Fiona Measham

Ross Coomber

Karen McElrath

Karenza Moore

'This is a great resource that reflects the huge expertise of the authors. It will be welcomed by students, researchers and indeed anyone wanting critical but comprehensive coverage of key issues and trends concerning drugs and society - locally and globally, historically and today.' - Nigel South, Professor of Sociology, University of Essex 'Provides informative, balanced and contextualized insights into the relationships between people and drugs. Whatever your background and however knowledgeable you feel you are about contemporary drug issues, I guarantee that you will learn something unexpected and new from this valuable text.' - Joanne Neale, Professor of Public Health, Oxford Brookes University Why do people take drugs? How do we understand moral panics? What is the relationship between drugs and violence? How do people's social positions influence their involvement in drug use? Insightful and illuminating, this book discusses drugs in social contexts. The authors bring together their different theoretical and practical backgrounds, offering a comprehensive and interdisciplinary introduction that opens up a wide scientific understanding moving beyond cultural myths and presuppositions. This is an invaluable reference source for students on criminology, sociology and social sciences programmes, as well as drug service practitioners such as drug workers, social workers and specialist nurses.

Key Concepts in Drugs and Society

Judith Aldridge

Howard Parker

This interdisciplinary examination of dance-related drug use in Britain considers numerous aspects of drug activity, including the socio-cultural context in which it occurs, health effects, attitudes of the participants, and issues of safety and security. Specific chapters cover the role of youth, the importance of identity issues, methodological difficulties, "clubbing" activities, coping strategies, and violence. The book concludes with policy recommendations. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.

Risk, Health and Hedonism in the British Club Scene

Dancing on Drugs

Alison Wilson

Ian Paylor

“This is the most important book on illicit drug use and social work to be published for a long time … Whilst it may inspire some to become “drug specialists” it’s most important purpose is in dealing with drug issues which are apparent in all social work settings. Just as importantly this book should be read by those responsible for redesigning social work and social work education in order that substance use forms part of the curriculum.” Ken Barrie, Alcohol and Drug Studies, University of West Scotland, UK “This comprehensive, well written book will be essential reading for social work students and practitioners who need a clear, useful and relevant overview of the issues involved in working constructively with drug using service users. Its emphasis on working in partnership, while also attending to issues of risk and vulnerability, is realistic and practical, and being resolutely ‘social’ in its outlook, the book will appeal to and inspire novice and experienced practitioners alike.” Dr Mark Hardy, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, UK Alcohol and drug use are cross-cutting issues in all areas of social work practice and social workers need to know how to identify, assess, engage and support their substance-using clients effectively. This book provides a comprehensive and practical account of this important area of health and social care and provides a basis for social workers to develop a rounded approach to their practice with drug and alcohol users. The book unravels the relevant theory and research and provides insights and practical pointers for those working with drug users. Key topics covered include: Prevalence, patterns and policy and defining drug users Stigma, HCV and HIV; care and control The service user’s perspective; involving service users in services and interventions Recovery; networking, advocacy and empowerment The authors argue that in contrast to widely held concerns about the ‘threat’ represented by drug users, the aim of social work should be to restate the importance of listening to them, taking their concerns seriously, and challenging the discrimination they encounter. Social Work and Drug Use is key reading for social work students and those training in related areas such as youth justice, criminology, education welfare and youth work. Practitioners, academics and those undertaking post-qualifying training will also find it a valuable reference.

EBOOK: Social Work And Drug Use

Illegal Leisure offers a unique insight into the role drug use now plays in British youth culture. The authors present the results of a five year longitudinal study into young people and drug taking. They argue that drugs are no longer used as a form of rebellious behaviour, but have been subsumed into wider, acceptable leisure activities. The new generation of drug user can no longer be seen as mad or bad or from subcultural worlds - they are ordinary and everywhere. Illustrated throughout with interview material, Illegal Leisure shows how drug consumption has become normalised, and provides a well-informed analysis of the current debate.

Illegal Leisure

Lisa Williams

This book updates the progress into adulthood of the cohort of fourteen-year-olds who were recruited and tracked until they were eighteen years old. Illegal Leisure (1998) described their adolescent journeys and lifestyles, focusing on their early regular drinking and extensive ‘recreational’ drug use. This new edition revisits these original chapters, providing commentaries around them to discuss current implications of the original publication, plus documenting and discussing the group at twenty-two and twenty-seven years of age. Illegal Leisure Revisited positions the journeys of these twenty-somethings against the ever-changing backdrop of a consumption-oriented leisure society, the rapid expansion of the British night-time economy and the place of substance use in contemporary social worlds. It presents to the reader the ways in which these young people have moved into the world of work, long-term relationships and parenthood, and the resulting changes in the function and frequency of their drinking and drug-use patterns. Amid dire public health warnings about their favourite intoxicants, and with the growing criminalisation of a widening array of recreational drugs, the book revisits these young people as they continue as archetypal citizens in a risk society. The book is ideal reading for researchers and undergraduate students from a variety of fields, such as developmental and social psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural and health studies. Professionals working in criminal justice, health promotion, drugs education, harm reduction and treatment will also find this book an invaluable resource.

Changing Patterns of Alcohol and Drug Use in Adolescents and Young Adults

Illegal Leisure Revisited

Maggie O'Neill

Kate O'Brien

Lucy Baldwin

Orla Lynch

Sharon Grace

Tammi Walker

Hannah King

Alison Jobe

Vicky Seaman

Bringing together cutting-edge feminist research, this collection uses participatory, inclusive and narrative methodologies to highlight the lived experiences of women involved with the criminal justice system.

Gender Matters

Criminal Women

Marjana Martinic

There is evidence that a distinct pattern of alcohol consumption is emerging across the world and is a cause for concern because of its relationship with a range of health and social problems. Its visibility, particularly its high involvement of young people, makes this not only an issue for public safety and order in many countries, but also a highly contentious and politicized subject. This book examines the rapid and heavy drinking behavior by young people, described in a number of countries, positioning it within its appropriate social, historical and cultural contexts. The book argues in favor of a new term, “extreme drinking,” to fully encapsulate the many facets of this behavior, taking into account the underlying motivations for the heavy, excessive and unrestrained drinking patterns of many young people. It also acknowledges the drinking process itself and accommodates greater focus on outcomes that are likely to follow. In many ways, “extreme drinking” is not so far removed from other “extreme” behaviors, such as extreme sports – all offer a challenge, their pursuit is motivated by an expectation of pleasure, and they are, by design, not without risk to those who engage in them, others around them and society as a whole. Edited by Marjana Martinic and Fiona Measham, Swimming with Crocodiles is the ninth volume in the ICAP Book Series on Alcohol in Society. The authors discuss the factors that motivate extreme drinking, address the developmental, cultural and historical contexts that have surrounded it, and offer a new approach to addressing this behavior through prevention and policy. The centerpiece of the book is a series of focus groups conducted with young people in Brazil, China, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, which examine their views on extreme drinking, motivations behind it and the cultural similarities and differences that exist, conferring at once risk and protective factors.

The Culture of Extreme Drinking

Swimming with Crocodiles

Dominic Conroy

This book brings together cutting-edge contemporary research and discussion concerning drinking practices among young adults (individuals aged approximately 18-30 years old). Its chapters showcase an interdisciplinary range of perspectives from psychology, sociology, criminology, geography, public health and social policy. The contributors address themes including how identity becomes involved in young adult drinking practices; issues relating to the non-consumption of alcohol within friendship groups; and the role of social context, religious and ethnic orientation, gender identity, and social media use. In doing so, they highlight changing trends in alcohol consumption among young people, which have seen notably fewer young adults consuming alcohol over the last two decades. In acknowledging the complex nature of drinking styles among young adults, the contributors to this collection eschew traditional understandings of young adult drinking which can pathologise and generalise. They advocate instead for an inclusive approach, as demonstrated in the wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, cultural perspectives, methods and international settings represented in this book, in order to better understand the economic, socio-cultural and pharmacological crossroads at which we now stand. This book will appeal in particular to researchers, theorists, practitioners and policy makers working in the alcohol and drugs field, public health and health psychology, in addition to students and researchers from across the social sciences.

Current Perspectives on Research, Policy and Practice

Young Adult Drinking Styles

This book updates the progress into adulthood of 14-year-olds that were tracked for the first edition, using qualitative interviews and self-report surveys. The new edition shows them moving into the world of work, relationships and parenthood.

Fiona Measham

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