| The Street Addict Role: A Theory of Heroin Addiction Contributor(s): Stephens, Richard C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0791406202 ISBN-13: 9780791406205 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $33.20 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 1991 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Self-help | Substance Abuse & Addictions - Drugs - Social Science | Sociology - General |
| Dewey: 362.293 |
| LCCN: 90-39205 |
| Series: Suny Series, the New Inequalities |
| Physical Information: (0.74 lbs) 223 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book provides a new answer to the question, Why do people use heroin and other street drugs? Drawing upon a growing body of studies of drug users conducted by sociologists and anthropologists, it attempts to integrate their findings into a theoretically unified sociocultural explanation of heroin use. The theory, which draws heavily upon the insights of symbolic interactionist and role theory, posits that there is a street subculture of heroin users. The chief role in this subculture -- the street addict role -- becomes a blueprint for living for many heroin users. Addicts are heavily committed to this role and organize their behavior and self-identification around it. From this basic starting point, the theory explains how persons become and remain addicts and how they may eventually give up addictive behavior. |
