Deviance: Substance Use and Abstinence

While substance use is a normal and widespread aspect of human life, some people can suffer addiction. How and why does this happen? In this video, anthropologist Rob Lemelson looks at the biopsychosocial model of addiction, and explores how social change can impact the way people think about their substance use. He also outlines how people achieve altered states of consciousness without drugs.

Watch the full episode:

Resources:

Carrier, N. and Gezon, L. (2023) The Anthropology of Drugs. New York: Routledge.

Page, J. B. and Singer, M. (2010) Comprehending Drug Use: Ethnographic Research at the Social Margins. New York: Rutgers University Press.

Hart, C., and Ksir, C. (2017) Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior. New York: McGraw Hill.

Sher, K. J. (2015) The Oxford Handbook of Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders: Volume 1. New York: Oxford Press.