Addiction,+or+Killing+the+Pain?

Addiction or Killing the Pain?

Tutorial Time: Friday 9am


The cultural artifact that will be discussed is the photograph above, sourced from online community and blogging platform Tumblr. This photograph features a number of ‘drugs’ with various words printed on them including love, perfection, beauty and sanity, thus creating the implications that this is what the medication is treating. The way the photograph has been formulated draws attention to the medications and their labels and minimizes the focus on the hand holding them. This could easily be interpreted as a social comment on addiction and the way that it is viewed and treated within society; this will be discussed in more depth below.
 * __Cultural Artifact__**

Addiction has become a significant issue in Australian society in recent times, there has been argument as to whose ‘fault’ or responsibility addiction is within the social fabric as well as how best to treat those with an addiction. There are two main perspectives around whose responsibility addiction is with some people believing that addicts are solely responsible for their own suffering and there are those who believe that addiction is an issue that we as a society should be addressing as a whole. Additionally, there are disagreements as to how best to treat those with addictions, particularly in terms of abstinence vs. harm minimization.
 * __Public Health Issue: Addiction__**

Addiction is generally discussed in terms of ‘drug abuse’ or ‘drug misuse’ and refers to “the use of substances that are considered illegal such as cocaine, heroin and marijuana, the misuse of legal substances such as solvents, over the counter drugs and the abuse of tobacco or alcohol” (Sloboda, 2005). The diagnosis of addiction however, focuses more on the impacts that addiction has on a sufferers life, with the diagnosis being dependent on the patient exhibiting three of seven possible criteria over a 12 month period. As defined by R.G. Meyer in 2006, these criteria are;
 * __Literature Review__**
 * 1) 1. Tolerance on a substance whereby an addict much consume greater amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect.
 * 2) 2. Withdrawal – where a substance is used to relieve or avoid symptoms
 * 3) 3. Unintended use of larger amount or for longer than intended
 * 4) 4. Inability to control use of persistent desire for a substance
 * 5) 5. High time cost to obtain, use or recover from the substance
 * 6) 6. Giving up important life activities because of use
 * 7) 7. Continued use in the face of use-related psychological or physical problems.

In addition to understanding the way addiction is diagnosed and how it affects the lives of suffers, it is important to realize that certain groups within society are more likely to suffer from addiction, and which substances are most likely to affect these groups. Unsurprisingly, research through the National Drug Strategy has found that the most common drugs used were alcohol and tobacco. Although these may seem relatively innocuous, when they are combined with marijuana – the third most common substance – they form a dangerous ‘gateway’ to harder substances and addiction. In terms of age demographics, people aged between 18-24 are the most likely of all age groups to have used illicit drugs in the previous 12 months, this is concerning due to the fact that individuals who use illicit drugs at an early age are more likely to exhibit problematic drug use habits later in life (Loxley, 2004). Other populations that exhibit high levels of drug use and dependence are prison populations, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and people from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander decent (National Health and Medical Research Council, 1999). It is not surprising that prison populations have high levels of drug abuse and addiction due to the fact that the abuse of drugs often co-exists with antisocial behaviours and can be linked to suicide, homicide, motor vehicle accidents and violence (Newcombe, 2005). Studies have found the 50% of the Indigenous Australians who were surveyed has used illicit drugs in their lifetime, the most common of these was marijuana with 48% of those surveyed reporting they had used it in the previous year (National Health and Medical Research Council, 1999). In the past, drug prevention has focused on gay men however a 1997 study found that there were a higher rate of lesbians using injectable drugs (10%) and bisexual women (22%) (Richter, 1997). Largely, research into drug abuse relies on self-reporting, which is a flawed method of research as it relies on accurate reporting of drug usage. Additionally, some communities affected are less likely to access health care – another way that statistics are formulated.

In Australia there is currently an initiative called the National Drug Strategy, which acts as a campaign against drug abuse and has been running since 1985. This group works to prevent the uptake of harmful drug use as well as reducing the harmful effects of illicit and licit drugs within Australian society. Additional to this, are two key principles that define the way addicts are treated not only in Australian society but also in the wider population – these are drug abstinence and harm minimization. Traditionally, drug abstinence was the most accepted form of treatment for drug abusers however today it is considered more reasonable to allow users to exert a greater amount of agency in their own health matters. Drug abstinence involves complete withdrawal from drug use – this can occur either in a formal and structured hospital setting or outside of such a setting in which case it may be an individual’s personal choice or agency. The more accepted way to mediate drug abuse is that of harm minimization which focuses on reducing the possible detrimental health outcomes that can occur due to drug abuse. This includes strategies to ensure that drug users inject in a safe environment that will minimize the transmission of disease and prevent death of harm from overdose (Singh, 1998) as well as safe needle exchange centres which allow drug users to safely dispose of old syringes and obtain new clean syringes in return, these programs have been found to reduce rates of HIV and other blood borne diseases in the areas that they service (Drummond, 2002).

__**Cultural + Social Analysis**__ As previously discussed, there are a number of social groups that are more likely to be affected by addiction and drug abuse. The fact that these groups are so often disadvantaged or marginalized within society could suggests that addiction is an issue that is effected by not only an individuals agency but also the greater structure of society and the support available through various avenues. It is important to consider that the diseases that are spread through drug abuse – particularly injectable drugs – are also able to be contracted through other means and therefore could be detrimental not only to the health of addicts but also the web of those with whom they have relationships. The negative connotations that are attached to these diseases, and of those suffering from addiction make it more difficult for those individuals affected to access help and medical care. This has been further perpetuated through the moral panic that the media has created around drug-fueled crime, and in the past, HIV/AIDS.

If we view addiction from a perspective of a symbolic interactionist point of view, we must consider the social view and morals that are associated with drug usage – particularly the social construction of what was right and wrong. This is a particularly important consideration in terms of the vilification of those who use drugs and how this impacts their access to healthcare and support. This is epitomized through the difference in public opinion between alcoholics and those who use illicit drugs. Alcoholics anonymous, while still viewed as something for participants to hide – from a symbolic interactionist point of view the idea that identities should be masked is representative of the shame associated with the addiction – is widely noted in media and alcoholics are rarely vilified in the same way the addicts of illicit substances are. Therefore, the way that we interact with those individuals with substance abuse issues in our society has impacted on their ability to access medical and social support.

A social theory that explains the disparity of addicts from lower socio-economic backgrounds and marginalized social groups is the social-conflict theory which states that conflict arises from inequalities in wealth and power distribution in society. A social conflict theorist would argue that addicts are rebelling against their social and economic statuses in society through engaging in behaviours that are taboo in their social contexts.

Both of these theories acknowledge that the inequalities in the fabric of our society have impacted on the development of individual dependencies for various reasons. It is also essential to note that there is a disparity in opinions between those who believe that it is an addict’s health is solely their own responsibility and it is up to their individual sense of agency to access and maintain sobriety and those who feel that they need societies help and support to do so – this is a structuralist point of view.

In my opinion, the photograph chosen for my artifact leads its audience to question why addicts abuse the substances they do – and what they feel is missing in their lives. Our current approach to addiction largely doesn’t account for the reasoning behind an addicts drug use – just the ways that it can either be stopped or the possible harm minimized. I feel that it is essential to consider why an addict uses a substance in the first place when considering how to treat them – or they are more likely to relapse into drug use or other damaging behaviours.
 * __Analysis of Artifact__**

The image is also representative of the fact that our society is becoming less likely to vilify those with addiction due to the fact that we have a higher level of media literacy then we have had in the past as well as greater access to a variety of opinions. As a society, I feel that we are also becoming less focused on marginalizing the things or people that frighten us due to their ‘otherness’ but instead beginning to understand and help them to reintegrate into society.

Through this assignment I have gained a greater understanding of the epidemiology associated with addiction and particularly the groups that are most likely to be affected. I also have a better awareness of the measures that we take in Australian society to help to minimize harm to addicts. However, as stated above I do feel that more research needs to be done into the original causes behind drug usage.

=Works Cited= Drummond, M. (2002). //Return on Investment in Needle & Syringe Programs in Australia.// Australian Government, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging. Canberra: Department of Health and Aging.

Loxley, W. T. (2004). //The Prevention of Substance Use, Risk and Harm in Australia: A review od Evidence.// National Drug Research Institute and the Centre for Adolescent health, Commonwealth of Astralia. Australia: National Drug Research Institute.

Meyer, R. (2006). //Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology// (Vol. 7th Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

National Health and Medical Research Council. (1999). //Current state of research on illicit drugs in Australia.// Canberra: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Newcombe, M. L. (2005). Health, Social & Psychological Consequences of Drug Use and Abuse. In Z. Sloboda, //Epidemiology of Drug Abuse// (pp. 45-62). Springer Science & Business Media.

Richter, J. L. (1997). //Women in contact with the gay and lesbian community: Sydney Women and Sexual Health Survey.// National Centre in HIV Social Research. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Social Research.

Singh, S. (1998). Drug Misuse: Prevention and Harm Minimisation and Treatment. //Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health//, 322.

Sloboda, Z. (2005). Defining and Measuring Drug Abusing Behaviours. In Z. Sloboda, //Epidemiology of Drug Abuse// (pp. 3-14). USA.


 * __Reflection Task__**
 * 1) 1. []
 * 2) 2. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/share/view/64695518