug use that I simply was not aware of including the number of people in Australia exposed to drugs yearly which was quite a shocking number to me as someone who was simply not exposed to this issue in society. In the future, I will better understand issues in society in regards to drug use in modern Australian culture. In conclusion, drug use within Australia is an issue often discussed in social groups and modern media and will be an important topic for years to come. Due to an increase in education and prevention strategies there is hope that with vigilance then drug use in modern society can be prevented.

Reflections
https://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/Agony+to+Ecstasy

https://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/%27The+Junkie%27+Moral+panic%2C+stigma+and+the+road+to+recovery