Demystifying Drugs

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

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2. On Drugs and Drug Consumers

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Introduction

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 3-8

   3. Assumptions and Concepts

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 9-21

   4. The Social Components of Drug-Influenced Behaviour

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 22-40

   5. Why Do People Take Drugs?

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 41-59

   6. The Psychosocial Background of Problematic Consumers

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 60-77

3. Deviant Careers

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 79-79

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   2. The Deviant Career: a Model

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 81-97

   3. Parental Labelling

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 98-115

   4. Societal Labelling

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 116-126

   5. Secondary Deviance

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 127-140

   6. The Deviance Spiral

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 141-150

4. Narcotics Policy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 151-151

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   2. Can We Cut the Supply?

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 153-174

   3. Prohibition — Swedish Narcotics Policy

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 175-215

   4. Harm Reduction — Dutch Narcotics Policy

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 216-245

   5. Demand Reduction

      • Ted Goldberg

      Pages 246-268

5. Back Matter

   Pages 269-291

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Based on extensive participant observation research, a life-history model is presented to explain why very few of those who come into contact with narcotics become problematic consumers; that is make drugs one of the most central elements in their lives. The model covers four stages in the deviant career; two preceding and two subsequent to the individual's narcotics debut. Prohibition and harm reduction as models for intervention are presented, and the implications for drug policy of the life-history model are discussed.

• behavior
• drug policy
• drugs
• intervention
• Irish Republican Army (IRA)
• narcotics
• research

• Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden

  Ted Goldberg

TED GOLDBERG was awarded an undergraduate degree in anthropology and sociology from Uppsala University in 1967. In 1973 he received his Ph.D. in sociology from the same school. From 1970-75 he was Assistant Professor at the Sociology Institution of Uppsala University, and then held the same position for three years at Örebro School of Social Work. After a year at the R & D Department of The Swedish National Board of Universities and Colleges, he joined the faculty at the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University in 1979. He is currently Associate Professor there. Combining anthropological methodology with sociological theory Ted Goldberg has done extensive participant observation research on the narcotics scene in Stockholm. This has provided a basis for two books and several articles on drugs.

Policies and ethics