1. Compare and contrast two major theories of addiction
The two major theories of alcoholism are the environmental correlates and biological determinant. The two theories are similar in the sense that both agree that alcoholism is real and dependent on certain factors. However, they are different in the sense that while the environmental theory focus on the influence of peers, family and personality, the biological theory stresses on the role played by genetics (Burke et al. 2005). The environmental theory is related to Jellinek’s in the sense that people may begin drinking just to relief themselves or to avoid stresses. This is what is referred to as alpha alcoholic by Jellinek. The environmental theories indicate that the individual learns how to abuse drugs from what they observe from the society that they exist. For instance, children raised by parents who are alcoholics are likely to acquire the same behavior. On the other hand, the biological theory focuses on the genetic make-up. For that reason, there is a likelihood of a history of alcoholism or drug abuse within a family.
2. How do social cultural and environmental factors affect prevalence rates of substance abuse?
Environmental factors such as the presence of peers, family members and availability of drugs and alcohol affect the way people use these substances. For instance, a young person may begin taking alcohol due to the influence by his/her friends. The fear of being rejected by group members is what leads young people to conform to behaviors drugs and alcohol abuse (Burke et al. 2005). This explains why there is a high prevalence of drug and substance abuse amongst the young people. Social culture is closely related to the environmental factor. The values that certain groups attach to drugs and alcohol will determine if the rate of consumption will be high or not. For instance, in many cultures, alcohol is taken as an accompaniment with food. In other cultures, alcohol and drugs are considered evil and therefore avoided. This therefore explains why some cultures may have high prevalence of drugs and substance abuse while others have low.
Reference
Burke PJ, O'Sullivan J, Vaughan BL (November 2005). "Adolescent substance use: brief interventions by emergency care providers". Pediatr Emerg Care 21 (11): 770–6.
ETIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2
Running head: ETIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT …