Discuss the theories on drug abuse.

Factors that cause 'individuals to be addicted to drugs have been debated over the years. Various theorists have attempted to explain this phenomenon.
According to the Labelling Theory by Becker (1963), acts are not naturally good or bad. Normality and deviance arc socially defined. Deviant behaviour is not: a quality of the act a person commits. It is,a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to the offender. People who fail for whatever reason to uphold the norms and values of mainstream society (like those addicted to drugs) are often labelled as deviant:. The effect of negative labels on the self-concepts of these individuals leads to development of deviant identities.
Based on this theory, condemning and criminalizing drug abusers leads them to alter their individual identities and to adopt the values of deviant sub-cultures which the labelling process itself helps to create. Once a person is labelled a drug addict and accepts that label, his/her life changes.
People come to judge the individual in terms of that label. In many instances, the label 'drug abuser' restricts an individual's options in the larger society and forces him/her into a deviant lifestyle. Based on this theory, drug abuse is seen as a creation of society.
The Cultural Transmission Theory holds that deviant acts such as drug abuse are behaviour learned through interaction with others. The norms and values being transmitted are deviant. As a result, the individual is socialized into deviant behaviour rather than into socially acceptable behaviour. If the majority of a person's interactions are with deviant individuals, the person is likely to be socialized into patterns of deviant behaviours. The Cultural Transmission Theory views'-al! individuals as conformists. The difference between deviants and the rest of society lies in the norms to which each chooses to conform. The deviant individual conforms to norms that are unacceptable to the larger community. The non-deviant on the other hand conforms to the socially accepted norms. Based on this theory, people abuse drugs mainly based on what they want to conform to. If the person interacts more with people abusing drugs, he/she is likely to be socialized into drug abuse.
According to the Structural-Strain Theory by Merton Robert (1968), deviant behaviour like drug abuse is the natural outgrowth of the values, norms and structure of society. Society places a high value on certain goals such as economic success. However, not everyone is given equal opportunities to achieve them. Individuals may lack adequate qualifications, or in corrupt societies, may have qualifications but lack a 'godfather'. Yet, these people are expected to meet the goals of society and are judged on the basis of how well they meet these goals.
Under the strain of incompatible goals and means, these individuals fall victim to anomie. This situation arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer appropriate. Anomie leaves individuals without sufficient guidelines for behaviour, thus causing confusion both for individuals and society.
Individuals therefore turn to deviance. They want to be successful but find the goals too difficult or impossible to attain by acceptable means. They devise new ways of being recognized.
For instance, students may want to be recognized and appreciated by teachers and peers but are unable to attain good grades even when they do their best. Such students may revert to drug abuse.

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francis1897 answered the question on August 22, 2022 at 13:11