Understanding Drug Use Research Articles

Perspectives on Drug Use in the United States

Different views have prevailed within our society that have provided divergent approaches to explain drug use and drug addiction. many of these approaches have involved medical, sociological and psychological perspectives; moral factors have also been evoked. This paper explores drug use from a different perspective- cultural anthropology. It discusses drug use as a natural result of human technology. Drawing on a theory of culture as communication systems derived from elaborate patterns of behavior, this paper proposes that criminal and medical explanations of drug abuse have inhibited the development of a comprehensive understanding of drug use. It is possible that a "new culture" has developed in which many people anticipate using some type of psychoactive substance, selected from the legal, illicit and prescribed substances, on an "as needed" basis to change mood or feeling-state. These thoughts are elaborated on in the present article.

Drug use in college students: a test of sociodemographic and reference group models of explanation.

This study examined the importance of reference group variables in the understanding of drug use in college students. Other studies have investigated the role of peer orientation, and this study further elaborates on the issue by specifically looking into parents and peers as reference groups for the students. This study supports the importance of reference group variables in understanding the students' use of marijuana and/or hashish. In addition, it shows that the sociodemographic variables cannot predict drug use behavior as well as the reference group variables can.

A Research Model for a Comprehensive, Health Service Oriented Understanding of Drug Use

The growing theoretical and methodological sophistication of the drug field is reflected in two major trends: (1) the recognition that drug use needs to be considered in the context of the social and cultural experiences of the people taking them, (2) appreciation that a comprehensive understanding of substance use requires that the use of legal and illicit drugs be studied. These trends imply a number of important issues that should be related to in developing a health service oriented understanding of drug use in any population group. The present paper addresses these issues and highlights the important implications their incorporation into research can have on developing drug abuse prevention and treatment services for different drug using individuals and groups.

Understanding Drug Use Motivation: A New Look at a Current Problem

Personal beliefs, attitudes, and opinions regarding smoking marijuana were obtainedfrom 101 university students to test the ability of a revised social-psychological theory of behavioral intention to account for factors related to drug use motivation (smoking marijuana). A highly significant multiple correlation (R = .78, p < .001) was obtained between the theory's three components (Attitude toward the Act, Social Norm, and Moral Norm) and intentions to smoke marijuana. Also as predicted, beliefs regarding the perceived positive and negative consequences of smoking were shown to be significantly correlated (r = .69, p < .001) with an individual's attitude toward the act of smoking marijuana. Smokers and nonsmokers were shown to differ significantly on specific beliefs and values concerning the effects of marijuana. Implications of the present reconceptualization of drug use motivation for drug education and counselling approaches are discussed.

Understanding Drug Use: An Adult's Guide to Drugs and the Young

<i>Understanding Drug Use: An Adult's Guide to Drugs and the Young</i>