Last name 1

First name Last name

Instructor’s Name

Course Number

Date

Drug Abuse and Deviant Behavior

Drug abuse is a problem common to almost every country around the world. It renders

individuals helpless and traps them in a never-ending battle against sobriety. It greatly affects not

just an individual’s physical health, but mental and emotional health as well. Shaw notes that

about 90% of people addicted to the use of narcotics suffer from anxiety, phobias, and mental

and personality disorders. More so, an addiction to drugs could destroy relationships and make it

hard for users to lead normal lives. Finding and keeping jobs and maintaining a stable source of

income can be more difficult for users, which can lead to acts of stealing to find money to sustain

their addiction. As a result, drug abuse could also lead to an increase in crime and jail rates.

To say that drug abuse and its effects are deviant from normal behavior would be an

understatement. Shaw defines a substance as a “seduction, temptation, aid, companion, or

scapegoat” (16). People can use drugs to mask feelings of anxiety and emotions like anger, guilt,

sadness, and loneliness. They may also turn to drugs to kill time, to loosen up and relax, or to

even feel some relief and comfort from the pains and sufferings their lives have to offer (Shaw).

Some people, however, use drugs out of a lack of knowledge of its effects. Not many people are

informed of the many dangers drug abuse brings, especially on how it can affect the quality of a
 Last name 2

person’s life. As a result, drug abuse often results in behavior that can be considered as socially

deviant.

Thio et al. define deviance as both behavior and label. For deviance to occur, a behavior

must occur and subsequently, an action. After all, behavior cannot be labeled as deviant if no

action occurred. Likewise, an action cannot be considered deviant if it is not labeled as such.

Examples of deviant behavior include committing crimes, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Drug

abuse, in particular, has always been labeled as a social deviant. People see drug abuse as

socially unacceptable behavior because it crosses the line between what one is expected to do

and what society dictates is acceptable.

Using legal or illegal drugs isn’t the problem. Using drugs occasionally or for medical

and recreational purposes is socially acceptable in many countries. It’s the inappropriate use of

these drugs that’s the problem. When people turn to drugs as an unhealthy means to cope with

their problems or when people use drugs to the point of being dependent on their use, that’s what

makes it socially deviant. According to Williams, drug abuse is a social problem because it has

become part of a lifestyle that takes pride in displaying basic moral values. Like short clothing or

long hair, the use of drugs has also become a threat to what people consider normal (Williams).

People are expected to cope with their problems in healthier ways, like seeking mental

help from psychologists or expressing their emotions in ways that don’t cause harm. Moreover,

people are expected to know how to set their limits when it comes to substance use. They are

expected to know when to stop and to know what’s right from wrong. This can especially be

applied to drug use; when people make using drugs a habit and develop a reliance on it, society

will view this as an act of social deviance.

 Last name 3

According to Thio et al., 9% of people aged 12 or older use illegal drugs in the U.S. on an

annual basis, with half of this population using drugs at least once a month. Thio et al. also note

that the United States has the highest drug use rate in the world and that the population of people

that use drugs comprised mostly of people aged 18 to 25.

The road to drug abuse consists of 4 different stages. Experimentation, the first stage, is

the stage wherein individuals first try drugs. It’s in this stage that first-time users decide to try

drugs again or to stop their experimentation. In the second stage, users learn to use drugs

occasionally. Continued use eventually leads to the third stage, regular use. Regular use often

leads to the formation of a habit that soon develops into an addiction. The third stage is a make

or break; users can allow their habits to develop into an addiction or they could choose to break

their habit completely. It’s in the last stage that users realize that the habit they’ve formed won’t

do them any good. Users will come to realize that ending their addiction won’t come easy; some

may relapse while others may take a long time to succeed.

While there are many causes for drug abuse, the main factors that could lead an

individual to turn to drugs are biological, psychological, and sociological. According to Thio et

al., biological factors such as a metabolic disorder that creates a craving for a particular drug or a

high tolerance for illegal substances. Drug abuse can also be caused by psychological factors

such as low self-esteem, depressive behavior, and other specific personality traits. Users may

turn to drugs to get a momentary sense of emotional satisfaction or as an attempt to fit in with a

community and other societal norms. Moreover, people can also turn to drugs to feel a sense of

belonging, to gain respect from peers or to even satisfy a need for attention or escape personal

issues.
 Last name 4

Thio et al. note that men are more likely to engage in deviant activities than women.

They are more likely to develop a drug addiction and are more likely to commit drug-related

crimes than their female counterparts. It’s interesting to note that most drug users are relatively

young and more prone to engage in deviant behavior. For users that are still students, Thio et al.

mention that they are more likely to “cut classes, skip whole days of school, drop out of school,

avoid religious activities, and frequently go out in the evening for fun and recreation” (314).

The use of drugs often stems from a person’s desire to satisfy basic human needs. The

most common need that drives people to try drugs is the need to belong and the need to be

accepted. This can often manifest as peer pressure or pressure from a relationship. Other times,

people can be driven to use drugs out of poverty. Because drugs are readily available in poor

communities, more and more people are being lured into their use. In third world countries, street

kids often turn to sniff rugby to numb hunger pangs. Once they get older, they are then

introduced to more potent substances by peers and even family members. This then evolves to

dependence on stronger substances such as marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine.

For those in poorer communities, people see drugs as a way to escape their situation.

Many kids from these communities belong to broken families and live amidst constant conflict.

To feel better (or to feel like they’re in control of something), these kids get high to relieve stress

and escape from their daily struggles. Older members of society, who’ve long been using drugs

as well, encourage these kids to rely more and more on different substances. They may even sell

drugs to these kids as well, aside from selling drugs to other people from the community. To gain

access to these drugs, these kids then learn to commit criminal acts that they may continue to

carry until adulthood. As a result, higher crime rates can be observed every year, with a steadily

increasing amount of drug-related casualties.

 Last name 5

This situation isn’t only common around the world; it’s something that cannot be stopped

as well. As long as drugs are available and people are more than willing to rely on its use, then

drug abuse will continue. It’s a sad reality every country has to face. No war on drugs will be

able to stop a problem of this magnitude, regardless of how many people lose their lives.

In developed countries such as the United States, drug use also stems from poorer

communities, but from circumstances different to those that those from third world countries

experience. This, however, doesn’t change the fact that drug abuse is also rampant in the United

States. Here, people can have a choice of whether they want to take a certain substance or not.

They have a choice of whether to conform to societal standards or deviate from what’s expected

of them. Most importantly, they have numerous facilities that can help addicts restore their

normal lives.

Drug abuse is a big problem wherever you are in the world. Countless have lost their

lives to substance abuse and so many today are living in unfavorable circumstances because of it.

Despite this, it’s important to remember that these addicts are still human. They have friends and

families, dreams, and many of them even want to lead normal lives. They may have done some

unpleasant things in the past and they may have made some bad decisions, but that doesn’t mean

they don’t deserve a chance at a better life. At the end of the day, they are still people that

deserve love, respect, and attention. Because of this, we should all be more sensitive and be more

willing to help them make the right decisions and become better people.
 Last name 6

Works Cited

Shaw, Victor N. Substance Use and Abuse: Sociological Perspectives. Connecticut: Praeger,

2002.

Thio, Alex, Jim D. Taylor and Martin D. Schwartz. Deviant Behavior. New Jersey: Pearson,

2013.

Williams, Jay R. "Effects of Labelling the "Drug User": An Inquiry." NIDA Research

Monograph 6 (1976): 48.