Drugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems

Drugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems, a collection edited James D. Orcutt and David R. Rudy, includes 14 clearly written articles that exemplify the best of sociological scholarship on drug and alcohol problems. The readings strike a balance between constructionist, epidemiological, and ethnographic approaches to the study of drinking, drug use, and related problems such as domestic violence, crime, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. A general introduction and five section introductions written especially for this volume highlight basic theoretical questions and analytical themes that run through the articles. In contrast to many books on problems of substance use, Drugs, Alcohol, and Social Problems devotes equal attention to drug- and alcohol-related issues. The volume is organized around important theoretical and research approaches to the sociology of social problems, making it suitable for adoption as a supplement in undergraduate courses on social problems as well as for more specialized undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of drug and alcohol studies.

About the Author

James D. Orcutt is professor of sociology Florida State University, where he has received seven teaching awards and has published numerous articles on drug- and alcohol-related problems. He has served as president and vice president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems and is a former editor of Social Problems . David R. Rudy is professor of sociology and dean at the Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy at Morehead State University. He is the author of Becoming Alcoholic: Alcoholics Anonymous and the Reality of Alcoholism , and received the Morehead State University Distinguished Researcher Award.