Substance Use and Abuse

Russil Durrant received his Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury, where he also ompleted a Post Doctoral Fellowship. He then worked at the Centre for Behavioral Research in Cancer at the Cancer Control Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. His research involves the design and evaluation of mass media tobacco prevention programs, and his other research interests include evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology, and the social history of drug use. He currently teaches at Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus in Queensland, Australia. Jo Thakker is a lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury and has worked as a clinical psychologist in a variety of therapeutic contexts. Along with work in the substance abuse area, her research interests include cultural psychology and mental health issues in relation to migrants and refugees.

Preface 1. What Needs to be Explained and How Should We Explain It? Introduction Levels of Analysis & the Multidisciplinary Nature of Psychoactive Drug Studies Towards an Integrated Model of Substance Use & Abuse Overview Endnotes 2. The Nature & Scope of Substance Use & Abuse Introduction What Is a Drug? Who Uses Drugs? Taxonomy of Drug Use Contexts The Harms & Benefits of Drugs From Use to Abuse Summary Endnotes 3. An Evolutionary Perspective Introduction The Nature and Role of Evolutionary Explanations Has Drug Use Been Selected For? Drugs & the Brain Drug Use, Sexual Selection, and Life History Theory From Use to Abuse An Integrated Evolutionary Model of Substance Use Summary Endnotes 4. Drugs in History Introduction What Can History Tell Us about Substance Use and Abuse? A Brief History of Drugs Summary Endnotes 5. The Forces of History: Explaining Patterns of Use and Abuse Introduction The Functions of Drugs in Historical Perspective Pharmacology New Forms, New Modes, New Substances: The Impact of Technological Change on Drug Use New Forms, New Modes, new Substances: The Impact of Technological Change on Drug Use Availability Economic and Political Factors Legislation and Public Policy Social Factors A Complex Web: Multiple Influences on Patterns of Drug Use Summary Endnotes 6. Drugs and Culture Introduction Conceptual & Methodological Issues Indigenous Patterns of Drug Use Drugs & Multiculturalism Summary Endnotes 7. The Role of Culture: Explaining Patterns of Use Introduction Drugs and Culture Culture and Drugs Social Structural Factors Integrating Cultural Explanations Explanations Summary Endnotes 8. Conceptualizing & Treating Substance Use Problems: A Cultural-Historical Perspective Introduction The Pre and Early History of Addiction Treatment for Alcohol & Drug Problems in the Nineteenth Century The Changing Face of Drug Addiction: 1914-1960 The Alcoholism Movement Contemporary Developments Culture & Classification Implications Endnotes 9. Prevention, Treatment & Public Policy Introduction Prevention Assessment Treatment Legal Sanctions, Regulations, & Restrictions Harm Reduction Conclusion Endnotes References Author Index Subject Index

This book takes an integrative approach to the understanding of drug use and its relationship to social-cultural factors. It is lucidly and powerfully argued and constitutes a significant achievement. The authors sensibly argue that in order to fully understand and explain drug use and abuse it is necessary to take into account different levels of analysis, reflecting distinct domains of human functioning; the biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical....Overall, this book represents an exceptional achievement and should be of interest to drug clinicians and researcher as well as social scientists and students. -- Professor Tony Ward "In Substance Use and Abuse, Durrant and Thakker present a detailed history of drug use over time to support the need for developing a broader understand of substance use that takes into account cultural and historical perspective. This book is a thought-provoking and much needed addition to the vast literature on drugs, drug use, and drug policy. The information in this book contributes to what is known by examining substance use through historical and cultural perspectives, providing readers with a detailed ride through the history of drug use over time throughout various societies and cultures. By documenting how specific forms of substance use emerged and re-emerged, how public perceptions and policy responses change over time, and how social attitudes about drugs are subject to public interpretation and influenced by a number of diverse cultural, political, and historical factors, a strong case for examining and understanding drug use through both historical and cultural perspectives is made." -- Rashi K. Shukla