bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drug Treatment Evaluation for What?
Authors: Dembo Richard
Published: November 2015

Evaluation of drug treatment requires the critical examination of assumptions of the kinds of relationships people establish with substances, and the ways in which these beliefs have influenced researchers, health professionals and law makers in dealing with the “problem of drug abuse.” This is the purpose of the present paper, which also sets out an expanded frame of reference with which to address salient issues facing the field of addiction science.
Look-Alike and Sound-Alike Drugs
Authors: Teplitsky Benjamin
Published: November 2015

Look-alike and sound-alike drugs can be misinterpreted by a nurse reading doctors' orders and by a pharmacist compounding physicians' prescriptions. Such minunderstandings can result in the administration of a drug not intended by the prescriber. Awareness of such look-alike and sound-alike drugs can reduce potential errors.
Some Interfaces between Alcoholism and Mental Health
Authors: Freed Earl X.
Published: November 2015

Some interfaces, common boundaries, between the fields of alcoholism and mental health are explored. These include the relationship between alcoholism and psychopathology; psychodynamic, affective, consciousness altering, and tension reduction aspects of alcohol consumption; possible developmental predispositions to alcoholism; consideration of a genetic component; psychotherapeutic desiderata; etc. Explorations of these—and other—interfaces should help to define the roles of mental health and behavioral sciences vis a vis alcohol use and abuse.
Opiate Receptors and Opiate Antagonists: Progress in the “War on Drugs”
Authors: Lex Barbara W. , Meyer Roger E.
Published: November 2015

The “War on Drugs” has spawned major research efforts that have led to the discovery of the “opiate receptor” and the development of new narcotic antagonists which may be useful adjuncts in the rehabilitation of chronic opiate addicts. At the moment, these findings are rich with potential applications and potential discovery. The authors review the current state of the art.
“Legal Pushing:” A Study in Over-Reaction to a Fancied Menace
Authors: Capel William C. , Knapp Ronald J.
Published: November 2015

Adverse publicity directed at abusive distribution of certain doctor prescribed drugs called “legal pushing,” has led to an intensification of efforts by social control agencies to completely ban usage of these substances. Such a decision would consequently be based on the belief that there has been substantial abuse of these substances by prescriptions used for reasons other than strictly medical problems. The empirical evidence presented in this paper supports an opposite conclusion in that prescriptions for potentially abusive substances, particularly amphetamines and barbiturates, have significantly declined in the areas over a six year period beginning in 1969. Abuses tend to be highly area-bound and apparently involve relatively small numbers of doctors and pharmacies, revealing little factual basis for legislative action banning legitimate uses of these substances.
Some Observations on Repressive Values in Drug Treatment
Authors: Stengel Barry
Published: November 2015

It is argued that pejorative societal attitudes towards drug users have shaped contemporary approaches to drug treatment more than drug treatment professionals generally acknowledge. Four dominant attitudes towards drug users are examined: that they are (1) unitary, (2) morally bad, (3) criminal, and (4) manipulative. Manifestations of these attitudes within the field of drug treatment are discussed. A conception of the drug user as socially disenfranchised and alienated is then presented as a more balanced alternative to these prevailing views. It is argued, finally, that drug treatment should renounce its adversary stance towards drug users and ally itself with the needs of patients in an effort to ameliorate their isolation.
A Guide to the Treatment of Drug Addict Criminality
Authors: Weissman James C. , Nash George
Published: November 2015

Although drug abuse funding agencies and community treatment programs espouse the goal of crime reduction through drug treatment, clinical skills for achieving this task have not been satisfactorily developed. This paper proposes a multifaceted system designed to improve the ability of community treatment programs to reduce client criminality. Techniques of diagnosing, evaluating, and treating addict criminality are discussed. Treatment programs arc urged to adopt a proactive and prosocial approach toward criminological issues.
The Drug Abuse Decade
Authors: DuPont Robert L.
Published: November 2015

Drug abuse hit the national headlines during the last half of the 1960s. By 1971 it had become “public enemy number one” and an all-out war was declared. Although there were a few notable successes—including one temporary triumph which was prematurely labeled a victory in 1973—by 1977 it had become clear that this war, like the War in Vietnam and the War Against Poverty, was not to be won. A new objective, more in keeping with the skepticism of the 1970s, was indeed needed. Drug abuse prevention was not like waging a war; it was like weeding a graden. The question remained, “What crop was to be harvested in the 1980s?”
Discouraging Unhealthy Personal Choices: Reflections on New Directions in Substance Abuse Policy
Authors: Bonnie Richard J.
Published: November 2015

This article depicts the incoherence of present drug, alcohol and tobacco policies and describes the emergency of a “new paternalism” which, if implemented, would push alcohol and tobacco policies toward the preventive public health and welfare model which now dominates thinking about drug abuse policy. Then drawing on the normative perspectives of law and political philosophy, the author suggests that governmental efforts to modify unhealthy personal choices can be justified and that a compelling logical case against the new paternalism will not be found in the libertarian tracts of liberal political philosophers or of the modern Supreme Court. Instead, the author contends that the case for or against restrictive policies aiming to reduce overall consumption of alcohol and tobacco and other unhealthy behaviors, will be made on the facts—how much impact, if any, will they have on consumer behavior and, ultimately, on health care and social service costs? In this connection, the author canvasses the various ways in which formal governmental action, through law, can be utilized to implement a lifestyle-modification policy. Finally, the author raises a series of residual doubts about the new paternalism; even if lifestyle-modification is a legitimate and defensible approach for improving the health of the citizenry and for reducing health care costs, it may also be a prescription for oppression.
Evidence for Controlled Drinking in Diagnosed Alcoholics: A Critical Analysis of the Goodwin Et Al. Adoption Study
Authors: Ward David A.
Published: November 2015

The most controversial issue in the treatment of alcoholism surrounds the debate over the possibility of controlled social drinking for recovered alcoholics. Behavioral psychologists contend that alcoholism is learned behavior and that alcoholics can be trained to regain control over their drinking. On the other hand, proponents of the disease conception of alcoholism contend that it is impossible for alcholics to drink normally because they may have inherited a susceptibility to alcoholism. The recent adoption study by Goodwin et al. provides evidence for a hereditary basis for alcoholism and is used to support the disease conception. The present analysis shows that the Goodwin et al. study provides evidence supporting both the disease conception and the controlled drinking thesis. Implications for the treatment of alcoholism stemming from this analysis are discussed.
Are Hypnotics Helpful or Harmful to Elderly Patients?
Authors: Castleden C. Mark , Houston Athene , George Charles F.
Published: November 2015

Hypnotics are taken by a fifth of adults at home, and by half those in hospital for more than 17 days. Such prescription may be inappropriate in the elderly since their insomnia frequently results from conditions such as depression, boredom and loneliness. Furthermore the elderly are more susceptible to adverse drug reactions due to decreased efficiency in eliminating drugs from the body and increased target organ response. They are also less able to compensate for unwanted effects, which may last up to 36 hours after a single dose. Despite this, there appears little attempt to reduce dosage in old patients or to select hypnotics less likely to produce side effects. We would suggest that these drugs should be prescribed with caution in the elderly, and only after a full history and examination of the patient. The drug, dosage and length of treatment should then be selected individually.
The Elderly Abuser: A Challenge for the Future
Authors: Peppers Larry G. , Stover Ronald G.
Published: November 2015

This paper explores three basic questions: (1) Who is the elderly abuser and what are his drugs of abuse?, (2) How does he become identified by institutionalized treatment programs?, and (3) How do treatment programs respond? The data on which the conclusions are based were collected from 5500 older individuals who entered treatment during 1976. Findings led to the following conclusions: (1) The elderly abusing population is primarily white, male, and unemployed; (2) Alcohol is by far the principal substance of abuse; (3) Identification by treatment programs is usually initiated by the individual, his family or friends, or by social control agencies; and (4) the elderly abuser is seldom treated in a holistic manner. This research illuminates the lack of effective treatment modalities for the elderly substance abusing population.
Drugs for Eternal Youth: Scientific Attempts to Combat Aging
Authors: Davison William
Published: November 2015

The major increase in life expectancy this century is due to improved health in the young. Life expectancy for the middle-aged has improved much less. Some of the theoretical causes of aging are reviewed and the possibilities for medical intervention as a means of decelerating aging are considered. Drug treatment has not yet made possible retardation of the aging process but modern drugs are invaluable in the treatment of a variety of deficiency states and diseases associated with aging. Heredity, nutrition, environment and lifestyle are important factors in longevity.
Natural Recovery from Heroin Addiction: A Review of the Incidence Literature
Authors: Waldorf Dan , Biernacki Patrick
Published: November 2015

This paper reviews the literature in an area which has received little attention of drug researchers — spontaneous remission. The paper reviews all the research studies that have looked at the phenomena of the “natural” recovery from heroin addiction — natural in the sense that some addicts manage to stop using heroin and not become re-addicted without the help of treatment intervention. Some areas for future research are also suggested.
Heroin: Devil Drug or Useful Medicine?
Authors: Zentner Joseph L.
Published: November 2015

Heroin is a powerful analgesic, the legalization of which is sometimes proposed as an answer to the pain of terminal cancer. In this country questions about heroin's medicinal potential have been strongly colored by the aura of illicitness and human degradation that surround it. They have not been decided by a rational determination of its therapeutic utility as an analgesic. Adherence to the Puritan ethic has blinded society to the fact that a drug, including heroin, is a chemical compound only that does not carry any intrinsic moral connotations. Studies conducted in England suggest that for certain types of cancer patients, heroin does have advantages over other narcotic analgesics.
The Development and Politics of the Latin American Heroin Market
Authors: Solomon Robert
Published: November 2015

Political and economic conditions throughout Latin America provide an ideal setting for a wide range of contraband markets including heroin and other drugs. These conditions coupled with changing patterns of illicit international supply resulted in Latin America's emergence as the primary source and a major transshipment centre for the United States heroin market. Unfortunately it took the United States several years to respond to these unanticipated developments. The United States only recently succeeded in stemming the Latin American heroin trade but to do so it has had to exert considerable economic and diplomatic pressure on the countries involved. However, the underlying conditions which spawned the Latin American heroin trade still exist and the progress made to date may ultimately prove to be temporary.
Social Interaction and the Distribution of Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Skog Ole-Jørgen
Published: November 2015

Both survey data and liver cirrhosis mortality data demonstrate the existence of a relationship between per capita consumption of alcohol and the prevalence of heavy alcohol use. The present paper reviews some of the explanations given for this relationship, and the so-called “contagion between persons” explanation is further developed. The empirical evidence for the basic assumptions of this theory is reviewed, and some predictions are derived and related to empirical facts.
Differential Effects of Restricting the Supply of Alcohol: Studies of a Strike in Finnish Liquor Stores
Authors: Mäkelä Klaus
Published: November 2015

In 1972, a strike closed down Finnish liquor stores for five weeks, and the overall consumption of alcohol decreased by roughly a third. Results from observational studies and analyses of survey data and statistical records on the effects of the strike are presented. During the strike, arrests for drunkenness decreased to about one-half, cases of assault and battery were reduced by some 20 to 25 percent and cases of drunken driving by between 10 and 15 percent. Home production of alcoholic beverages and consumption of surrogate alcohol showed some increase.

The strike affected different population groups in different ways. The frequency of arrests of homeless alcoholics was reduced to a lesser degree than was that of socially less isolated drinkers. Older persons and lower strata reacted more passively than younger people and the middle class, who were more actively turning to alternative sources of alcohol.
Life Styles and Drinking Patterns of Urban Indians
Authors: Hill Thomas W.
Published: November 2015

This article describes the major life styles and drinking patterns of the “everyday” Winnebago and Santee Dakota of Sioux City, Iowa. An intensive research strategy and a methodology which included extensive participant observation were used in the collection of data. Throughout the research an attempt was made to see drinking activities in terms of the Indians' cultural systems. In contrast to the researchers who argue that a single set of drinking standards or norms is shared across ethnic and class lines in the United States, it is shown that multiple sets are used by the Indians of Sioux City and that some sets define some forms of heavy and frequent drinking as acceptable behavior.
The Use of Anabolic Steroids in Athletics
Authors: Stone Michael H. , Lipner Harry
Published: November 2015

In recent years, the use of anabolic steroids has increased dramatically among athletes in a variety of sports. These athletes believe strongly that taking anabolic steroids enhances their performance. However, research in this area shows mixed results. No animal studies, using a variety of training and performance protocols, have shown that anabolic steroid administration modifies performance in a positive way. Studies on human males reveal inconsistent results. Most studies on human males have found an increased performance, usually a measure of strength, associated with anabolic steroid administration and training above that of training alone. Factors affecting the results of some of the human studies are the absence of proper control groups and “side effects” created by the drugs which tend to obviate the establishment of adequate controls by signifying the presence of the drug to the subject.
Short and Long Term Adverse Reactions in Young Drug Abusers
Authors: Holsten Fred
Published: November 2015

A total of 100 young drug abusers registered in a treatment program were examined clinically during therapy and personally followed-up 3 and 6 years later. At the time of first contact, 69% had previously experienced flashbacks. It was found that not only users of psychedelic drugs, but also users of ephedrine, organic solvents and antihistaminic drugs reported “bad trip” experiences and flashbacks. Few physical adverse reactions were observed. At the end of the period, 40% of the males and 21% of the females still were bothered by flashbacks, but none of these had shown signs of a lasting psychotic symptomatology.

Clinical examination revealed no lasting physical damage due to the abuse of drugs. Up to the time of last follow-up, 4 persons, all males, had died.
Theories of Opiate Addiction: Time for Pruning
Authors: Alexander Bruce K. , Hadaway Patricia F.
Published: November 2015

Both the United States and Canada have great difficulty achieving consensus on opiate drug policy. This, in some measure, is the fault of the scientific community, which has failed to provide the clear theoretical understanding of opiate addiction from which policy could be readily derived. We believe that the confusing mass of competing theories can be greatly simplified, and a measure of clarity achieved, through consideration of two opposing orientations which pervade the theoretical literature. We label these the “exposure” orientation and the “adaptive” orientation. Recent data shows clearly that the exposure orientation is obsolete. The adaptive orientation, though it fits the new evidence, is scientifically underdeveloped. A major reorientation of research is desirable and would, we believe, eventually provide a firmer basis for policy decisions.
Organizational “Time” in Alcoholism Halfway Houses: Implications for Stability and Survival
Authors: Martin Patricia Yancey
Published: November 2015

Data on 23 halfway houses for alcoholics are analyzed to explore the relationships of years of program operation and average staff tenure (or average length of employment at the halfway house) with each other and with: (1) the sex-composition of the halfway house clientele; (2) the employment rate of halfway house clients; and (3) the average length of time clients remain in the halfway house. Results indicate that older halfway houses tend to restrict admissions to “males only”; that a more senior staff influences clients to remain in the facility for lengthier terms of residence; and that clients in houses with a larger proportion of males remain in the facility for shorter terms of residence. The discussion focuses on implications of the findings for organizational stability and survival and identifies directions for future research.
A History of Job-Based Alcoholism Programs: 1900–1955
Authors: Trice Harrison M. , Schonbrunn Mona
Published: November 2015

The early history of job-based alcoholism programs can be traced to efforts to eliminate alcohol from the workplace that were prevalent into the early years of the 20th Century, and to subsequent socio-economic factors which mandated a change in long-accepted behaviors and employer policies. Numerous forces, including World War II and its impact on the labor market, led to the need for rehabilitating alcoholics in the work force, a need recognized by a number of sensitive and innovative industrial physicians. Evidence supports the conclusion, however, that without the existence of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the dedication and almost super-human efforts of some of its members in developing and supporting the early programs, few of these programs would have survived.

In an attempt to partially describe the events, forces, and individuals which were involved in the formative period of occupational alcoholism programs during the 1940's and 1950's, the authors have collected material from a variety of sources, including many first-hand accounts from persons directly concerned in early program development. It is hoped that this material will promote increasing interest in the history of job-based alcoholism programs and generate further input from sources that can contribute to knowledge about this movement which has had such a strong impact on the progress of alcoholism intervention practices.
A Retrospective Study of Similarities and Differences between Men and Women Employees in a Job-Based Alcoholism Program from 1965–1977
Authors: Beyer Janice M. , Trice Harrison M.
Published: November 2015

The literature was reviewed to identify factors on which men and women have been found to differ that could affect their experiences and success in job-based alcoholism programs. Factors found fell into three categories: personal characteristics, patterns of interpersonal interaction, and situational factors. Records of a large corporate alcoholism program provided data on interactions, situations, and outcomes for all employees who had been in the program over a 13-year period. The results of bivariate analyses of data on a sample of 377 cases showed that men and women who had been in this program differed in interaction patterns and situational variables. Women employees evoked more interactions about their drinking problems than men, and tended to have more solitary home situations and different work statuses. However, overall program outcomes did not differ significantly between men and women on such criteria as job performance, relapses, or attendance. Multivariate analyses of the correlates of program outcomes revealed that, although men and women differed on some details of how interventions and treatment were handled, successful cases of both sexes had been in the program longer, had experienced less labelling in terms of frequency of treatment and interventions, and had greater investments in their jobs in terms of job status or seniority.
Job Characteristics and the Identification of Deviant Drinking
Authors: Roman Paul M.
Published: November 2015

Factors in the organizational environment have been posited to be related to the development of employee alcohol problems and the identification of such problems. Previous research has yielded ambiguous findings on these relationships, but has indicated that some role is played. Data from a study of the experience of 2,083 Federal supervisors and managers with employees who had alcohol problems indicate that task interdependence and opportunities for mobility on the job are associated with greater probability of the identification of alcohol problems. The pattern of relationships indicates that peer influences may overshadow those of supervisors in the identification of employee drinking problems. Work characteristics were not related to the success of treating such problems and returning employees to the job.
Drug Abuse as Career
Authors: Coombs Robert H.
Published: November 2015

The stereotypic view of the drug addict as a ne'erdo-well who cannot cope with the real world is challenged and a “career” model explicated. The similarities of drug careers to professional careers, particularly those of physicians, are noted. The analysis also delineates the developmental stages of the drug career: initiation, escalation, maintenance, discontinuation and renewal. More positive approaches to the prevention of substance abuse are recommended.
Changes in Social and Attitudinal Dimensions of Marijuana Abstainers: 1969 to 1976
Authors: Lucas Wayne L.
Published: November 2015

Data from two samples of university student non-users of marijuana, representing a seven-year period (1969–1976), were analyzed to ascertain whether abstainers changed on social and attitudinal dimensions of marijuana use during a period characterized by rapid increase in the incidence of use of that drug. Implementing differential association theory as a guide for analyses, results indicate that while abstainers' characteristics related to “social dimensions” of marijuana use changed dramatically, little change occurred in characteristics related to “attitudinal dimensions” of marijuana use. The data suggest that abstainers may be emerging as a new sub-culture within the social milieu of university students. Over time, absention from marijuana use has come to be viewed as “deviant” behavior within university settings, and, to preserve their self images, some abstainers have employed stigma management techniques utilized by others whose behavior has been conventionally defined as deviant.
The Perils of a Drug-Free Policy for Employees of an Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program
Authors: Worden Mark , Rosellini Gayle
Published: November 2015

This paper reviews the perils of establishing a drug-free policy for counseling staff. Five major perils are identified, not the least of which is the peril of locating a staff willing to be alcohol and drug-free as a condition of employment. Other perils include justifying a drug-free policy (which entails the hazard of being deemed oppressive and just no fun at all); the cover-up; nit-picking and sophistry; and a most parlous peril, the peril of rectitude.

Drug-free counselors serve as exemplars: models of coping effectively without drugs; models of assertiveness in refusing alcohol or drugs; in short, models of well-being, able to employ in their own lives the skills and techniques of effective living they impart to clients.

The authors argue that a drug-free staff policy does not involve moral issues only, rather that establishing, maintaining and reinforcing the notion of alcohol and drug-free staff may be necessary for credible survival—making this an eminently practical policy stance.
Black Women, Heroin and Crime: Some Empirical Notes
Authors: Inciardi James A. , Pottieger Anne E. , Faupel Charles E.
Published: November 2015

There has been a paucity of literature on the relationship between women, drugs, and crime, and the lack of research focusing upon black women is even more pronounced.

The present study focuses on the self-reported drug use and criminal involvement of 63 black female heroin users in Miami, Florida. The data suggest a wide variety of drug use and criminal involvement. Criminal involvement typically begins significantly prior to expensive drug use, which raises serious questions concerning the causal relationship between drugs and crime. Finally, it was found that only a small percentage of the women relied heavily on a single type of criminal activity for income as defined by a particular activity constituting over 50% of their total offenses.
Alcoholism: A Social Construct
Authors: Poikolainen Kari
Published: November 2015

Alcoholism as a specific disease was discovered about 200 years ago in North America. The disease is thought to be characterized by loss of control over drinking and by certain “symptoms,” supposed to occur in a typical order during the “natural” history of the disease. The basic assumptions of the disease model are, however, untenable. Despite this, the model is still viable. There are at least four reasons for this: (1) The medical profession, originally against the conception of alcoholism as a disease, has been made to accept the disease concept, (2) Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) strongly believes in the disease ideology, (3) the disease model may relieve the moral stigma attached to socially unacceptable drinking, and (4) societies in which individual rights are highly esteemed prefer self-control to collective control. The benefits and disadvantages of the disease model should be reconsidered.
Treated and Untreated Addicts: Factors Associated with Participation in Treatment and Cessation of Heroin Use
Authors: Graeven David B. , Graeven Kathleen A.
Published: November 2015

This study describes the differences between treated and untreated addicts involved in a suburban adolescent heroin epidemic. Twenty-nine percent of the addicts interviewed were untreated during the ten-year period studied. Results showed that untreated addicts had smaller habits, were more likely to stop using heroin, had more cohesive families and higher self-esteem while in high school than treated addicts. Background factors were related to current use of heroin by untreated and treated addicts. The decision to enter treatment can be a confounding factor in studies on heroin addiction. Studies on factors producing dependence need to include treated as well as untreated addicts.
Stakes in Conformity and the “Normalization” of Deviants: Accounts by Former and Current Skid Row Inebriates
Authors: Giesbrecht Norman
Published: November 2015

The broad context of this paper is the concomitants of ‘normalization’ of deviants. The field work focuses on current and former skid row inebriates.

“Normalization” is not a prominent topic in sociological work on deviance, social control and social problems. A review of specialized literature on spontaneous recovery or intervention outcomes among several forms of deviance lead to hypotheses in six general areas: socio-economic background, degree of involvement in a deviant sub-culture, ‘negative‘ experiences accompanying deviance, stakes in conformity, formal interventions and aging.

The field research involved retrospective accounts of 346 former and current skid row inebriates selected through contact with skid row informants and over 30 treatment and care-taker facilities. Scales were developed to measure each of the hypotheses. Stakes in conformity was found to be highly correlated with recovery in the multiple discriminant analysis. The explanatory power was increased by inclusion of the element of rewards for initiating normalization.
Social Involvement and the Resolution of Alcoholism
Authors: Tuchfeld Barry S. , Lipton Wendy L. , Lile Edward A.
Published: November 2015

This paper considers the relationship between involvement in leisure activities and the resolution of alcoholism by patients who attended a private inpatient alcoholism treatment hospital in the Southwest. Baseline data were derived from self-administered questionnaires and extensive, on-site interviews with 458 patients who were admitted to the facility between February, 1979, and May, 1980. Followup information was obtained through telephone interviews with patients 6 months after discharge from the facility.

While previous research efforts have suggested that the alcoholic person is “passive” with respect to the expenditure of social energy, this paper explores the reverse hypothesis; i.e.; that the alcoholic is an “active” participant in leisure activities. Further questions addressed include the relationship between abstinence and the extent of leisure involvement, type of leisure pursued (particularly group-oriented versus solitary activities), and changes in the direction of energies from baseline to 6 months. Finally, this paper examines the applicability of a social control perspective (e.g., Hirschi, 1969) to the resolution of alcoholism by assessing the extent to which the degree of involvement is related to successful maintenance of sobriety—regardless of the type of activity pursued. For those patients who reported drinking at 6 months, consideration is given to the level of alcohol consumption. Statistical controls include measures of age, sex, marital status, and baseline severity.

Working from within an input-process-output model of evaluation, discriminant function analyses are conducted in an attempt to assess the relationships among baseline severity, leisure involvement, and patients' drinking status 6 months post-admission. Discussion of the results of this study include an examination of the applicability of a theory-based model of social integration to research regarding the resolution of alcoholism. Possible directions for future research efforts are offered.
Processes of Recovery from Heroin Dependence: Relationship to Treatment, Social Changes and Drug Use
Authors: Wille Rolf
Published: November 2015

Forty people of a representative sample of 128 heroin users, first interviewed in 1969, reported to be abstinent from opiates at follow-up in 1976/77. Twenty-five of them were interviewed a third time in 1977/78 and asked for a urine sample without prior notification. The validity of their self-reports about abstinence and the reliability of answers about recovery were found to be high. Abstinence from opiates was not replaced by dependence on other drugs. All the 40 abstinent people were followed-up in 1979 using Home Office records. According to the data only 1 person had relapsed, 39 having abstained for more than 6 years. The transition from dependence to abstinence was only a clear cut change in 4 cases and usually had an intermediary stage with an increase in the use of other drugs and/or occasional use of opiates. Half of the abstinent group (21) became abstinent without inpatient treatment and social stabilization usually preceded the cessation of opiate dependence. The other half (19) became abstinent in institutions. They felt unable to achieve a controlled gradual reduction and to manage physical withdrawal without inpatient treatment. The problems in developing a new identity were more acute in this group and social changes and stabilization usually occurred after their physical withdrawal from opiates.
International Efforts to Reform Cannabis Laws
Authors: Pisani Robert L.
Published: November 2015

A brief history of international efforts to control cannabis in the twentieth century is presented. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is discussed and analyzed with respect to its provision on cannabis, and various alternatives are discussed by which cannabis could be legally regulated and taxed both within the framework of the Convention and by its modification. A short history of international efforts to reform cannabis laws is presented with emphasis on the United Nations. Finally, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs' policy with regard to cannabis is discussed and analyzed.
Canadian Punishment of Illegal Drug Use: Theory and Practice
Authors: Boyd Neil
Published: November 2015

The paper discusses the evolution of theory and practice with respect to the sentencing of Canadian drug offenders. Particular emphasis is placed upon the description of case law in the Canadian context. It is argued that the practical thrust of Canadian sentencing policy is directed towards the offence of possession of marijuana. It is noted that the Canadian government has been reluctant to legislate in relation to the sentencing of drug offenders; the Canadian judiciary essentially enacts policy in the absence of a legislative will.
Drug Problems in Children of the Wealthy and Famous
Authors: Wellisch David K.
Published: November 2015

The literature on the association of social class and adolescent drug use reveals generally that children of the well educated and affluent are at an increased risk for drug abuse. This is probably most true for non-opiate drugs. This is an unsettled question in present studies, with the position taken in this paper that adolescent drug use is a multi-determined phenomenon with socioeconomic status being one important variable, especially with children of the wealthy or famous. Special developmental issues in these children can make them ultra vulnerable to drug abuse, especially parental absence or deprivation, lack of inculcation of intact self-esteem or frustration tolerance and especially lack of goal-orientation. “Neuroses of mobility” or rapid changes of family status are related to adolescent drug use vulnerability as well as “old money” family patterns leading to increased risk for adolescents. Case examples and special therapeutic considerations for this population are discussed.
Alienation, Human Transformation and Adolescent Drug Use: Toward a Reconceptualization of the Problem
Authors: Nobles Wade W.
Published: November 2015

Drug related dependencies and alcohol addiction have become in many ways characteristic of the American way of life. Having reached down to America's children, the rampant spread of alcoholism and drug abuse remains one of this country's most pressing unsolved problems, with many scholars recognizing that no single factor can explain its etiology or serve as the basis of its remediation.

In this article, the author reviews the conventional conceptualization of the problem and provides the basis of a reconceptualization which has the potential for explicating how seriously alcoholism may be embedded in the fundamental American cultural fabric. In this regard, it is suggested that adolescent alcoholism may be symptomatic of the crisis found in the American value base wherein there is a gap between the meaning of human being and the experience of human being which results in a self-conscious sense of alienation. The implication of this work suggest that the remediation of adolescent alcoholism requires the transformation of American culture. The author briefly suggest that an African based transformation may be what is needed.
Potential Contributions of the Life Span Developmental Approach to the Study of Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use: The Rutgers Health and Human Development Project, a Working Model
Authors: Pandina Robert J. , Labouvie Erich W. , White Helene Raskin
Published: November 2015

The Rutgers Health and Human Development Project is organized around a life span developmental perspective. This is oriented toward understanding the antecedents and variables relating to adolescent substance use and abuse. The project is interested in major developments of use patterns, particularly in regard to acquisition, early maintenance, and dependence (if it occurs). These patterns are best understood in a prospective-developmental model and not in a cross-sectional model. To do this the domain of the problem including the adolescent's family, must be studied. The design factors are critical in such a study if causal analyses are to be developed and must be done under naturalistic, real world conditions. The Rutgers study, therefore, assesses the emergence and unfolding of adolescent substance use behaviors in interaction with the individuals physical, psychological and social development during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood. The project assessed three different aged samples (12, 15, 18) prospectively, over a three year span. Problem areas in the methodology of prospective, longitudinal studies are discussed.
Children's Perceptions of Deviance: Labeling Theory and Alcohol Abuse
Authors: Prinsky Lorraine , Bedell John
Published: November 2015

Thomas Scheff theorized that “stereotyped images of mental disorder are learned in early childhood.” A derivation of this proposition was tested in a study of seventy-five (75) elementary school children. Interviews indicate that children were familiar with some concepts associated with alcohol abuse, i.e., alcoholic, drunk, and problem drinker, but that few children knew the terms boozer, intoxicated person, and wino. The children tended to see the concepts they were familiar with in terms of physical problems and/or addiction. Contrary to Scheff's expectations, however, adults were most frequently cited as primary agents of socialization and other children were rarely cited as sources of information. The children viewed various forms of media as important as suggested by Scheff in providing images of deviance. The data suggest that elementary school-age children have clear conceptions of some labels associated with alcohol abuse and findings in this study support this aspect of the labeling perspective relative to pre-adolescent children.
Race, Sex and Drug Abuse in the ‘New’ South
Authors: McCarthy Belinda R. , Hirschel J. David
Published: November 2015

This study provides a profile of drug users in treatment in an urban Southern community focusing on race and sex comparisons. It offers information about patterns of Southern female drug use by examining personal characteristics of drug users, their patterns of drug use and circumstances of their entry into treatment.
Patterns of Criminal Activity among Methadone Clients and Current Narcotics Users Not in Treatment
Authors: Hunt Dana E. , Lipton Douglas S. , Spunt Barry
Published: November 2015

Much prior research has looked at the changes in criminal activity of narcotics addicts when they enter methadone maintenance treatment programs. Because of the special nature of methadone, a drug which produces a cross-tolerance to other opiates in the user making continued heroin use difficult, the methadone treatment population has also been examined for answers to basic questions about the relationship between drug use and crime. This paper draws on interviews and ethnographic data collection with 368 methadone maintenance clients and 142 narcotics users not currently in treatment to explore the relationship between drug use and criminal activity. Results indicate that methadone clients are not only less involved in criminal activity than users not in treatment, but also among those clients who do continue criminal activity, there is less involvement in more serious crimes such as robbery, burglary, or dealing heroin and cocaine. The differences between those in treatment and those not in treatment are not a function of a lower level or criminal activity prior to treatment, but relate to being in treatment. Methadone clients who continue to commit crime are either clients continuing to use heroin and/or cocaine or clients for whom crime is an income or an income supplement.
Married Alcoholic Women: A Review
Authors: Pérodeau Guillème M.
Published: November 2015

The literature pertaining to female alcoholism with a particular focus on married alcoholic women is critically reviewed. Theoretical as well as methodological flaws are pointed out. A brief profile of the female alcohol abuser, as commonly depicted in the literature, is followed by a review of studies on married alcoholic women and the impact their heavy drinking has on the marital relationship. Various existing treatment modalities for alcoholic women are then considered. A family-focused approach such as family therapy, which would involve family members who are both a potential source of problems as well as of support toward recovery, is then suggested as the best approach. Finally some suggestions are made with regard to a more systematic as well as a more encompassing line of research on alcoholic women.
Euphoria
Authors: Wilmot Richard
Published: November 2015

Euphoria is by definition ambiguous. Some researchers have noted it is a cause for drug taking while others have viewed it as the effect of taking drugs, To date there is no clear definition of what “euphoria” is or how it enters into career drug use or abuse. This article proposes that “euphoria” is metaphoric, and on that basis may be learned. Learning to use drugs euphorically is the key to controlled drug use and ultimately the control of drug abuse.
Psychodynamic Factors and Drug Addiction: Some Theoretical and Research Perspectives
Authors: Vetter Harold J.
Published: November 2015

The two major theoretical approaches to nonmedical drug use have been identified as the disturbed personality and sociocultural views. The present paper provides a review of psychodynamic contributions to the disturbed personality perspective. Following a brief discussion of earlier psychoanalytic views of substance use and its determinants, attention is devoted to contemporary psychodynamic formulations. It is noted that despite increasing interest shown by psychoanalytic writers to the importance of sociocultural factors, the psychodynamic emphasis continues to be placed on the role of psychopathology, i.e., disturbed personality. One possible direction that further research might take involves an attempt to provide an integrative framework for reconciling these conflicting theoretical approaches. A model which meets many of the criteria for an integrated approach has already been formulated by Dembo and Shern (1982).
Testing a General Theory of Drug Abuse and other Deviant Adaptations
Authors: Kaplan Howard B.
Published: November 2015

I present an outline of the current state of an evolving general theory of deviant behavior, particularly as it applies to the explanation of the onset and continuity or change in level of involvement in illicit drug use. Self-derogation remains a central organizing concept in the theory. The need for self-approval disposes a person to illicit drug use, depending upon the social evaluation of this pattern in the person's membership/reference groups and the history of net self-enhancing/self-devaluing experiences in these groups. The initiation of illicit drug use is a function of circumstances influencing the opportunities for, and the self-evaluative relevance of anticipated consequences of, the illicit drug use. The continuity of the illicit drug use is a function of the self-evaluative relevance of the perceived consequences of initial drug use, and of changes in the circumstances that provide opportunities for and redefine the self-evaluative relevance of normative standards.

The results of recent multivariate analyses are described. These results point to the usefulness of the theory both as a guide for research and as a framework for integrating the results of multivariate analyses estimating the onset and continuity or changes in level of involvement in illicit drug use.
Scalogram Analysis of Substance Use: A Methodological Note
Authors: Schmeidler James
Published: November 2015

Scalogram analysis is a psychometric technique that can be used to infer the order of initiation of substance use, in a model that use of any substance implies use of all preceding substances. If responses follow a particular consistent pattern, scalogram analyses infers an underlying order of initiation. A counterexample is presented in which there is a consistent order of initiation and responses follow the prescribed pattern. However, the order inferred by scalogram analysis is the opposite of the actual order. Alternative models, which relax the assumption that order implies use of all preceding substances, are suggested.
Drug Use and Crime among Two Cohorts of Women Narcotics Users: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Inciardi James A. , Pottieger Anne E.
Published: November 2015

The relationship between drug use and crime among women has been given minimal research attention, and the few studies that have been undertaken have relied on arrests to indicate crimes, or have interviewed only institutionalized women or very small street samples. This report describes the drug use and crime of 286 active women narcotics users interviewed on the streets of Miami, Florida in a two-stage project. The first cohort, studied during 1977–78, were heavily involved with a wide variety of drugs and were extremely active in property crimes, vice offenses and drug sales. The second cohort, interviewed during 1983–84, displayed substantially different patterns of both drug use and crime. These differences are analyzed in relationship to changes in drug availability, drug use fads, legislation, law enforcement practices, and historical circumstance.
Heroin in Australia: The Costs and Consequences of Prohibition
Authors: Leader-Elliott Ian D.
Published: November 2015

Official estimates of the extent of the illicit heroin trade in Australia are set out in the reports of various Royal Commissions of Inquiry appointed by Federal and State governments. The estimates are fundamentally misleading. It is suggested that more discriminating studies of the extent of the problem, and its relationship with the incidence of property crime, are required.