CRIME AND SOCIETY MODULE ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT: CRITICALLY EXPLORE THE ISSUES IN REGARD TO SERVICE USERS WHO OFFEND WHILE EXPERIENCING DRUG AND/OR ALCOHOL PROBLEMS. ANALYSE AND DISCUSS THE KEY CONCERNS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS
‘FOLLOWING FACULTY CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY, I CONFIRM THAT I HAVE ANONYMIZED MY WORK SO THAT THE IDENTITY OF ANY AGENCY OR ORGANISATION AND THE IDENTITY OF ANY PEOPLE SUCH AS SERVICE USERS AND CARERS, COLLEAGUES AND MANAGERS ARE CLEARLY ANONYMOUS. I UNDERSTAND THAT FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THIS POLICY WILL RESULT IN SEVERE PENALTIES.’
This assignment will focus on the issues encountered in the society by service users with drug misuse problems who offend. It will look ...view middle of the document...
This increase in drug misuse led to problems with addiction as people acquired a physical dependence on these substances. Gradually after taking the drug for sometime the person acquired a tolerance so needed more and more of it to achieve the same effect. They also reached a stage where cessation of the drug in their system led to unpleasant withdrawal symptons. At this stage they are said to have acquired physical dependency on the drug.
However, this is not the only form of dependence that can arise. It is also possible to acquire a psychological dependence. This can occur particularly if a drug is used to reduce anxiety and even though no physical dependence occurs, the feeling of being without anxiety is addictive which makes the drug addictive for psychological reasons.
A lot of interest has been shown by researchers concerning what, if any, personality characteristics make an individual more susceptible to become addicted to drugs. No individual personality type has been shown to predispose a person to drug misuse; however, people who score highly in tests for social conformity are less apt to misuse drugs. On the other hand, those who as children were rated by their classmates as being impulsive, inconsiderate, lacking in ambition and with poor work habits as adults were more likely to smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs than children not described as having those characteristics.
Glen Walters (1998) concurs with this conclusion. He suggests the only positive evidence he has seen relates to some forms of early anti-social behaviour that affect a person’s future chance of abusing drugs and that this is not enough to provide a conclusive link. One must however exercise caution concerning the conclusions reached from these studies as most of this research has been conducted on people with pre-existing problems. One cannot therefore be entirely certain that the characteristic did not result from the addiction.
An obvious area to consider particularly bearing in mind that the majority of drug misuse is done by the young is the influence of and relationship with parents. Glen Walters (1998) confirms this when he quotes studies that reveal children who suffered parental rejection, either physical or mental, are more likely to indulge in deviant behaviour including drug abuse.
Parents are not the only group to have a significant influence. A person’s peers can be equally important as an encouragement to misuse drugs. The more substances a person misuses, the more friends they are likely to have who misuse substances themselves. However, again, interpretation of this can be problematic. It is difficult to know if these people have more friends who misuse drugs because they have influenced them or that the explanation is that they prefer to socialise with people with ‘pastimes’ most like their own.
Walters (1998) concurs that although it appears that people are strongly influenced by thier peers, it is difficult to provide evidence...
