Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives

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SAGE, 2003 M04 7 - 311 pages

Substance use and abuse are two of the most frequent psychological problems clinicians encounter. Mainstream approaches focus on the biological and psychological factors supporting drug abuse. But to fully comprehend the issue, clinicians need to consider the social, historical, and cultural factors responsible for drug-related problems.

Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives provides an inclusive explanation of the human desire to take drugs. Using a multidisciplinary framework, authors Russil Durrant and Jo Thakker explore the cultural and historical variables that contribute to drug use. Integrating biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical perspectives, this innovative and accessible volume addresses the fundamental question of why drug use is such a ubiquitous feature of human society.

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Contents

Preface
7
The Nature and Scope of Substance Use and Abuse
13
The Harm and Benefits of Drugs
23
Summary
32
Drugs in History
59
Drugs in the Twentieth Century
79
Summary
87
Drugs and Culture
147
Prevention Treatment
216
51
251
95
270
100
291
104
297
Introduction
304
About the Authors 311
Copyright

Conceptualizing and Treating Substance
191

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About the author (2003)

Russil Durrant received his Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury, where he also ompleted a Post Doctoral Fellowship. He then worked at the Centre for Behavioral Research in Cancer at the Cancer Control Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. His research involves the design and evaluation of mass media tobacco prevention programs, and his other research interests include evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology, and the social history of drug use. He currently teaches at Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus in Queensland, Australia. Jo Thakker is a lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury and has worked as a clinical psychologist in a variety of therapeutic contexts. Along with work in the substance abuse area, her research interests include cultural psychology and mental health issues in relation to migrants and refugees.

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