Drugs in the Media

TV drama shows often use addiction and drugs to spice up the story lines and improve ratings. They seldom address the huge impact that drugs can have on a person’s life and the extreme danger that a person might be in from using drugs. In our society, addiction has become commonplace. It is no longer a surprise or necessarily a bad thing. We have become immune to addiction, just as we have become immune to acts of violence and sexual exploitation on television. Drugs and addiction have creeped into many popular TV shows. Too often, they are not dealt with in a serious way, but as something that will introduce humor into the show. This is a compilation of popular TV shows, many of which I have watched, that use drug and addiction in their storylines.

·         The first TV show that came to mind when thinking about addiction was “House.” This medical drama focused on Dr. Gregory House, who is addicted to pain medication. I think this is a good example that addiction can affect any type of person, even a respected, educated, and wealthy doctor. Although “House” did a decent job of revealing the negative impacts of addiction, House’s addiction is often used as a humorous plug. The following videos show the large quantity of pills that House consumes. They also reveal the negative impact they would have had on his life, but also how the show used his addiction as a humor outlet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qeTgRBGCOo  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj1-EQrgma0

·         Another popular TV show was “Gossip Girl.” “Gossip Girl” shared the stories of elite Upper East Siders in New York City. The show had many scandalous moments, including affairs, racy sex scenes, underage drinking and illegal financial situations. However, a huge component of the show was made up with scenes of drug use. Serena, the show’s “bad girl,” was often featured in questionable situations with drugs and alcohol. This started when Serena was in high school and continued into her college years. This show accurately portrayed the fact that children are using drugs at a young age. It also showed that drugs and alcohol often go hand in hand. Serena had many problems with drugs throughout the series, but this clip depicts her worst experience with drugs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Reg47R-uNE

·         One Tree Hill is another teen drama focusing on the tumultuous lives of 5 teenagers. Peyton was the show’s angry artist. Peyton had been through a lot in her life. When she was 12, she lost her adoptive mother in a car accident. Her father was often away from home for work and Peyton was left to raise herself. Later on, she meets her birth mother and discovers that her birth mother is a former addict. Peyton also struggled with a drug problem in one of the seasons. I believe that this show and their depiction of drug use showed that hard life circumstances often leads people to drugs as a coping mechanism. In this clip, Peyton is wearing her mother’s old dress, one of the last things that she owns that reminds Peyton of her mother. It gets ruined and Peyton breaks down. Later on the show also addresses that drug use is in fact a hereditary development and that Peyton could have been attracted to drugs in the first place because of the genes she received from her birth mother. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M57Iz9MNPoE

These are just a few shows that depict drug use during their air time. As I mentioned before, society has become immune to this. Drug use is often featured in a positive, cool way, especially for young or teenaged children that are exposed to this material. Even though the positives are the main highlights, the negativity of drug use creeps into the shows. Hopefully, it will be enough to deter people from using drugs, instead of convincing them that drugs are the cool things to be doing.

Habit Summary

For the habit assignment, I decided to try to break my habit of constantly eating unhealthy snacks and junk food. I chose this behavior because it is a habit I have been trying to break for a while. Also, the positive bonus benefits of a healthier diet and possible weight loss appealed to me. However, it was very hard for me to change my snacking behavior. Sometimes, I would eat a cookie or a piece of cake not even realizing what I was doing. Hours later, I would think to myself “I wasn’t supposed to do that!” It had become an unconscious habit. I needed to put my goal in the forefront of my mind to be able to avoid junk foods. It was not until I started reminding myself repeatedly that I couldn’t have junk food that I made any progress with my goal.

My friends were very supportive of my goal to break this habit. They would remind me that I was not to eat junk food. However, sometimes they would also forget of what I was trying to do and offer me something sweet. When the weather started to get nice, and my friends realized that summer was right around the corner, they also started to watch what they were eating. This was a tremendous help in trying to break my habit. When everybody around you has the same goal, it is much easier to reach it. We would hold each other accountable to our aspirations and remind each other of what we could and could not eat.

            Another thing that was helpful in trying to break my habit was an action plan. After a few weeks of not being successful, I realized I needed additional conditions to my plan so that I would not eat sweets. First, I stopped buying junk food (which I had bought for occasions when other people would come over to my house). Also, I noticed that when I worked out in the mornings I was less likely to eat sweets for the rest of the day because I did not want to ruin or waste my workout by eating something unhealthy. I successfully switched my workout routine around to accommodate my new discovery. It was much easier to reach my goal after making these adjustments.

            Things that I learned about myself from this project were numerous. Firstly, I learned what my triggers are for eating sweets. When I was stressed I noticed that I ate significantly more junk food. I also did this when I was bored or with my friends on the weekends. This realization will make it that much easier to junk food in the future. I also learned a snack does not have to be sweet or unhealthy to be enjoyable to me. When I stopped eating junk food, I began snacking on healthier things, such as yogurt and granola. I also learned some things about my own mentality when it comes to trying to accomplish a goal. I have tried several times before to cut junk food out of my diet with no success. I would make excuses for myself and give up before I really even started. For this project, however, after failing for the first couple of weeks, I reevaluated the situation and formed a plan. It was much easier after this. From now on, I will approach every change I am trying to make in the same way.

            Based on this experience, I think it would be very difficult for someone with an addiction to change their behavior. Since an addict’s brain and body changes due to the substance they are addicted to and they crave the particular substance every day of their life, it would be much harder to overcome than any bad habit. Some addicts would also have to be deal with withdrawal symptoms and pains while trying to overcome their addictions, which is an extra struggle. I also struggled with breaking my bad habit, but not as much as an addict would struggle. An addict would need the support of friends and family. They might also need the support of a counselor, psychologist or medical staff. Depending on their addiction, they might need the added support of medication to cure their addiction. I also think a harm- reduction approach would be helpful for some types of addicts. I found this approach very helpful when trying to break my habit. I could not immediately abstain from junk food and that approach was keeping me from making any process. I found that eating less and less junk food each day was much more successful in my situation. Completely abstaining might not work for certain addicts. However, every addiction is different, and some addicts might need to completely abstain from the substance right away and for the rest of their life to function and survive.

After taking this course and trying to break my own bad habit, I believe that the road to breaking a habit or curing an addiction is long, but possible! An addicted person might always have the desire for whatever substance they are addicted to, and it is true that their brain structure may be forever altered to crave a certain substance. However, they can choose not to partake in that behavior. People change for the better every day. The will to change is essential in the process. To break a habit that has become a central part of your life requires 100% effort and perseverance.  In the process of curing an addiction, it requires special services and possibly medication. Depending on the circumstances, it could require love and support from others, or somebody may have to reject an addicted person before they realize they have a serious and life-threatening problem. Every situation is different, but just as hard. With the proper plan, support, desire and commitment, I truly believe that people can change!

Article Summary

Butch/femme differences in substance use and abuse among young lesbian and bisexual women: Examination and potential explanations

 

Within substance abuse research, disparities in substance use, abuse and misuse between homosexual individuals and heterosexual peers has been a primary focus. Lesbian and bisexual women report higher levels of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco use and greater symptoms of substance misuse than heterosexual women, yet they do not report high levels of heavy alcohol use. Gender atypicality has recently become a focus in this research. Butch (male) and femme (feminine) personalities affect lesbian women in many ways. Butch lesbian women seem to be at greater risk for stress, emotional distress and discrimination. They are also at greater risk to use substances such as alcohol and marijuana as coping strategies. Also, since heavy drinking is seen as a masculine behavior, butch women may be more susceptible to alcoholism and addiction.          

In this study, butch and femme personalities were looked at as an influence of substance abuse and addiction. Female and male youths aged 14 to 21 were interviewed, with young lesbian women serving as the focus. All participants were assessed three times over the course of one year by answering several questionnaires. These questionnaires focused on substance use during the past 6 months, the youth’s self-identification as butch or femme, how others label them, their experiences of gay-related stressors and level of emotional distress. The interviewer’s view on the participants as butch or femme was also included. Experience of gay-related stress was operationalized as arguments with other, losing a close friend, or being physically assaulted due to their sexuality. A rate of internalized homophobia (their comfort with their own sexuality) was also assessed. Emotional distress was operationalized as depression/anxiety, conduct problems (skipping school, stealing, fighting, running away, etc.), and social desirability.

The results of this study supported the main hypothesis set by the researchers. Young women with a butch self-presentation were more likely to use alcohol, marijuana and smoke cigarettes and to use larger quantities. Potential theoretical for this finding were also examined. Gay-related stress, both internalized homophobia and external stressful events, was found to be a factor. Also, emotional stress was found to be more prevalent in women with a butch self-presentation. The emotional and gay-related stressors cause the women to use the substances as coping mechanisms. For the women who did not experience stressors, other factors such as sensation seeking personalities and following masculine norms of alcohol consumption accounted for the high prevalence of substance use.

These findings have important research and intervention implications. It emphasizes the need to consider gender atypicality as a factor in substance use and abuse. Interventions with addicted lesbian clients should target butch women and should also address experiences of gay-related stress and emotional distress.

 

 

Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E. W., & Hunter, J. (2008). Butch/femme differences in substance use and abuse among young lesbian and bisexual women: Examination and potential explanations. Substance Use & Misuse, 43(8-9), 1002-1015. doi:10.1080/10826080801914402



Chapter 10 Article Summary

Latino/a Culture and Substance Abuse

This article provides descriptions of the relevant research that is related to Latino/a use and abuse of alcohol and other substances. Discussions of treatment interventions, prevention, clinical implications and directions for future research are included.

What We Know         

It is unclear how Latino/Hispanic substance abuse compares to that of other cultures, but several findings indicate that Hispanics have the highest rate of substance abuse in the United States. This rate of abuse is thought to be increasing, especially among Hispanic adolescent populations. An interesting finding indicates that U.S. - born Hispanics report higher rates of experimental drug use, abuse and dependence that immigrants do. It was also found that Hispanics born in the United States were likely to have more behavioral disorders, mental illness concerns and problems with gambling than Latino/Hispanic immigrants. This suggests that there is something unhealthy about acculturation into the US culture. However, it is unclear what the causal factor is: is substance use caused by the stress that accompanies acculturation, or is substance use a product of Hispanic acceptance of US norms?

Another concern is that substance abuse begins early, with the highest prevalence rates among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Alcohol, inhalants and marijuana were the most abused substances in the Latino adolescent population. Lifetime alcohol use rates have been shown to decrease among ethnic groups, but this trend is not apparent in the Latino population. Intervention must begin early and should focus on the cluster of problems that comes with substance abuse, including risky behavior, delinquency and academic failure.

Guidelines for Intervention and Treatment

All helping professionals are encouraged to explore their attitudes and beliefs about culture and ethnicity. As humans, we are shaped by our cultural beliefs, and some of these can detrimentally influence our perceptions and interactions with individuals who are ethnically and racially different from ourselves. Every professional must assess their possible biases and consider culturally appropriate responses to their clients. They are encouraged to recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity and how a history of oppression and diversity may affect potential ethnically diverse clients.

Clinical Implications

There is a need to increase the amount of ethnic minority helping professionals to meet the needs of the substantial amounts of ethnic minorities suffering from substance abuse and addiction. If this is not possible, White helping professionals must enhance their ability to provide competent services to ethnic minorities with a focus on cultural beliefs and values. One suggestion is to focus on a certain ethnicity and see what type of treatment is best for them. For the Latino population, it has been found that brief strategic family therapy is helpful in treating drug abuse. This therapy draws on the cultural importance of the family structure. Also, strategies for intervention have been developed to engage the therapist in the family structure by joining the family and supporting them. Helping practitioners must be able to advocate for their clients and give them the skills, knowledge and attitudes to help them cope with stress and difficulties.  

Research Recommendations

Genetic research is needed to help understand racial differences and biological factors related to drug abuse and addiction. There are genetic differences in how alcohol is metabolized by the body. Also, Hispanic men have a different biological response to alcohol and Hispanic men in the US have nearly twice the mortality rate for alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. Additional research must be completed to examine racial differences with regard to medication. Supplementary recommendations focus on promotion of research organizations at minority-serving institutions.

Country Strong

“Country Strong” tells the story of Kelly Canter, a country music super-star who unfortunately suffers from addiction to alcohol and prescription medication. Kelly publicly displayed her addiction at a televised concert and was forced to go to rehab. At the time of her drunken display, she was 5 months pregnant and she lost the baby. She was let out of rehab a month early because her family and doctors convinced her she was “better.” She immediately began touring again, with disastrous results. Kelly drank so much before her first two concerts that she could not perform.   She pulled it together for her third concert, but, afterwards, succumbed to her addiction and committed suicide. I chose this movie because I thought it was a good depiction of the effects of an addiction and I genuinely like this movie.

There were several different reactions to Kelly’s addiction. Her husband/manager got her out of rehab early even though he knew her “legs were still shaky.” When she was back on tour and began drinking again, he ignored it. He thought her performing would solve her problems, not realizing that the pressure of performing was the cause of the addiction, not the solution. Kelly’s sponsor/boyfriend knew that Kelly needed help and tried to give it to her. However, he also had a tendency to baby her, wanting to be her savior. Kelly’s fans seemed to love her despite her problems. However, there were some who hated her and thought she was a “baby killer.”

Throughout the movie, I felt empathetic toward Kelly. She knew that she was not ready to leave rehab and perform again. She tried to tell her husband this, but he wanted everything to go back to the way it was. When she could not cope with the pressure, she began drinking again. When Kelly wasn’t drinking, you could catch a glimpse of the woman she used to be: a strong, fearless person with a good heart. The only time I was slightly mad was when I learned she drank while she was pregnant. It reminded me that people who suffer from addictions can have two very different personalities.

I think the movie did a good job in their portrayal addiction. It accurately displayed what her triggers were and that addicts can have good days and bad days. I think the movie also properly explained that recovery is a long road and that many people do not understand that. I think that this is the hardest and saddest part of addiction: it can take a lifetime to recover, but there are always people and things that will try to convince suffering people that they should be over it in a certain amount of time.

Addictions are partly caused by the person’s environment, or context. Kelly’s addiction developed because of the pressure that comes with stardom and the disappointments of a failing marriage. She turned back to her addiction after rehab because of the continued pressure and the inability to talk and reconnect with her husband. Kelly also suffered from low self-esteem. Millions of people adored her and her talents, yet she was always begging for approval and fishing for compliments. Alcohol and other drugs are often abused to escape from reality. In Kelly’s case, she turned to alcohol when she could not fix or control her environment.

 

 

Chapter 6 - Adolescent Drug Use

Reviewing the connection between paradigms and theories to understand adolescent drug use

There is evidence that about half of adolescents aged 10 to 17 use, and sometimes abuse, substances. These youths will also engage or come in contact with other risky behaviors, such as delinquency, violence, homicide, unprotected sexual intercourse, homicide and suicide. To understand these problems, Clark (2010) summarizes and explains theoretical frameworks and paradigms to organize and comprehend adolescent drug use.

            Before we can understand how theoretical frameworks can solve problems of adolescent drug use, it is important to realize what these things are. Clark (2010) says that “theories are sets of concepts and propositions that explain a phenomenon that stem from a set of assumptions that are influenced by the social, economic, and political context of the theorist.” A paradigm is an organizing standard that describes. There are four main sociological paradigms: functionalist, radical structuralist, interpretive, and radical humanist.

So how do sociological perspectives relate to adolescent drug use and interventions for this subset? Helping professionals build their practices and interventions around certain theoretical concepts, comparable to a worldview. This would shape what type of clients professionals take on and what type of interventions they use. The following are explanations about the views of each perspective:

·         Traditional functionalist – believe in incremental change and evidence-based practice. This paradigm would encourage the use of therapies that have been well researched and proven.

·         Radical structuralist – move for empowerment and social reform. This would involve seeking policy change that would better the lives of their clients.

·         Interpretive – believe that context must be the determinant for solving a social problem. Says that there are multiple truths and realities that must be taken into consideration. The goal of a practitioner would be to fully understand their client and what their perception is of their problem.

·         Radical humanist – anything that limits is considered oppressive. A practitioner with this perspective would not survive in any type of agency.

Which paradigm is the best to use? At the present moment, most theories and research are in the functionalist paradigm, but this may not be the best option. Multiple paradigms should be used simultaneously to obtain knowledge about a social phenomenon, such as adolescent drug use. Prevention programs could also be created from each paradigm and be equally effective.

Although it is sometimes helpful to work out of a particular paradigm, this idea has not really been discussed in class in connection with addictions. Our book has constantly suggested using the strengths perspective, which seems to be anti-paradigm. Paradigms may limit practitioners because they would not be able to start wherever the client is and focus on their definition of their problem. The interpretive paradigm seems to be the closest thing to a strengths perspective approach, but this has not been mentioned. This leads me to believe that most practitioners in the addictions field would suggest not to become attached to a certain paradigm.

References

Clark, T. T. (2010). Reviewing the connection between paradigms and theories to understand adolescent drug use. Journal Of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 19(1), 16-32. doi:10.1080/10678280903400479

AA

Last week I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at a church in Mount Joy. There were around 60 people in attendance. Most of the attendees were in their middle ages, between 30 and 60 years old. There were several young adults in attendance, but these people were not as vocal during the meeting. Regarding gender, I believe it was approximately half men and half women. The majority of people were Caucasian.

These people acted very comfortably with one another. One woman went around and hugged every person who showed up for the night, even me! Before the meeting, everybody was chatting. From what I could hear, they were catching up about work and families, not necessarily about anything that would be covered in the meeting. These people were obviously friends, having deeper connections than just showing up for the same AA meeting that night. Unfortunately, I was not involved in the meeting. I mainly observed what was happening around me. We were unsure whether to introduce ourselves when they asked if there were any newcomers in attendance. However, we did introduce ourselves to those we were sitting by and told them that we were at the meeting for educational purposes. Everybody was very accepting and welcoming.

An older man took charge of the meeting. He started the meeting with the Serenity Prayer and then opened up the floor for anybody who had some general information or announcements. After that, he designated people to read the general history of AA and what the meeting was all about. The Steps of AA were also read aloud. Then the floor was opened for story-sharing. The man who opened the meeting asked for everybody to share in a timely fashion so that anybody who wanted to speak had the chance to do so. He was also in charge of deciding whose turn it was to talk. When somebody shared a thought or story, they always started by saying, “Hi, my name is _____ and I am an alcoholic.” The rest of the group would then greet them. Everybody was very respectful of everybody else. There was no chatting while other people were talking and everybody was very attentive. The meeting lasted for an hour.

I believe that this meeting was very helpful to the participants. It was a time when they could vent their frustrations and talk about whatever was on their minds. They also had the peace of mind that they would not be judged and that everybody would understand their struggles. Many of the participants said that these meetings kept them sane and also away from the alcohol that once ruined their lives and had the potential to ruin everything that they had worked so hard to build. One woman shared that she had been in her car getting ready to head to a bar when she found the AA schedule on her passenger side seat. This gave her the strength to come to avoid the bar and go to the meeting. These meetings are literally saving lives.

This experience connected with a lot of the information that we have reviewed in class and from the book. AA attendees use this meeting and group as their primary support system. Many of the people mentioned having relationships with one another outside of the weekly meetings. They understand each other as not many other people can. This meeting also enforced some of the stereotypes that alcoholics must deal with. Many people associate alcoholism with the poor. However, from looking around the room, I could tell that this disease/problem could affect any type of person. Also, the fight is a lifelong battle, which some people do not understand. One woman shared that she was about 1 year sober. Her husband had recently asked her why she kept going to the meetings. He said, it had been a year, wasn’t she cured now? It amazed me that somebody so close to her did not understand alcoholism. Only people who have been through the same thing can truly understand.