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Health Issues, Addictions, and Substance-Use Disorders
Click on each question to check your answer.
1. How has medicalization changed the way we perceive addictions?
Answer: Medicalization is the process through which behaviours—especially those defined as deviant, sinful, or immoral—are reconceived as instances of illness; that is, they are deemed no longer sinful, since they are outside personal control. Where alcohol abusers were once thought of as sinners or moral weaklings and subjected to scorn or criticism, with medicalization they became sick people in need of treatment. Medicalization views illness to be socially constructed, bestowing on doctors, psychologists, and criminal justice lawyers, the power to label people as sick or ill.
2. What are the reasons for and impacts of increased substance abuse among Indigenous populations?
Answer: Selective use of psychoactive substances had long been a part of the customs and rituals of the Indigenous population in North America. However, forced European assimilation contributed to widespread social, health, and economic problems on First Nation reserves and in northern Indigenous communities, as well as among Indigenous people in urban areas. This led to the use of illicit substances as a means of escape rather than as an intricate part of a cultural tradition. In addition to living a difficult life, many Indigenous people suffer from trauma related to sexual abuse and family violence; many also have parents who abuse substances. These factors increase the likelihood of substance abuse. The high prevalence of drug use correlates with poor academic performance, stress, and delinquent behaviour in Indigenous communities.
3. What does social disorganization theory propose about addictions?
Answer: Social disorganization theory argues that institutions that have traditionally acted to discourage deviant behaviours become less effective during times of rapid social change. Rapid changes cause norms and values to become unclear. Without traditional sources of moral guidance to restrain behaviour, deviancy—including drug and alcohol use—becomes more common.
4. What conclusions can you draw from Figure 7.2 (page 195) about suicide rates for Inuit Canadians?
Answer: It is evident that many Inuit populations in Canada experience higher-than-average suicide rates. Prevalent poverty in Indigenous communities is one of the main causes of this tragedy.
5. In what ways is food security/insecurity a determinant of health?
Answer: As Mikkonen and Raphael (2010, p. 26) put it, “people who experience food insecurity are unable to have an adequate diet in terms of its quality or quantity. . . . People experiencing food insecurity consume fewer servings of fruits and vegetables, milk products, and vitamins than those in food-secure households.”