Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The research for this thesis was done on a comparative, documentary level, rather than on an empirical one. The issue as to whether or not dagga is physiologically harmful will probably be finally settled by medical and pharmacological study. This thesis does not go into these aspects; instead it attempts to set the development of dagga smoking as a social problem in historical perspective. The research has been done from secondary sources. These include the original works of some of the theorists on deviant behaviour, the reports of government committees of inquiry, as well as commentary on drug abuse in various academic and professional journals and in more popular publications. Special mention must be made of the use of newspaper reports as sources of reference in this study. In evaluating the rapidly- changing problem of drug abuse and social attitudes towards this phenomenon, it is often Press reports that carry the most up-to-date information on current research and changes in social policy. For this reason references to professional journals and other academic sources have in some instances been supplemented by relevant newspaper articles and reports. The validity of this approach is especially evident when dealing with South Africa. For example, the dimensions of the drug problem in the Republic were first revealed in a series of reports in a Johannesburg newspaper, the Rand Daily Mail, which brought home to the public the extent to which the problem of dagga abuse involved the youth of South Africa. These reports contributed directly to the appointment in 1970 of a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the abuse of drugs in this country.

Prescription drug abuse has been a growing problem in Indiana and around the nation for almost two decades. In recent years, prescription drug overdoses have pushed drug poisonings ahead of motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of injury death. However, deaths due to overdoses of prescription drugs are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the much larger problem of abuse. This study has characterized prescription drug abuse in Indiana and taken an in-depth look at how it is and can be addressed both through organizational policies and state legislation. Opioid painkillers such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone are the most commonly abused prescription drugs, and most of these prescriptions are written by primary care physicians. Because more than 70% of Indiana’s family medicine residents will remain in the state to practice medicine following the conclusion of their residencies, it is worthwhile to take a look at how these residents are being educated during their training. St. Vincent’s Family Medicine Residency program in Indianapolis is one of several residency programs in Indiana training their residents on best practices of prescribing controlled substances. A review of residents’ prescribing patterns before and after training on the subject went into effect showed significant reductions in the number of opioid painkillers being prescribed, and showed the same reductions for alprazolam, a benzodiazepine anxiolytic.

No description available.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to explore the impact of treatment on male addicts who attend Narcotic Anonymous (NA) meeting between the ages of 45 to 60 years that have been free from drug addiction without relapse in 10 years. The interest is to really understand how the addicts have been impacted and what factors have contributed to their being able to remain free from drug abuse without relapse. The research is a qualitative study. Semi structured interviews based on interview guide that are made up of six open ended questions was used to generate information (Primary data) from eight interviewees. The data generated was analyzed using qualitative content analysis in hermeneutic perspective. Also, Maslow’s need hierarchy theory and early research was used to analyze the data that were generated. It was found that the former addicts experienced improvement in their psychological health identity and social situation. Furthermore, they were impacted by different treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, environmental therapy and the NA 12-step program. The findings of the study also indicates that the interviewees gained job, education and driving license because of the drug abuse treatment they have undergone. In addition, having a partner, stable family and regular attendance of NA meeting have helped the interviewees to remain free from drug use in 10 years. Furthermore, from the findings, improved psychological health, improved changes in identity and social situation are themes found from the coding and categorization from qualitative content analysis method. The main theme found is getting new ways of gaining control of addiction in relation to improved psychological health, improved changes in identity and improved social situation.

This thesis traces the paths and trajectories that one substance - the plant stimulant Catha edulis (Forssk.), known in Kenya as 'miraa' - takes in the course of its 'social life' from production, through exchange, to its points of consumption. The thesis attempts to draw out the richness in this social life through an in-depth ethnographic examination of these trajectories, emphasising in particular their socially-embedded nature. By following an approach influenced by the volume The social life of things (Appadurai [ed.] 1986) the thesis is able to tease out much of the significance the substance has for those people who animate its social life. The trajectories covered vary greatly in range, from those involving local consumption in the area in which it is grown - the Nyambene Hills district of Kenya - to those that take it thousands of miles away to Europe and North America. The vast range of the substance allows for the generation of many different meanings and associations, and many of these are brought out over the course of the thesis. The trade of the substance (trade that relies much on trust) and its consumption are seen as in many ways socially cohesive, while in other respects socially divisive: while substances like miraa can build bridges, they can also build fences. Of especial importance to the thesis is the character of Nicholas, whose relationship with miraa demonstrates how individuals can take on board shared meanings concerning a substance, whilst creating many new meanings of their own through processes of convergence and divergence. The study addresses both the significance of miraa and its social life for wider debates in anthropology and its significance within the lives of farmers, traders, and consumers, and anyone engaged in debating its merits.

Methadone is currently the most widely used agent to manage opioid dependence, but clinical experience has highlighted some limitations with its use. In particular, a relatively high proportion of patients complain of breakthrough withdrawal symptoms ( non - holding ) at apparently adequate methadone doses. Levo - alpha - acetylmethadol ( LAAM ) is a long acting opioid that is likely to benefit methadone non - holders ; however, relatively little is known about its pharmacology at steady state. The primary aim of this thesis was to evaluate LAAM as an alternative maintenance pharmacotherapy to methadone for the treatment of non - holders ; subsidiary aims were to elucidate the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of LAAM and its active metabolites ( nor - and dinor - LAAM ), and to examine the in vitro activity of LAAM, nor - and dinor - LAAM. Sixteen methadone maintenance patients ( non - holders = 8 ) were recruited to participate in a randomised, crossover trial of LAAM and methadone. At steady state there were two testing sessions ( 24 h for methadone and 48 h for LAAM ) that featured the concurrent measurement of plasma drug concentrations and both subjective and physiological indices of opioid effect. Cognitive and psychomotor functions were also assessed once during each inter - dosing interval study. Ten age - and gender - matched controls were also tested. The peak magnitude of methadone ' s and LAAM ' s effects were similar. Compared to methadone, LAAM was associated with more stable and less severe withdrawal and mood disturbance. The general pattern of symptom complaints and cognitive function was similar for both drugs. Severity of mood disturbance and withdrawal was similar in holders on methadone and LAAM, but was greater in non - holders when they were taking methadone than LAAM. In comparison to plasma ( R ) - ( - ) methadone, plasma nor - and dinor - LAAM concentrations fluctuated little over the dosing interval. Furthermore, nor - and dinor - LAAM were both more potent in the guinea - pig ileum bioassay, and had greater affinity for mu opioid receptors in receptor binding studies, than LAAM. In conclusion, LAAM converted methadone non - holders into LAAM holders. It is proposed that it is the relatively flat plasma concentration - time profile for nor - and dinor - LAAM that confer stability of opioid effect, minimising withdrawal. Therefore, LAAM may have a role in selected patients, whose response to methadone is suboptimal. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Medical Sciences, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1981.