The Street Addict Role

A Theory of Heroin Addiction

von Richard C. Stephens

223 Seiten, Hardcover

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

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.

• Reihe: SUNY Press
• ISBN: 9780791406199
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 03.07.1991
• Größe: 235 x 159 mm
• Verlag: State University of New York Press