Submit a two page paper discussing three (3) social theories and identify Theori

Submit a two page paper discussing three (3) social theories and identify Theorist(s) that have been presented in your TEXTBOOK to explain the criminal behavior often associated with drug abuse/activity.
I submitted a portion of the chapter this paper should reference. Its copied below:
Why Do People Get High? Whether it is caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or another drug, abuse is an everyday part of our lives. So, several essential questions about drug abuse can be asked. For example, why do people willingly engage in behavior that might be dangerous, illegal, or unhealthy? Furthermore, many drugs fail to have obvious effects on the user, which makes us wonder why they are popular in the first place. For example, cigarette smokers generally do not appear to be in a state of euphoria when they smoke. The same is true for people who drink caffeine-based soft drinks. But what about harder drugs like heroin? 27We think we know why a heroin user uses the drug: for its euphoric effect. However, the initial effects of many of today’s popular drugs, like heroin, are in fact downright unpleasant. Stated differently, if 100 people were selected from the population and administered heroin, many would probably get sick and never want to see the drug again. So what’s the point of taking the drug in the first place? The same could be said for alcohol or cocaine. One’s first drink of whiskey or first experience with crack cocaine is not always pleasant. Given this premise, perhaps it is true that the more pleasant a drug’s effects are on users, the more attractive that drug is to them. However, if this is so, then why do people smoke without any noticeable effect from the nicotine? As you see, we have now come full circle in our quandary. Although numerous explanations have been offered on the subject, another glaring question still remains unanswered: is drug abuse representative of a universal human need? Some would argue that this is precisely the case, and that one of today’s great challenges is for society to develop a drug that is completely safe for recreational consumption. Although this is a controversial premise, it inspires thought. Some people are lifelong abstainers, whereas others use drugs on a regular basis. Whether it is our daily fortification of coffee, tea, or cigarettes, or a reliance on prescription painkillers or antidotes for minor ailments, some form of drug use is an everyday part of living for most Americans. Explanations for drug abuse are in constant debate. For example, some experts claim that there is a genetic basis for dependence and addiction, but others argue that it stems from a learned behavior. However, if a genetic propensity for drug abuse does exist, what created it? Alcohol abuse is a good example. Experts suggest that an insensitivity to the effects of this drug results in excessive drinking. Therefore, the insensitivity of some drinkers causes them to feel only slightly drunk when they are actually very intoxicated. As a result, they tend to drink more than others do. Some have suggested that this hypothesis extends to drug use in general. Critical Thinking Task Create the “perfect” recreational drug for American society. (Remember: your creation must be free of harmful physiological or psychological effects.) Describe its ingredients, methods of consumption, social applications, price, and method of distribution. In opposition to the genetic theory of dependence, other experts, such as Benjamin Stein, have argued that a syndrome known as the addictive personality exists.34 Under this theory, a drug user consumes drugs because the drugs help organize an otherwise disordered life. The theory suggests that drug abusers are lonely, sad, and frightened people who possess a character flaw for which drugs offer a crutch. In comparison, other experts have suggested that drug abuse is simply learned behavior whereby the abuser fails to act responsibly with the drugs that he or she abuses. 28Social explanations stress the influence of society, culture, and peers in a person’s life. Some drugs are more likely to be abused by certain classes of people; other types of drugs are more available in specific areas of a city and, therefore, are more widely abused there. In addition, it has been argued that in many social circles, it is more socially acceptable for men to drink heavily than women. In some societies, drug consumption takes place in social, religious, or family settings. In any case, social explanations should be considered along with others when searching for answers to the question of why people use drugs. The “Usefulness” of Drugs As suggested in this chapter, to best deal with this perplexing issue, it is important to abandon our stereotypes that people use drugs for their pleasurable effects. For the sake of discussion, let’s accept the proposition that people do not necessarily use a drug for its reputed pleasurable effects. Rather, let’s assume that some drugs are used because people find them useful for less exotic reasons.35 For example, hard-core heroin users generally do not use the drug for its euphoric effects, but rather to help them get through the day—to survive. The same is also true for many smokers and coffee drinkers. So, for many, drug use allows people to function on a day-to-day level. After all, the ability to perform a job successfully and receive a regular paycheck is a powerful motivator for many people. In an attempt to better understand reasons for drug use, let’s take a closer look at the reasons for wanting to alter one’s physical or mental state. Research has shown that, as a rule, people take illicit drugs for the effects they produce. These effects may include mood change, pleasure, stimulation, sedation, or enhanced physical or psychological performance. In fact, more so than for their physical results, illicit drugs are taken for their mind-altering effects. As we will discuss in this chapter, drugs such as heroin have limited accepted medical use but may be taken for the relief of pain. Others, such as stimulants and sedatives, have distinct medical applications but may be taken to produce excitement, alertness, or feelings of relaxation. Given the many different variables of human nature—personal values, morals, beliefs, habits, and lifestyles—it is logical to assume that different people use drugs for different reasons. As we will see in the “Drug Abuse Forums” section, some reasons are rational, and others are more enigmatic. The Natural High The term natural high refers to a desirable euphoric feeling naturally produced by the body. A multitude of studies by experts in social behavior suggest that people naturally want to alter their state of consciousness at certain times throughout their lives. For example, children may help illustrate the innate desire to alter consciousness by the very manner in which they play. For all their innocence, they sometimes spin themselves into dizziness or ride on the roller coaster at the local amusement park to achieve a thrill and the corresponding physical exhilaration. Many adults also enjoy adrenaline-inducing rides for the mere excitement of the experience. Such an indulgence in and of itself may raise or distort perceptions of reality while generating endocrine drug reactions, such as the production of 29adrenaline and noradrenaline. These “highs” are particularly appealing because they are produced naturally, without the interference of external chemical stimuli. However, the endocrine-producing glands in our bodies do not always produce “uppers” like adrenaline. In fact, the body also manufactures its own “downers,” such as serotonin and gamma-amino butyric acid. Chemicals such as these are called endogenous; that is, they are produced in the body. Endogenous chemicals produced by the brain and various glands change our moods and actions, and even resemble some drugs taken by people for recreational purposes. For example, a group of endogenous chemicals called endorphins, discovered in 1975, closely resemble heroin or morphine in their chemical makeup, but they are naturally produced by the human body and act to relieve pain. The Runner’s High The runner’s high is a state of euphoria that is experienced by not only runners, but also anyone engaged in a vigorous workout. It is typically characterized by an obsessive-compulsive disorder-like compulsion to exercise to the exclusion of all other activities. Boxers and bikers have reported similar states of being, as have weight lifters, cross-country skiers, and rugby players. The high itself has been described as a feeling of well-being or of being one with the world, or as a total out-of-body experience. It is typically related to longer periods of vigorous exercise rather than shorter, easier workouts, possibly due to the stress the body undergoes as the major muscle groups begin to run short on glucose. The experience of the high also seems to rely on the makeup of the individual runner: some experience it after running 5 miles, while others must run 20 before the euphoric feelings kick in. The exact mechanisms underlying the runner’s high have been debated for years. Endorphins (as discussed here) were assumed to be the basis for the good feelings associated with the runner’s high, but a variety of other chemicals have been put forth as possible causes. This debate has seemingly been brought to an end by the results of a 2008 German study of long-distance runners. The study showed that not only did periods of robust exercise produce endorphins, but also the degree of euphoria reported by the runners correlated to a surprising degree with the endorphin levels seen in their brains. In essence, the study found that the higher the endorphin levels, the greater the degree of euphoria experienced. Happy Hour The term happy hour does not refer to a reason why people become intoxicated, but rather to a social forum in which ritualistic recreational chemical use occurs in groups. Millions of people look forward to the traditional bar happy hour after a long day or week of work. The altering of one’s mental state, or “attitude adjustment,” through alcohol consumption is lawful, socially acceptable, and even commonplace. Such indulgence, however, is regulated through each state’s criminal code because of the potential for accidents or criminal behavior if drinkers become intoxicated. 30Although it is legal, alcohol can drastically change one’s psychological and physiological condition. For this reason, most states have established limits for alcohol consumption in ways such as (1) restricting where liquor can be purchased, (2) increasing penalties for driving while under the influence (of alcohol and illicit drugs alike), (3) establishing special criminal provisions for crimes committed while intoxicated, (4) criminalizing the transportation of liquor out of bars in groups, and (5) regulating open liquor containers in motor vehicles. Medicinal Use Ingesting “harder” and more dangerous drugs under certain circumstances is lawful if prescribed by a medical practitioner who has identified a physical or psychological requirement for such medication. Morphine, for example, is a dangerous and highly addictive narcotic drug, but when taken under a doctor’s supervision, it can be an extremely effective painkiller during surgery and recovery. The lawful distribution of dangerous drugs mandates their legal manufacture by legitimate pharmaceutical companies. The highly controlled circumstances in the manufacturing, distribution, and storage of dangerous substances will be discussed at greater length in Chapter 5. Religious Use Although some modern-day religions incorporate mind-altering substances such as wine in their ceremonies, few religions condone using enough of the substance for participants to become intoxicated. Exceptions to this rule, however, exist in certain cultures. For example, since the 1700s, North American Indian cultures have used peyote cactus, which produces a psychoactive drug, in religious ceremonies. Eating or smoking peyote was embraced in elaborate ancient ceremonies as a means to gain “oneness” with the spirits and with nature. Today, peyote use by Native American Church members is legal in the United States under a specific exemption under law. This exemption from federal criminalization is as old as the origin of federal law creating peyote-related offenses. The law has been codified as a statute under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, and it was made part of the common law in Peyote Way Church of God v. Thornburgh (1991); it is also in administrative law in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 21 CFR 1307.31, which deals with “special exempt persons”: Section 1307.31 Native American Church. The listing of peyote as a controlled substance in Schedule I does not apply to the nondrug use of peyote in bona fide religious ceremonies of the Native American Church, and members of the Native American Church so using peyote are exempt from registration. Any person who manufactures peyote for or distributes peyote to the Native American Church, however, is required to obtain registration annually and to comply with all other requirements of law. Ironically, those Indian cultures that embrace the use of peyote in their religious practices also consider alcohol a curse. In a similar vein, followers of traditional Coptic Christianity, whose most recognizable United States denomination is the Rastafarians, use marijuana in their religious observations in much the same way other churches use wine. 31To Alter Moods and Metabolism When people are depressed, anxious, or bored, it is reasonable for them to desire a change in their mental state. Drugs are sometimes used both legally and illegally to create a shift in personality, attitude, and mood. Such measures might include the consumption of stimulants (uppers), depressants (downers), or even psychoactive drugs (hallucinogens that are either organic or clandestinely manufactured). In those cases in which the undesirable mood is due to a natural physiological chemical imbalance, physicians may lawfully prescribe certain drugs to help offset the body’s chemical deficiencies. Excessive use of Valium and Librium, for example, was common in the 1950s to uplift a patient’s depressed feelings. These drugs were commonly prescribed because most doctors believed they were safe. In reality, not only can the drugs be dangerous by themselves, but also they can be particularly dangerous if combined with other drugs. Polydrug use is common in situations in which drug users ingest amphetamines in the morning as a “pick-me-up,” and then take barbiturates in the evening to help “wind down.” This creates a classic abuse cycle in which one type of drug is required to counteract another. Another common example of polydrug use, particularly among people taking depressants for medical purposes, is combining barbiturates and tranquilizers with alcohol, a combination that heightens inebriation and is potentially deadly. To Inspire Creativity Throughout the years, musicians, poets, and novelists have hailed the effects of certain drugs that supposedly promote creativity. Many artists have believed that drugs (often those belonging to the hallucinogen family) can release inhibitions and unleash the creative thought process. These individuals include American short-story writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), who had a weakness for laudanum (tincture of opium); British writer Aldous Huxley (1894–1963), who experimented extensively with mescaline in the 1950s (and was quoted as stating that “pharmacology antedated agriculture”); the nineteenth-century author Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894), who indulged in ether; and popular comedian Lenny Bruce (1926–1966), whose physical addiction to morphine ultimately cost him his life.
Book info: “Drugs in Society
Causes, Concepts, and Control
Eighth Edition
Michael D. Lyman”