Alcohol and other Drugs Post Exam 1 Notes Carina Tenaglia September 23 2014 Notes Drugs alter behaviors brain in any way 4 000 years ago in China marijuana used for medical purposes Peruvians used to chew coca leaves for stimulating effects of cocaine Tobacco not in Europe until Christopher Columbus 1500s o Rulers tried to outlaw it at first King James I pamphlet in 1604 of adverse effects on lungs brain Caffeine Coffee o Islamic officials outlawed use of coffee stimulating altering behavior Against the Koran 1500s o Today Islamic world takes pride in coffee o Women against it b c made men less sexually active Opium o Legal in 1800s in USA o Smoking drinking more offensive than opium in 1800s Not objective conditions but subjective conditions that define drugs as problem With drugs personal or social problem o Is it a problem if you re just doing it recreationally Drugs substance that people take to produce a change in their thinking consciousness emotions bodily functions or behaviors Drug Abuse using drugs in such a way that they harm one s health impair one s physical or mental functioning or interfere w one s social life What makes a drug legal illegal o Public opinion socially disapproved Drugs as a social problem o Creation of problem from drugs o Drug addiction A serious problem w drug use depends on regular consumption to make it through the day Can t make it through the day start day off without it Won t just quit withdrawals Aches pains headaches nervousness anxiety depression etc o Physical dependence can be kicked pretty quickly Cravings intense desires when you miss the substance Takes longer to get rid of these No drug in and of itself is good or bad how they are used abused society can determine whether they are good or bad by themselves not a problem just there Symbolic interactions o Alcohol in 1800s people drank a lot Temperance movement o Alcohol was outlawed but at one time it was fine o Prohibition bad b c of violence surrounded by alcohol Functionalism Functions Intended positive effects o Benefits those who want to loosen up o Benefits those who produce distribute Dysfunctions o Taking them whenever one wants addiction o Affects families etc Psychopharmaceudicals changed drug culture Just started treating mental patients w drugs o Increase in mental health patients being medically straightjacketed o Doctors use prescription drugs to avoid helping to find real problem hand Conflict Theory Say that the social problems come from drug laws being used as political tools A particular drug can target a particular population for control o Less powerful dangerous o Low income people use certain drugs labeled as bad o Higher income people may use drugs labeled as not so bad Cocaine associated w a lot of crime 1800s opium legal Chinese immigration working on railroads o Competing for American jobs Americans upset o Imported opium became illegal o Laws Chinese Exclusion Act etc against Chinese Chinese opium Other historical evidence of propaganda against enemy countries as drug dealers producers etc Medicalizing Human Problems Advertising best way to push these drugs Through TV ads strategically placed ex Golf Channel may have erectile dysfunction commercials Prescription Drugs Are they ok Still drugs that can be abused etc Alcohol Alcohol as risky behavior risky sexual behavior alcohol poisoning Politics uses drugs as political tools stigmatizes political groups that may not be in favor September 25 2014 Notes Alcohol poisoning too much alcohol affecting your body s reflexes Nicotine 400 000 Americans die per year from smoking o 5 million in the world per year Tobacco still a big product o Don t pay attention to warning signs o Ex if 400 000 died a year from flying wouldn t do it Of people smoking has decreased o Changes in society and attitudes towards it people changed behavior 13 billion year spent in advertising by industry o Targeting low industry countries low income low education and women Alcohol 13 000 Americans die in alcohol related car accidents 10 000 considered Alcoholics Abuse depending on regular consumption to make it through the day o Interferes with daily life o Many alcoholics can function on a daily basis with work etc Medical profession lawyers and police highest rates of alcoholism o Two sides one says alcoholism disease one says it s not Social Relationship problems and alcohol o Abuse unfaithful teaching children bad examples etc o Cost of alcohol abuse general total make alcohol most expensive drug abuse problem Men die more than women in car accidents more likely to drink and drive o Getting drunk often part of passage into womanhood Marijuana Legality o Politics Conflict theory o Ex Beer and Weed industries competing for business The Crusade against Marijuana o Reefer Madness Symbolic Interaction trying to redefine how people look at drugs Negative Health Consequences o Damages respiratory system o 2nd to alcohol in driver accidents o TCH active ingredient lingering effect LONG even if unnoticeable o Men higher risk of testicular cancer low sperm count etc o Women increases risk of spontaneous abortion cancer etc Positives o Reduces symptoms of migraines glaucoma o Reduces muscle spasticity o Alleviates withdrawal anxiety depression nausea depression etc Social Consequences Poor grades more likely to drop out lose education but is weed the cause o How we interpret it Research has shown facts o Heavy marijuana users are more likely to be involved in culture w less academic achievement from comparison Needs to go further into background alcohol related problems etc o Causation v correlation Students who have high dropout rates low grades usually have higher rates of those who come from low income or abusive homes students who have lower socio economic statuses etc Social Problem Is Marijuana a threat or is there a Use for Medical Concerns This is where the social problem arises from o Marijuana used to be legal now illegal More than 50 of arrests are marijuana related FBI statistics Social reputation associated w marijuana use Cocaine Came on the scene around 1500s w the Spanish o Discovered Coca Plant in South America Thought use was evil but brought it back to Europe anyway Ground up and used for medicinal reasons chewed on leaves o Used in medicines by 1800s o Sigmund Freud Sir Arthur Conan Doyle coke users for creativity o Angelo Mariana made wine with cocaine chemist given a medal by pope The pope would commission this wine for the