Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives [Hardcover]

Russil Durrant (Author), Jo Thakker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0761923411 | ISBN-13: 978-0761923411 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book takes an integrative approach to the understanding of drug use and its relationship to social-cultural factors. It is lucidly and powerfully argued and constitutes a significant achievement. The authors sensibly argue that in order to fully understand and explain drug use and abuse it is necessary to take into account different levels of analysis, reflecting distinct domains of human functioning; the biological, psychosocial, and cultural-historical….Overall, this book represents an exceptional achievement and should be of interest to drug clinicians and researcher as well as social scientists and students.

(Professor Tony Ward )

"In Substance Use and Abuse, Durrant and Thakker present a detailed history of drug use over time to support the need for developing a broader understand of substance use that takes into account cultural and historical perspective. This book is a thought-provoking and much needed addition to the vast literature on drugs, drug use, and drug policy. The information in this book contributes to what is known by examining substance use through historical and cultural perspectives, providing readers with a detailed ride through the history of drug use over time throughout various societies and cultures. By documenting how specific forms of substance use emerged and re-emerged, how public perceptions and policy responses change over time, and how social attitudes about drugs are subject to public interpretation and influenced by a number of diverse cultural, political, and historical factors, a strong case for examining and understanding drug use through both historical and cultural perspectives is made." (Rashi K. Shukla )

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (April 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761923411
• ISBN-13: 978-0761923411
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,916,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written textbook on substance use and abuse, January 29, 2012

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millefeuille07 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives (Paperback)

This book "Substance Use and Abuse: Cultural and Historical Perspectives" was a mandatory textbook in a public health course I took. This book covered many important aspects of substance abuse, not only in the United States, but also around the world through time. Overall I thought it was a well-written textbook and appropriate for use in a graduate level class.