67 The Effects of Drugs in STS

Introduction

Illegal drugs have impacted society, science, and technology in many ways. The effects on society are ruthless, but the advancements of science and technology have made it easier to detect these illegal substances and expand treatment options for substance users. As more and more people are introduced to illegal substances, it is important to know how it has changed technology, implemented science, and impacted the people around us. Throughout this chapter, the science behind factors influencing drug use and reasons why, the categories of effects, and ways technology has improved and deteriorated drug use will be discussed.

Connection to STS

Illegal substances are connected to every part of STS. The societal effects are what people are most familiar with. Two of the most alarming societal issues around drug use is the decreasing age of first-time users and the negative drug stigma. Those that use are referred to as druggies, worthless, addicts, a waste of time, and hopeless. As a society that should be supporting them and helping them, we have pushed drug users away by giving them no support and calling them terrible names. As a way of attempting to improve the stigma around drug use, people are starting to rename one’s “addiction” or “problem” as a substance use disorder. However, STS isn’t just about society. Science and technology intertwine and have affected the drug industry tremendously. Science is used for drug research, making treatment options, and learning about how drugs affect others. Technological uses that involve substance use includes selling/transportation of drugs, finding ways to decrease use, improving communication, etc. Throughout the rest of the chapter, these connections will be explained.

What Influences Drug Use

According to the book, Drugs Across the Spectrum, there are 3 main influences of drug use. These influences/factors include individual, interpersonal, and institutional. Almost all influencers can fall under these categories (Goldberg, 2023).

Individual factors include one’s genetic makeup, attitudes, coping skills, etc. Genetics is a main influence in individual factors of drug use. In addition to a parents’ relationship with drugs, the traits they pass down to their children can also influence drug use. Those who have parents with substance disorders also tend to have addictive personalities. Therefore, they are at higher risk of using drugs. There is also a connection between personality and drug use. The 4 most related personality traits with drug use are rebelliousness, delinquency, psychopathology, and impulsivity (Brook et al. 2001). These negative personality traits are associated with drug users, especially adolescents.

Interpersonal factors include relationships with close friends, family, peers, etc. Although many people say that drug use is always “a person’s choice”, it is not as simple as it seems. A major influence of drug use is your relationship with your family, and if they have been involved in drug use. Those that are in healthy relationships and have good communication with their family members tend to steer away from drugs. Those that were in abusive households, neglected, or high-drug activity neighborhoods are at greater risk to take drugs. Also, parents that struggle with substance use are associated with lack of parenting skills, housing insecurity, and neglecting their children (Goldberg, 2023). Also, according to the article, Adolescents who used illegal drugs, as compared to those who did not, were 3x as likely to have family members who had problems with illegal drug use (Brook et al. 2001).

Institutional factors include things that promote/constrict health. A popular institutional factor, and hard to control for younger users, is your location. Being in a known drug neighborhood gives one easier access, more exposure/comfortability, and encourages drug normality. According to a survey conducted on over 200 kids, most of those that live in high-activity neighborhoods for drug abuse say that it is almost unavoidable (Mcintosh et al. 2005). Referring back to the stigma paragraph earlier, many see no hope for these areas of high drug activity, and they tend to have less maintenance and access to sports, clubs, and life outside of their neighborhood. Therefore, these kids are often bored, and their go-to solution is often drugs, like everyone else they are surrounded by. Things that could promote health in these areas are playgrounds, club sports/teams, counseling, and religious meetings.

In addition to these main influential factors, there is another influencer that plays a major role in teenagers. Peer pressure/peer influence happens when someone feels pressured to fit in or is coerced into doing what others are doing, directly or indirectly. During the teenage years, we go through a lot of changes. One of them is shifting our focus from our own/our parents’ opinions to our peers. We start to care more about what we look like and what others are doing in order to try and “find a sense of belonging” (Goldberg, 2023). During high school and college, partying is looked at as a popular social gathering, and most adolescents strive to be popular and liked. Also, according to a survey of adolescents, the best way to resist drug use is to be associated with non-drug users, which eliminates the opportunities of peer pressure.

REASONS TO USE

There can be many influencers of drugs, however that does not guarantee drug use. There have to be reasons why one might have a substance use disorder. Some of the most common ones are stress management, boredom, experimentation or curiosity, and enjoyment.

Stress comes from a multitude of things and comes in different amplitudes depending on the person. Those that cope with stress by using substances often do so because of academics/job and familial struggles. For people, academics and jobs are a major stress trigger in our lives. They both can be a career, take a lot of time and effort, and determine our future. This amount of pressure causes stress in our lives, which as humans, we try to get rid of. Substance users turn to drugs because of immediacy, which is needing something to get done fast. In these cases, using substances can be a quick and easy fix to stress. Using substances for stress immediacy can be identified as a circumstantial-situational pattern (Goldberg, 2023). Basically, the more stress one might have, or think they have, the higher urge to use substances. This is most common in adults (Goldberg, 2023). Although academics can be a stressor for drug use, drug use also has an effect on academics. Out of those that cope with illegal drug use, they were 2x more likely to drop out compared to non-users (reasons why).

One of the most popular reasons to use, especially among adolescents, is due to boredom. Using substances creates a surreal experience, often seen as entertaining or enjoyable to younger audiences. According to Drugs Across the spectrum, ¼ of highschoolers participate in drug use because they are bored. Referring back to the partying environment, using drugs in a “party” setting helps those be more social, be relaxed, have a good laugh, and makes you feel happy (Mcintosh et al. 2005). Another reason why they may be used for teenage entertainment is because drugs/alcohol can be seen as more rewarding. (Goldberg, 2023). The minds of adolescents are underdeveloped and hyper-sensitive. Therefore, substances will have different effects on younger audiences compared to adults. To adolescents, the effects of drugs are more positive and enhanced compared to adults. In fact, 49% of high schoolers use drugs because “it feels good” (Goldberg, 2023).

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Many people use drugs for the first time because they want to see what it is like. They all have similar questions like why are other people doing this? What is this? What does this do? This category consists of the one or few-time users, who genuinely just wanted to see what it does. This usage normally doesn’t come from peer-pressure or triggers, considering these people only use a handful of times. On a survey out of 52 children, the majority of them (28) used it because they were curious and didn’t try it again (Mcintosh et al. 2005). If you think about it, a child’s curiosity of drugs can be sparked in elementary school. Raising awareness about “say no to drugs” and things like red ribbon week can cause curiosity in kids. Although for the right reasons, no matter how much you can tell someone no, it doesn’t guarantee anything. Also, through the rise of social media, kids are introduced to violence, drugs, sex, and alcohol earlier than older generations. They are more familiar with these substances, see others use it, (like in movies and videos) and think it is okay for them to (Goldberg, 2023).

The health Effects of Drug use

In STS, there is a lot that can affect a society. A society is a group of people that have a connection, like a community. Where we live, what we do, and what we contribute all affect society. The effects of illegal drug use are detrimental and widespread to people in a society. The short-term effects vary depending on what type of substance you take. The 3 most common types of drugs are depressants, stimulants, and opioids (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023). Depressants can make someone feel drowsy, decreased coordination, less stimulated, and have altered perceptions. Depressants include drugs like alcohol, Xanax, and tranquilizers. Stimulants do the opposite of depressants. They make someone feel “happy” or energized, less hungry, more confident, and alert/awake (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023). Stimulants include drugs like cocaine, meth, and nicotine. Opioids are different than stimulants and depressants. Their job is to relieve pain and release dopamine, which is a chemical in the body that causes happiness (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023). Opioids make someone “feel good”. Opioids include oxycodone, heroin, and fentanyl. Although it depends on the drug, some common effects are anxiety, increased heart rate/blood pressure and euphoria. Also, all of these drugs have a “crash” or “come down” period that can leave people worse off than before they took the drug. This crash consists of extreme depression, confusion, fatigue, nausea, and headaches. Although drugs can provide a temporary relief, the downsides outweigh the good effects (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2023).

According to the book, Drugs Across the Spectrum, some of the physical effects of any type of long-term drug use include violence, physical dependency, physical strains, and even death (Goldberg, 2023). Physical dependency is described as what happens when the drug is taken away, which can also be called withdrawal. The body has gotten so used to the drug, that it messes up its function without it. A person may be extremely agitated, nervous, nauseated, etc. Physical strain can be described as the chronic pain conditions associated from drug use/abuse. Some users develop diseases (especially those who smoke things), chronic back pain or headaches, and disorders. These are mostly long-term effects of drug use. Most physical effects can be simplified for drug use. As stated, most have headaches, withdrawals, euphoria, etc. However, mental effects are different from person to person. Another effect of drug use is higher incarceration rates. Although arrest isn’t a bodily effect, those that use drugs tend to have higher crime/arrest rates (Caulkins, 2009).

The mental health of a person is what keeps one stable. When the mind is influenced by drugs, everything can change. The mental effects include mental strains, financial hardships, academic hardships (for students), depression, and addiction. Those who take drugs tend to intentionally, or unintentionally, stray away from family and friends. Pushing people away while also having depression alters one’s mental health. In fact, one of the biggest reasons why people continue to use drugs is the psychological dependency (Goldberg, 2023). Financial hardships are very common among those who have substance use disorders. Many people tend to abuse their money, spend it rapidly, and contribute most of their money to supporting their drug use. As stated earlier, drugs are very easy to become mentally dependent on. A lot of times, people begin to feel like it is “the only thing there for them” or it is the only thing that can bring them happiness. Therefore, addiction is very easy to form. Lastly, using drugs and academics have a very negative relationship. The detention/drop out rates increase, test scores drop, and motives/drives for school decrease (Goldberg, 2023).

The mental and physical effects of drugs can also affect the relationships in the users’ life. Drugs can cause bad relationships with work, family, and friends. Obviously, using illegal substances at most businesses/jobs are prohibited. Therefore, one could get fired and lose their source of income. However, if no one knows, some signs of drug use are increased absences, less accountability, and decreased productivity. Also, if someone gets arrested, they could have a drug charge on their record and become less appealing to businesses when hiring. As stated above, family is one of the biggest influences on drug use. However, it is also affected the most by drugs. Family relationships tend to be strained when finding out a loved one is using. Although their relationship may be healthy, it is a tough situation to navigate. According to a study of almost 3,000 adolescents and their immediate families, a positive mother-child relationship decreases the chance of drug use (Brook et al. 2001). Also, maternal satisfaction from the child can serve as a buffer on drug use. Lastly, the use of drugs also impacts friend relationships. Depending on the situation, using drugs can break trust, reliability, and cause more arguments. The use of drugs can end a life-long friendship easily (Brook et al. 2001).

TECHNOLOGICAL USES

Technology in STS is limitless. When we think of technology, most people think of inventions and digital devices. However, technology is anything that can advance (or hurt) our way of living. Therefore, an important part of technology in the effects of drug use is how it is distributed. Distribution involves ways of transporting and selling things, which is a technological use. The most common form of distribution is selling in person. As said above, there are areas in our community that are known for high-drug activity. This can include selling, advertising, and even making substances in neighborhoods. Another way that technology influences people is how it is advertised. Although tobacco and nicotine are legal drugs, they are made to look appealing so people buy them. For example, e-cigarettes used to be advertised as “better for your health”. E-cigarettes, packaged in bright colors and flavors, are made to interest younger audiences as well (Goldberg, 2023).

Another form of distribution is across seas. After 110 interviews of incarcerated drug smugglers, ¾ of them used courier-based operations (Caulkins, 2009). A courier is a person/people who conceal drugs while traveling among the general public. Their job is to blend in and not be suspicious. The two types of “courier operations” or type of transport are by airline and by ferries. An airline courier operation is the most simple, easiest to conceal, and has the least amount of barriers before the final destination (Caulkins, 2009). However, as technology and security in airlines increase, courier operations are starting to become more risky. The second most common type is couriers by ferry. The only concern with this type of transportation is that it will cost the courier more money. Although they have less eyes on them and more places to conceal drugs, they have to pay for gas/tickets out of pocket. Other options of distribution require more time and effort; however the risks are lower. These include using lorry drivers, intermingling drugs with legitimate commerce, mailing drugs, and smuggling via boats between ports (Caulkins, 2009). By using lorry drivers, there would be “dummy trucks” that have drivers known for drug activity. They would come late at night and distract officers so that drivers with the real drugs would look less suspicious. Although mixing drugs and commerce together may seem risky, through this technique, one organization actually imported about ½ of total estimated UK heroin consumption at one point (Caulkins, 2009). Mailing drugs has also become a popular distribution tactic. By shipping directly to consumers, they get the product faster. Also, if multiple packages were coming to one location, it would look sketchy.

As technology has advanced, many things have shifted to being online. Education, Occupations, shopping, etc. can all be done online in today’s society. This can also include drug operations. When doing virtual drug deals, it decreases the chance of being busted by cops, it is more convenient, and easier to talk to consumers. When dealing online, the websites are harder to shut down. A website that delivered straight to your door, called silk road, was introduced in 2011. After 2 years, it was shut down. However, silk 2.0 was introduced months later (Hawdon, et al. 2002). Although drug operations were familiar with being online, after COVID hit, everyone became familiar with operating virtually. Before COVID, between 2011-2017 drug sales reached about $80 million a year online. Between 2018-2020, drug sales reached a total of $315 million a year (Hawdon, et al. 2002). People were more likely to buy online than face to face. Another advantage of online technology is social media. By using media like Facebook, messenger, and Instagram, people all over the world are able to connect with each other. In 2021, On average, it took just 2 clicks to be connected with a drug dealer, due to the algorithm of making it easier to search/find local dealers (Goldberg, 2023).

Treatment and alternatives

Contrary to popular belief, there are multiple “treatment” options. Treatment is in quotation marks because addiction is something that you are never fully treated for. It is an active battle everyday. However, treatments are just things you can do to make it easier. The most common, and probably one of the most expensive, is an inpatient/residential rehab facility. During this rehab, patients are able to stay 24 hours, have supervised treatments, and live with others that are struggling as well. During the first few weeks of rehab, people go through detoxification. The main goal is to stabilize and become comfortable with patients who are going through withdrawals. After detoxification, they go to weekly, if not daily, meetings to help take steps towards sobriety. These steps can be described as the 12 step-facilitation (Miller, 2023). Patients make care plans with other peers in order to help for accountability and support. Although rehab can be an effective treatment option, there are therapies that can help.

Therapy can be an essential tool for rehab because it aims to mentally stabilize someone, help them stay healthy, and makes patients strong enough to resist temptations in the real world. A popular therapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The purpose of this therapy is to teach patients how to navigate negative, recurring thoughts in order to change their behaviors. This therapy helps with developing healthy coping mechanisms, identifying risky situations, and prevention of relapse (Miller, 2023). Another therapy that is effective is contingency management. It reinforces the positive things about sobriety by presenting awards, like sobriety chips. This method results in a reduction in the 2 biggest issues of treatment: dropping out and relapsing (Miller, 2023). There are even therapies that help those with mental health diseases more, like dialectical behavioral therapy. It helps patients learn how to regulate their emotions in order to reduce self-destructing behaviors. Although therapy can be expensive, it is normally cheaper than rehab and it gives others another option.

In addition to therapy and rehab, there are alternatives. These are not technically treatment options, but they do help relieve stress, produce serotonin, and it keeps the mind busy (Miller, 2023). These alternatives are also very cheap, which is good for those that are on budget. Exercise is a great stress reliever and it is good for your physical health. Meditation relaxes the mind and body, and also gives yourself a minute to “cool down”. Yoga can keep you distracted, and it is also good for flexibility. You can also do yoga with animals, which is proven to keep you more engaged and happier (Miller, 2023).

CONCLUSION

The impact of illegal drugs on society, science, and technology is extensive and diverse. The societal effects of the negative drug stigma contribute to a never-ending hopeless cycle for those struggling with substance use. This doesn’t affect just the users, but the families and communities, relationships, education, and overall well-being. However, advancements in science and technology help dismantle this perception of substance users by providing tools for detection, treatment, and understanding of the complex factors influencing drug use. In order to help those in need and spread awareness, we have to step up. By dismantling stigmas, promoting understanding, and leveraging advancements in science and technology, we can create a healthier, happier, and more supportive society.

Chapter Questions

1. What is the consistent use of drugs referred to in modern-day times?
   1. Substance Abuse Disorder
   2. Substance Use Disorder
   3. Substance Dependence
   4. Addiction
2.  Which one of these is not a main influential factor of drugs?
   1.  Individual
   2. Interpersonal
   3.  Community
   4. Peer Influence
3. What is the circumstantial-use pattern of drugs?
   1. The use of drugs for stress immediacy
   2. The use of drugs around certain people
   3. The use of drugs periodically
   4. The use of drugs only in party settings
4.  What is one of the biggest reasons people continue to use drugs?
   1. Stress Management
   2. Boredom
   3. Experimentation
   4. Psychological Dependency
5. What is the most frequently used type of distribution?
   1. Couriers
   2. In person
   3. Online
   4. Mailing
6. Which of these treatments options reduces the 2 biggest issues/roadblocks in recovery?
   1. Inpatient rehab
   2. Dialectal Behavioral Therapy
   3. Medications
   4. Contingence Management Therapy

AI use disclosure

I used ChatGPT for an outline of my chapter and used it as a guide to form paragraphs and transition from one paragraph to another.

chatGPT. (2023) chatGPT (beta version) [Large Language Model]. ChatGPT (openai.com)

REFERENCES

Alcohol and Drug Foundation. 2023. Drug Facts. Alcohol and Drug Foundation. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/. 

Brook, J. S., Brook, D. W., De La Rosa, M., Whiteman, M., Johnson, E., & Montoya, I. (2001). Adolescent illegal drug use: The impact of personality, family, and environmental factors. Journal of Behavioral Medicine,  24(2), 183-203. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010714715534

Caulkins, J. (2009). “How illegal drugs enter an island country: insights from interviews with incarcerated smugglers”. Global Crime: Illegal Markets and the Economics of Organized Crime, (10) 69-93,https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17440570902782477

Goldberg, R. (2023). Drugs Across the Spectrum. Cengage Learning. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=EhqjEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=illicit+drugs+and+effects+on+society&ots=X7F6e1w310&sig=tC45b_ooK7ZQq3nzcUNI-ZaRlGk#v=onepage&q=illicit%20drugs%20and%20effects%20on%20society&f=false

Hawdon, J., Parti, K., & Dearden, T. (2022). “Changes in Online Illegal Drug Buying during COVID-19: Assessing Effects due to a Changing Market or Changes in Strain using a Longitudinal Sample Design”. American journal of criminal justice, 47(4) 712–734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-022-09698-1

Mclntosh, J., MacDonald, F., & McKegany, N. (2005). “The reasons why children in their pre and early teenage years do or do not use illegal drugs”. International Journal of Drug Policy. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395905000757

Miller, L. (2023). Substance Abuse Treatment Types & Therapy Programs. American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment

IMAGES CITED