Names Matter in the Opioid Epidemic

Pained ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 125-126
Author(s):  
Michael D. Stein ◽  
Sandro Galea

This chapter discusses the stigma attached to those who use drugs. We are accustomed to using language to distance ourselves from those with substance use problems, making sure we mark those who use drugs as “the other,” as not like us. Indeed, we have used nouns to label those who use drugs so that they are discredited; this has consequences for their self-identity. Part of the challenge of the opioid epidemic is the ongoing stigmatization of persons who use drugs. We have shown ourselves to be comfortable letting the problems of persons who use drugs remain their business, deluding ourselves into thinking the health of drug users is not intimately tied to our own. The current epidemic has taught us that we all know someone who has developed a drug problem. In the face of this crisis, quibbling over words may seem like a distraction, a minor issue, but, in fact, using the right language to talk about drug use is a step toward ending this epidemic. It helps us remember drug use is not just a problem for “them,” but for everyone, and that only through compassion and collective effort can we effectively address the disease of addiction.

1978 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Guinn

This follow-up study was undertaken to assess consistencies or changes in attitudes and behavior of self-reported Mexican American drug users from 1973 (N=254) to 1977 (N=150). Analysis of the data indicated significant changes in the users' socioeconomic status, home environment, school related variables, and attitudes toward drug use. Drug users were consistent in their views on how to deal with a drug problem if one is perceived and their confidence in selected social institutions.


1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
George S. Yacoubian ◽  
Robert J. Kane

The Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program is a measurement system established by the National Institute of Justice to test booked arrestees for illegal drug use. DUF has consistently shown high levels of illicit drug use among arrestees, including those charged with crimes unrelated to drug use. Measuring the extent and nature of this illicit drug use is essential to, first, determining how severe the drug problem is, and second, developing ideal methods for combating it. Part I of this analysis presents an overview of the drug/crime connection. Part II describes the methodology of the DUF project. Part III, first, describes the utility of clustering as a statistical tool, and second, identifies homogeneous clusters of drug users from a Philadelphia population of 1,329 arrestees. Part IV assesses the policy implications of these classifications.


1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Thomas Winfree ◽  
Richard Beasley ◽  
Karl R. Cary

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive study of youthful drug use in a rural southwestern community at the start of the 1980's. To this end, we focus on three major concerns. First, we examine the nature and extent of the drug problem extant in the community. The second focus of the paper is on the reasons cited for using drugs (e.g., personal problem resolution, hedonism, peer pressures). Third, we examine the characteristics of abstainers and their reasons for nonuse (e.g., illegality of drug use, physical and psychological dangers, and parental pressures), and compare this group with former drug users and the reasons they offer for their disuse. In addition, where applicable, we link our observations to current social deviance theories in general and theories of drug use in particular.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianyong Chen ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Jifan Zhou ◽  
Xinyu Li ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
...  

Implicit and explicit self-identification as a drug user specific to the substance used (e.g., viewing oneself as a drinker) have been examined, as they relate to that drug use. However, studies have rarely explored whether identifying as a “drug user” differs implicitly and explicitly for people who use different drugs and how this identification relates to drug-use behaviors or abstinence. This study examined implicit and explicit self-identification as a “drug user” and their associations with drug-use behaviors and abstinence in people who used heroin (PWUH) and people who used methamphetamine (PWUM). Forty PWUH and 35 PWUM in a rehabilitation facility completed the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT), which evaluated implicit associations of a “drug user” with “self,” and a measure of explicit self-identification as a “drug user.” Prior drug-use behaviors and current abstinence duration of the participants were assessed. PWUH demonstrated stronger implicit “self + drug user” associations and higher levels of explicit self-identification as a “drug user” than PWUM. A higher frequency of drug use was associated with higher levels of explicit drug-user self-identity, and longer abstinence duration was positively related to stronger implicit “self + drug user” associations in PWUH. The drug type of heroin (vs. methamphetamine) participants used was associated with a higher frequency of use, which, in turn, predicted higher levels of explicit drug-user self-identity. Given that the PWUH group differs from the PWUM group in terms of implicit and explicit self-identification as “drug users,” it would be more appropriate to address drug-user self-identity of individuals according to the substance they use rather than as a collective group.


1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Greenwood

Six yean ago, Edinburgh's community drug problem service established a model of shared care between drug specialists and general practitioners who were encouraged to prescribe oral methadone and other drug substitutes in an attempt to reduce drug injecting and the spread of HIV in a city with a high seroprevalence rate. Of Edinburgh's GPs, 70% now prescribe for around 1200 drug users who have altered their pattern of drug taking, with a marked shift away from injecting drug use, and towards oral pharmaceutical drugs. HIV rates among new referrals to the service have fallen from 21% to 8%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Yéssica Elizabeth Barreto Macías ◽  
Colón Avellán Velásquez

El actual trabajo afronta una de las problemáticas más apremiantes de los actuales momentos como es el alto índice de dispendio de drogas en las Instituciones Educativas, que afectan considerablemente a la sociedad ecuatoriana. Su objetivo es analizar los lineamientos que permitan mejorar la orientación familiar, y desarrollar relaciones interpersonales apropiadas que fomenten la unión familiar, practicar principios, fomentar valores morales, y que los jóvenes aprendan a decir “no” ante una eventual propuesta de consumir compuestos prohibidos, que lo único que se consigue es materializarse en un estado no idóneo ante la comunidad, considerar que las consecuencias para la salud son devastadoras, personas que a temprana edad padecen de enfermedades que en muchas ocasiones son gravísimas, causando malestar no solamente propio sino a la familia. Puedo mencionar como aporte de este artículo; y en base a resultados establecidos que resulta primordial e importante mantener la asistencia de un profesional especializado en psicología, diálogos científicos y motivadores, conjuntamente con atención médica provocarán en la persona afectada la erradicación del consumo de drogas. Constan muchos factores que causan gran influencia negativa en las familias, partiendo de que actualmente el mundo vive la tendencia del consumismo lo que influye en sobremanera que exista menos dialogo en el hogar, la aparición de la tecnología es otra de las situaciones adversas. Los profesionales encargados de brindar orientación familiar deben considerar siempre, que el comportamiento del ser humano debe ser comprendido desde el punto de vista de su forma de pensar, solo así se desarrollara una cultura que permita a las familias tomar las decisiones acertadas al momento de formar a sus hijos, lo que en un futuro se evidenciará como seres útiles a la sociedad. PALABRAS CLAVE: Consumo de drogas; orientación familiar; valores morales.  FAMILY COUNSELING, FOR THE PREVENTION OF DRUG USE IN THIRDYEAR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS  ABSTRACT  The current work addresses one of the most pressing issues of current times such as the high rate of drug use in educational institutions, which greatly affect Ecuadorian society. Its objective is to analyze the guidelines for improving family orientation, and develop appropriate interpersonal relationships that promote family unity, value the principles, and that young people learn to say "no" to a possible proposal to use prohibited drugs, that the only thing that is achieved is to materialize in an unsuitable state before the community, to consider that the consequences for health are devastating, people who at an early age suffer from diseases that in many occasions are very serious, causing discomfort not only their own but also the family. I can mention as contribution of this article; and based on established results that it is essential and important to maintain the assistance of a professional specialized in psychology, scientific and motivational dialogues, together with medical care, will cause the affected person to eradicate drug use. There are many factors that cause great negative influence on families, based on the fact that the world currently lives the trend of consumerism which greatly influences that there is less dialogue at home, the emergence of technology is another of the adverse situations. The professionals responsible for providing family counseling should always consider that the behavior of the human being should be understood from the point of view of their way of thinking, only in this way will a culture be developed that allows families to make the right decisions when forming to their children, which in the future will be evident as useful beings to society. KEYWORDS: drug use; family orientation; moral values.


NASPA Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan A Kolek

The purpose of this study was to explore recreational prescription drug use among undergraduate students. Although anecdotal accounts on this subject abound, empirical research is extremely limited. Data from a survey of a random sample of 734 students at a large public research university in the Northeast were examined. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of students reported having used prescription drugs for recreational purposes in the year prior to survey administration. Recreational prescription drug use was positively associated with the use of other substances including alcohol. Recreational prescription drug users were also more likely than other drug users to report negative consequences as a result of their drug use. Implications for future research and for student affairs are discussed.


Author(s):  
Asha Bajpai

Custody refers to the physical care and control of a minor whereas guardianship is a wider term and includes rights and duties with respect to the care and control of minor’s person and property, and includes the right to make decisions relating to the minor. The present legal regime relating to guardianship and custody of children is discussed, including the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956, the personal and matrimonial laws, and relevant provisions in the Family Courts Act and Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005. The emerging concepts of shared parenting, joint custody, and the interparental child removal or abduction of child is included. There is review and analysis of some major reported judicial decisions. A comparative survey of international laws and trends has been done. Suggestions for law reform in the best interest of the child have been given.


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