Description
Book SynopsisDrugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems, a collection edited James D. Orcutt and David R. Rudy, includes 14 clearly written articles that exemplify the best of sociological scholarship on drug and alcohol problems. The readings strike a balance between constructionist, epidemiological, and ethnographic approaches to the study of drinking, drug use, and related problems such as domestic violence, crime, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. A general introduction and five section introductions written especially for this volume highlight basic theoretical questions and analytical themes that run through the articles. In contrast to many books on problems of substance use, Drugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems devotes equal attention to drug- and alcohol-related issues. The volume is organized around important theoretical and research approaches to the sociology of social problems, making it suitable for adoption as a supplement in undergraduate courses on social problems as well as for more specialized
Trade ReviewIn Drugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems, Orcutt and Rudy have compiled fourteen articles illustrating the rich and diverse nature of drug and alcohol problems present within sociological discourse. The articles in this text represent valuable contributions to the study of drug and alcohol problems. They are readings that all students and scholars in the drug and alcohol field will appreciate. Those interested in the social construction of social problems will find this book particularly satisfying. * The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare *
The fascinating studies in this book bring much needed sociological imagination to bear upon the processes that shape drug and alcohol problems. Professionals and students alike will find first-rate scholarship and accessible writing that shake up drug war stereotypes. -- Craig Reinarman, UC-Santa Cruz
Table of ContentsChapter 1 General Introduction Part 2 Section I. The Social Construction of Drug and Alcohol Problems Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 1. Constructing the Ownership of Social Problems: Fun and Profit in the Welfare State Chapter 5 2. Deviant Drinking as Disease: Alcoholism as a Social Accomplishment Chapter 6 Shocking Numbers and Graphic Accounts: Quantified Images of Drug Problems in the Print Media Part 7 Section II. Political and Ideological Contexts Chapter 8 Introduction Chapter 9 Comparative Ideologies and Alcoholism: The Protestant and Proletarian Ethics Chapter 10 Setting the Public Agenda: 'Street Crime' and Drug Use in American Politics Chapter 11 Truth and DARE: Tracking Drug Education to Graduation and as Symbolic Politics Part 12 Section III. Social Patterns: Epidemiological Research Chapter 13 Introduction Chapter 14 Explaining Racial/Ethnic Differences in Adolescent Drug Use: The Impact of Background and Lifestyle Chapter 15 Drinking by Black and White Women: Results from a National Survey Chapter 16 Race, Class, and Gender Differences in Substance Abuse: Evidence of Middle-Class/Underclass Polarization among Black Males Part 17 Section IV. Social Worlds: Qualitative Research Chapter 18 Introduction Chapter 19 You Can't Help but Get Stoned: Notes on the Social Organization of Marijuana Smoking Chapter 20 11. Shifts and Oscillations in Deviant Careers: The Case of Upper-Level Drug Dealers and Smugglers Part 22 Section V. Links to Other Social Problems Chapter 23 Introduction Chapter 24 The 'Drunken Bum' Theory of Wife Beating Chapter 25 Drugs-Crime Connections: Elaborations from the Life Histories of Hard-Core Heroin Addicts Chapter 26 15. Social Misery and the Sanctions of Substance Abuse: Confronting HIV Risk Among Homeless Heroin Addicts in San Francisco
