A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR. An undercover investigation into the synthetic-drug epidemic. A new group of chemicals is radically transforming the recreational-drug landscape. Known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS), they range from so-called 'legal highs' like Spice, to synthetic opioids - most famously, the deadly fentanyl. Designed to replicate the effects of established drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, and heroin, NPS are synthesised in laboratories. They are cheap to produce and easy to transport. They are also extremely potent and often deadly. Originally developed for medicinal purposes, and then hijacked by rogue chemists, who change their molecular structures to stay ahead of the law, these chemicals' effects can be impossible to predict. What we do know is that they have triggered the biggest drug epidemic that America has ever seen, and which is now spreading internationally. In Fentanyl, Inc., award-winning journalist Ben Westhoff goes undercover to investigate the shadowy world of synthetic drugs - becoming, in the process, the first journalist to infiltrate a Chinese fentanyl lab. He tracks down the drug baron in New Zealand who unintentionally helped to start the synthetic-drug revolution; prowls St. Louis streets with a former fentanyl dealer to understand how the epidemic started; and chronicles the lives of addicts and dealers, families of victims, law enforcement officers, and underground drug-awareness organisers in the US and Europe. Fentanyl, Inc. is essential reading on a global calamity we are only just beginning to understand.

This book explores the outcomes of Sweden's aim to create a 'drug-free society' on the lived realities, health, and welfare of people who use drugs, and on the dynamics of Swedish drug use. Drawing on a wealth of empirical data, including extensive interview testimony and participant observation from years of fieldwork conducted in Sweden, the book debunks the widely-believed myth that Sweden is a progressive, liberal, inclusive state. In contrast to its liberal reputation, Sweden has criminalised the use of drugs and allows for compulsory treatment for those with drug dependencies. The work argues that Swedish law and policy cannot be demonstrated to have decreased drug use as intended, with the law used instead as a means with which to displace people who use drugs from public spaces in Sweden's cities. And where the law has failed in its ambition to decrease drug use, Swedish law and policy have increased and exacerbated the problems, dangers, and harms that can be associated with it. People who use drugs in Sweden experience considerable and endemic difficulties with health, violence, abuse, and social exclusion, stigma, and discrimination as a result of Sweden's drug laws, policies, and discourses.

Drawing together international research from the fields of geography, alcohol studies, sociology, psychology and childhood studies, Jayne and Valentine explore children's understandings and experiences of alcohol consumption and the role of alcohol in family life. Chapters address both extra-familialnorms about parenting and drinking cultures which are generated in wider society (through law/regulation, media/advertising and social networks etc.) and intra-familialnorms including the modelling behaviour of family members attitudes to alcohol, drinking habits and practices, rules and guidance, and initiating children to drinking. Based on empirical research undertaken in the UK, and drawing on studies from around the world, Childhood, Family, Alcohol advances theoretical debates and offers insights relevant to policy and practice by: * adopting a cross-generational perspective on drinking cultures * exploring pre-teen children's understandings of alcohol * focusing on the significance of the spaces of everyday family life * considering adult alcohol consumption, drinking practices and drunken performativities * reflecting on social/individualized consumption, social reproduction, adult-children interaction and materialities * showing the importance of non-(and more-than) representational understanding of the complexities of childhood, family life and alcohol consumption.

Here in one volume is a compilation of cutting-edge research in the field of drug abuse research with specific ethnic-minority groups. This book suggests effective ways to conduct research and enhance research opportunities with such groups. Ethnic and Multicultural Drug Abuse includes summaries of ethnic-minority drug abuse literature and identifies knowledge gaps, highlighting areas in need of more research. The authors, most from African-American, American Indian, Asian Pacific-American, or Hispanic backgrounds, discuss topics related to the research development process, report research findings, and make research recommendations for African-Americans. They cover drug abuse research issues existing mainly among Asian Pacific-Americans and Hispanics and drug use patterns among a sample of American Indian youth and Alaskan youth. Throughout the book, informative chapters present guidelines for preparing competitive research proposals focus on studies of the major ethnic-minority groups examine adolescents and the homeless discuss theory and development provide extensive bibliographies for continuing research and studyAn excellent guide for facilitating the organization of a drug abuse research project emphasizing ethnic-minority issues, this much-needed book is a welcome resource for all professionals coping with the on-going struggle against drug abuse. It is a state-of-the-art book, full of helpful, practical information for counselors, researchers in the fields of mental health, drugs, and alcohol, and policy planners and administrators in the substance abuse field. Not only a guide and inspiration to persons contemplating a career in drug abuse research, Ethnic and Multicultural Drug Use serves as a useful training tool to assist in educating prospective drug abuse researchers at the graduate and upper level undergraduate levels.

An up-to-date consideration of women who are plagued by crack cocaine addiction, Crack Cocaine, Crime, and Women provides integral information on the legal, lifestyle, and treatment issues specific to these drug addicts. Author Sue Mahan discusses the divergent perspectives surrounding the controversial status of these women and offers insight into their tormented reality. In a clear and practical manner, Mahan examines the common patterns of crack-addicted women and the implications for policy and practice. This informative volume also addresses the tragic consequences of children born to addicted mothers and stresses the need for policies and resources that support their well-being. Crack Cocaine, Crime, and Women offers a broad and informed perspective on the problem of crack-addicted women for a wide range of urban human service professionals, including counselors, social workers, law enforcement personnel, public health professionals, women's services providers, criminal justice professionals, and advanced students preparing to work in these fields.

Europeans constitute twelve and a half percent of the world's population but consume fifty percent of the recorded world production of alchohol. The role of alcohol-- sometimes social, sometimes ceremonial--plays a significant role in the cultural, religious and social identities of these countries. The majority of studies on alcohol have ignored the importance of cultural variation.
In "Alcohol, Gender and Culture," the contributors show how different groups define the proper use of alcohol, how state policies may affect drinking behavior, highlighting how beverages and combustibles must be seen in relation to each other. From this it is shown how important socio-cultural distinctions are made between and within ethnic groups, socio-economic groups, genders and religious ideologies. What one drinks, how one drinks, with whom, and where all influence not only how alcoholic substances are perceived, but how social relations are experienced as well.
"Alcohol, Gender and Culture" presents material from Greece, Spain, France, Hungary, Sweden and Ireland to show how the social construction of drinking may provide an analytical tool with which to approach different socio-cultural groups. The contributors demonstrate how any cultural group can be compared to another through its attitudes to alcohol. "Alcohol, Gender and Culture" is an invaluable reading for students and scholars of anthropology, cultural history and gender studies.

Adolescence is a turbulent period, a time when young people are particularly prone to risky behaviour, such as drug use and unprotected sex. Risk Takers provides a comprehensive view of youthful involvement with drinking, smoking, illicit drug use, and sexual activity. In particular, the authors explore the evidence linking alcohol, drug use, disinhibition and risky sex. They discuss these issues in relation to evidence suggesting that some forms of risk-taking are interconnected. Though some young people are especially prone to take risks due to poverty and social advantage, the authors emphasize that risk-taking is commonplace adolescent behaviour, difficult to restrain or curb. They remind us that past attempts to reduce youthful alcohol and drug misuse have produced disappointing results, and they also point out that most young people have not modified their sexual behaviour in the light of the risks of AIDS. Risk-taking is unlikely to be prevented by mass media campaigns or bland slogans such as Just Say No. The authors examine the effectiveness of preventive strategies and public policy and emphasize the importance of harm-minimization strategies.

Adolescence is a turbulent period, a time when young people are particularly prone to risky behaviour, such as drug use and unprotected sex. Risk Takers provides a comprehensive view of youthful involvement with drinking, smoking, illicit drug use, and sexual activity. In particular, the authors explore the evidence linking alcohol, drug use, disinhibition and risky sex. They discuss these issues in relation to evidence suggesting that some forms of risk-taking are interconnected. Though some young people are especially prone to take risks due to poverty and social advantage, the authors emphasize that risk-taking is commonplace adolescent behaviour, difficult to restrain or curb. They remind us that past attempts to reduce youthful alcohol and drug misuse have produced disappointing results, and they also point out that most young people have not modified their sexual behaviour in the light of the risks of AIDS. Risk-taking is unlikely to be prevented by mass media campaigns or bland slogans such as Just Say No. The authors examine the effectiveness of preventive strategies and public policy and emphasize the importance of harm-minimization strategies.

The "war on drugs" has traditionally held total abstinence as its target. The contributors to this book argue that abstinence is not the only solution. They believe that existing methods of treatment and control have been inadequate in controlling or improving drug problems and they propose a radical alternative: reducing the harm associated with the use of illicit drugs. International in scope, the book covers a broad range of drugs, and of social and individual problems. The spread of HIV infection, which has been described as a greater threat to individual and public health than drug misuse is also considered. The contributors give an overview of the current theories and practices that have helped to minimize the harmful effects of drugs and describe national and city-level strategies towards drug problems. They also cover the drug policies of several agencies and organizations world-wide, including police, doctors, community groups and local authorities. This book should be of interest to professionals and students of social policy and criminology, policy-makers, local governments and health professionals.

Welcome to the city shadows in Valdemingomez: a lawless landscape of drugs and violence. Through vivid testimonies and images, Briggs and Monge tell the stories of the people who live there, placing them in a political, economic and social context of spatial inequality and oppressive mechanisms of social control.

The drug trade is a growth industry in most major American cities, fueling devastated inner-city economies with revenues in excess of $100 billion. In this timely volume, Sam Staley provides a detailed, in-depth analysis of the consequences of current drug policies, focusing on the relationship between public policy and urban economic development and on how the drug economy has become thoroughly entwined in the urban economy.

The black market in illegal drugs undermines essential institutions necessary for promoting long-term economic growth, including respect for civil liberties, private property, and nonviolent conflict resolution. Staley argues that America's cities can be revitalized only through a major restructuring of the urban economy that does not rely on drug trafficking as a primary source of employment and income-the inadvertent outcome of current prohibitionist policy. Thus comprehensive decriminalization of the major drugs (marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) is an important first step toward addressing the economic and social needs of depressed inner cities.

Staley demonstrates how decriminalization would refocus public policy on the human dimension of drug abuse and addiction, acknowledge that the cities face severe development problems that promote underground economic activity, and reconstitute drug policy on principles consistent with limited government as embodied in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Designed to cross disciplinary boundaries, Staley's provocative analysis will be essential reading for urban policymakers, sociologists, economists, criminologists, and drug-treatment specialists.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book is written by a New York City clinican who has worked with hundreds of crack cocaine patients individually and in group contexts. Drawing on her firsthand experience, Dr Barbara Wallace presents a practical treatment approach that was developed for crack patients but is generally applicable to chemical dependency problems. The first half of the book explains the social, biological and psychological factors in crack addiction and the various barriers to treatment and reviews clinically relevant theoretical issues. The second half of the book presents specific clinical techniques for assessment and treatment. After describing the treatments that work and those that hold promise, Dr. Wallace details techniques for the assessment phase, including elements of an effective clinical interview and strategies for engaging the ambivalent crack addict in treatment. The author also recommends techniques to help crack patients avoid relapse, examines the process of relapse in crack patients and explains the need for a multifaceted strategy to address the multideterminants of relapse.

Treating Drug Abusers provides a clear, practical guide to current approaches in the treatment of drug-taking. Written by practitioners for practitioners, it takes a psychological perspective to the problem. The authors include detailed case studies of particular treatments, focusing on, among other things, relapse and its prevention, family therapy, and the transmission of the HIV virus.

Although the media focus on the rise of cocaine use and the evils of its abuse, the public receives little real information about the scope of the problem and its treatment. This timely, practical, and honest volume gets to the heart of the cocaine addiction problem. Cocaine Solutions not only addresses the difficulties experienced by addicts and their families in coping with the devastating financial, emotional, and psychological toll that addiction takes, it also identifies specific sources of help that exist for addicts and their families. Both recovered drug addicts themselves, the authors discuss some of the obstacles to recovery and the ways to overcome them. Cocaine Solutions includes the stories of recovering addicts to illustrate firsthand what addicts'lives are like, giving you a better understanding of the people who are afflicted with the disease of addiction. This important book is required reading for a wide audience--cocaine addicts, potential addicts, the families of addicted or potentially addicted persons, professionals who see addiction daily in their patients, and anyone who is interested in the problem of cocaine addiction.

Using narrative accounts from a sample of 69 New York City-based musicians of various genres who are self-acknowledged heroin users, the book addresses the reasons why these musicians started using heroin and the impact heroin had on these musicians' playing, creativity, and careers.

Assesses the information on drinking casualties - the victims of accidents, poisonings and violence - and how it can be used to develop preventative policies and programmes. This book should be of interest to health planners, policy makers, professionals and students of medical sociology.

Discover fresh perspectives on alcoholism treatment and research with this enlightening new book describing the work of researchers at the Novosibirsk Medical Institute, USSR. By using specific examples of their studies in Siberia, the reserachers offer an innovative approach to the treatment of addictive disorders in general. Instead of focusing on the drinking behavior itself, the treatment focuses on the relation of the problem to the interaction of economic, social, and psychological factors. To address the question of whether alcoholics should all be treated in the same way, or if alcholism treatment should be more individualized in approach, chapters are devoted to the differences between alcoholism in women, adolescents, and alchoholics who are afflicted with "rapid development of alcholism syndrome." The research examples in Addictive Disorders in Arctic Climates benefits professionals involved in the treatment of alcholism by introducing new perspectives and broadening contemporary research.

This excellent book is a concise yet thorough examination of the important and emerging field of the study of biological risk factors in drug abuse. Historically, drug abuse research has concentrated on the contributions of environmental and behavioral factors as the major influences on addiction. The revelatory studies in this volume examine the genetic contributions to drug taking behavior through the use of animal models, cellular experiments and human clinical studies. Behavioral and Biochemical Issues in Substance Abuse provides for the first time in one volume, up-to-date, easily digested reviews of topics concerning biological and genetic factors in drug abuse. Medical researchers in all areas of alcoholism and drug abuse, researchers in pharmacology, psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience, and clinicians interested in biological approaches to alcoholism and drug abuse problems will benefit greatly from this valuable resource. Authoritative contributors clearly demonstrate the capability of genetic factors to modulate the reinforcing or rewarding effects of drugs, thereby altering their addictive potential. In addition to gaining comprehension of the biological factors affecting addiction, a greater understanding of genetics related to drug abuse will enable future research to control biological factors, leading to more accurate studies of behavioral and environmental influences on drug and alcohol abuse.

First Published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As the drug abuse epidemic evolves, so do the tools needed to understand and treat it. Accordingly, Epidemiology of Drug Abuse takes the long view, cogently outlining what the book calls "the natural history of drug abuse" and redefining its complex phenomena to reflect our present-day knowledge. Twenty-six eminent contributors discuss the state and future of the field, balancing the practical concerns involved in gathering drug abuse data with the ethics of using the information.

- Current thinking on pathways and etiology, as well as medical, psychological, and social sequelae of drug abuse
- Proven, up-to-date methodologies for assessment
- Challenges of gathering data from high-risk and other user populations
- Sampling and application issues
- Uses, sources, and limitations of treatment data
- Analytical papers applying the methodologies to specific and global studies
- The role of epidemiology studies in developing prevention strategies

With this multifaceted approach to the subject, Epidemiology of Drug Abuse provides researchers and educators with a reference that sheds significant light on infrequently covered areas. In addition, its breadth and accessibility of coverage make it a teaching text suitable to courses in epidemiology, public health, and drug abuse.

In this ground-breaking book, Michael Clemmens offers a new model of treatment for long-term recovery which goes beyond the traditional "disease" paradigm. Working from the belief that a fuller life for the recovering addict is grounded on a foundation of abstinence, the author explores a "self-modulation" approach which leads to a change in the behavior from within the individual while developing and expanding connection with others.

Doping - the use of performance-enhancing substances and methods - has long been a high-profile issue in sport but in recent years it has also become an issue in wider society. This important new book examines doping as a public health issue, drawing on a multi-disciplinary set of perspectives to explore the prevalence, significance and consequences of doping in wider society. It introduces the epidemiology of doping, examines the historical context, and explores the social, behavioural, legal, ethical and political aspects of doping. The book also discusses possible interventions for addressing the problem on organisational and societal levels. Doping and Public Health incorporates the latest research to provide a comprehensive guide to the key aspects of doping as a social phenomenon. Divided into six parts, this collection of studies offers detailed insight into: ideals of health and fitness in today's society reasons behind the use of doping medical and social consequences of doping the importance of a doping-free society challenges to the detection and prevention of doping the global anti-doping movement. This book is a valuable resource for sport students, instructors and sport professionals, and will also be of interest to educators and policy-makers working in the areas of health, criminology, sociology and law.

There is a clear sense in which sport has played, and continues to play an important role in the normalization and legitimization of routine, excessive and problem drinking; sport and alcohol have become inextricably linked. Alcohol companies provide funding in the form of sponsorship, fans consume alcohol when watching, and players celebrate, bond and relax with alcohol. Sport and Alcohol: an ethical perspective aims to critically examine the various ways in which sport and alcohol interact. In doing so, the book casts an ethical eye over the following topics: Society's relationship with alcohol Sponsorship and marketing of alcohol through sport and its effect on children Sport's alcohol-tolerant ethos, problematic drinking practices and rituals Punishment and discipline in relation to athletes' drink-related bad behavior Alcoholism in the context of sport and the need for a greater understanding of the condition, how it develops and what can be done The status of athletes as role models Offering a much-needed critical assessment of an important issue in contemporary sport and society, Sport and Alcohol is essential reading for those interested in the social, cultural or philosophical study of sport in general and sport and alcohol in particular.

Departing from largely ineffective medically-oriented approaches to the problems of drug abuse/education, the contributors to this volume present relevant empirical findings and theoretical models within a comprehensive psychosocial framework, which draws upon recent advances in understanding the physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and social forces that are the causes of youthful drug addiction.