Drug Abuse and the Domino of Deviant Behaviour - Coursework Example

Drug Abuse and the Domino of Deviant Behaviors “California: Gang Members Arrested in Roundup: Gang Members Arrested in Roundup,” said The New York Times, June 17, 2014 (The Associate Press, 2014) (a version of which appears in print on The New York Times’ June 18, 2014 edition). One of the breaking news of the famous newspaper last month, such a headline, in detail, reported about the arrest of a pack of 50 gang members allegedly accused of criminal practices like robberies, murders, and drug dealing. It was not an easy quest though, as the successful pursuit of those gangsters needed the involvement of more or less 1,300 law enforcement officers. Nonetheless, the end justified the process taken as having those lawbreakers punished and grounded behind bars may somehow lessen (in an optimistic perspective) the deviant-behaving individuals in the society. Sadly, this is just one of the many news that involved criminal practices and drug abuse. Drug abuse, drug dealing, and drug-related crimes--news associated with prohibited drugs--have become part of the regular information reported in televisions nightly news in magazines and in newspapers. Such topics have tremendously proliferated in different media that hearing such sorts of news appeared to be some usual occurrences for those apathetic ones and alarming for those who chose of becoming concerned citizens of the nation. The foretold news, for one, is a depiction of a report related to drug cases. Based on the surrounding circumstances, it is safe to assume that one of the motivators of gangsters to committing robbery and murder was the side-effects of drugs. It could be that they were under the influence of drugs when they performed the deviant behaviors; or it was also possible that deviant behaviors were performed out of their increased desire for higher dosage of drugs. It can be argued, therefore, that while drug abuse is a crime itself, such action also breeds deviant behaviors. Deviant Behavior Deviant behaviors, in sociology, refer to the actions that violate societal norms and legally enacted rules and regulations (Osgood, Wilson, O’Malley, Bachman, & Johnston, 1996). These actions, which are commonly termed as criminal practices, are considered socially unacceptable and ill for those cause harm and chaos to the community and its people. These behaviors may range from less severe criminal practices like prostitution to extremely severe crimes, such as rape, robbery, and murder. People differ in their level of tendency to engaging in deviant practices, given their differing childhood experiences and family background that somehow shaped their personality and coping mechanisms, capacities, and limitations. For instance, a person faced with life adversities may successfully or unsuccessfully handle such situation, depending on his/her outlook in life. However, some people are just too fragile that they are easily defeated by their problems, driving them to engage in unhealthy vices like alcohol drinking and substance abuse. In a study conducted by Hawkins, Catalano, and Miller (1992), findings revealed that drug addiction exposes one to higher risks of engaging in deviant behaviors. The Neurological Impact of Drug Abuse Drug addiction may pose various neurological complications. The power of drugs to alter and disturb the normal neurological functioning by activating and inhibiting some of the brain substances and hormones, may, in the long run, affect human being’s normal thinking and functioning. Individuals who are under substance abuse are at high risk of committing deviant behaviors because of their low level of control and inhibition. The “high” feeling of being under the influence of drugs diminishes individuals’ control over situations and events, making them more irritable and sensitive (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012). This event most likely leads to committing crimes or deviant behaviors like murder, rape, and human rights violation due to the fact that people under the influence of drugs are no longer in tuned to their normal behaviour. Other crimes most likely to be committed are theft and robbery, which can be induced out from their need to take another dose of such harmful substance. Drug Addiction to Deviant Behavior The neurological and control alterations, as result of substance abuse, increase the likelihood of individuals to engage in deviant behaviors. However, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (1994), aside from the contention that drugs alter normal neurological and hormonal processes; the desire to attain high dosage of the substance is another reason for individuals to commit crime. Precisely, human body’s threshold of satisfaction to a certain addictive substance increases as the intake of it becomes more frequent. In this situation, the human body may slowly become dependent to the substance’s effect (regardless of it being harmful). The conflict here lies on the acquisition of those substances as people need more money to purchase greater amounts of those illegal drugs. Hence, some are compelled to seek for money in an illegal way just to satisfy their cravings for those substances. Individuals may engage in plunder, robbery, and other anomalies that help them gain money through instantaneous means. Others, especially women, may resort into prostitution to gain money sufficient to acquire the drugs they are addicted to. Therefore, although drug use is an illegal action in itself, the underlying results of such practice also lead to deviant behaviors. In accordance to the social control theory by American criminologist, Travis Hirschi, drug addiction and other related types of deviance are induced by the absence of social controls that drive compliance to social standards. Those people, who have a low appendage to traditional culture, are more susceptible to drug addiction. On the other hand, self control theory refutes that drug addiction is engendered by wrong child upbringing, which fails to inculcate discipline and self-control values (Burfeind & Bartusch, 2011, p. 171). This shortfall in upbringing brings forth to high risk and self indulgent characteristics of drug users. In a video clip (Sahu, 2012) of the HBO documentary film, Addiction, Stella Rai cites genetic differences as one cause for addiction. She believes that other people are more susceptible to get addicted to drugs due to hereditary reasons. Environment also plays a factor in the exposure for drug abuse wherein it can be either categorised as high risk or protected. A high risk environment is described to be a place where kids are left unsupervised by parents for proper guidance. It is also described as a place where it possessed high levels of stress, abuse, and accessibility to drugs. It is in the teenage period wherein people are more vulnerable to such substance abuse. Drug: A Foe, Never a Friend Drug use has never been beneficial to human beings and even to entire society. As illegal substances provide people with short time pleasure, those substances also gradually and little by little devastate the normal processes of our brain and neurons. Those substances are like cancer cells; they slowly alter our behavior, heighten our emotion, and sneakingly kill us. When faced with excruciating sorrow, drugs are not the right and rational antidote. People must always remember that drugs have never been the right company people ever had in times of trouble, frustrations, and downfall. It must be noted that drugs is both detrimental to the body, as well as to the society, as the use of those substances increases the risks of committing crimes. The important reminder here to everyone is to think long-term. People should imagine the impact of drugs to their lives in the long run as they continue to use them. One best way of contributing something significant for the society and the country is to avoid substance abuse. Although this might be so trivial, the impact of this action (if everyone does it) is immense. There might be a decrease in the level of crime rates, and the society may find its peace and harmony at the end of the day. References Burfeind, J., & Bartusch, D. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: An integrated approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers LLC. Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 64-105. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2012). Medical consequences of drug abuse. Retrieved From http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/medical-consequences-drug-abuse/neurologicaleffects Osgood, D. W., Wilson, J. K., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Johnston, L. D. (1996). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. American Sociological Review, 61(4), 635-655. Sahu, A. (2012). HBO- Addiction-understanding addiction-Why some people become addicted [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUGaPL0A49g The Associated Press. (2014, June 14). California: Gang members arrested in roundup. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/us/california-gang-members-arrested-in-roundup.tml U.S. Department of Justice. (1994). Fact sheet: Drug-related crime. Retrieves from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/DRRC.PDF Read More