Overview
- Provides a rare sociological explanation of youth substance abuse
- Presents rich interview data
- Analyses young people's own oral histories
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About this book
This book provides a sociological examination of young people’s pathways into, and out of, substance abuse. Drawing from in-depth, life-history interviews with over sixty young people who have experienced problematic drug use, the author uses participants’ narratives to throw light on the relationship between trauma and issues such as homelessness, crime and self-injury.
Contesting the view that substance abuse is either a medical issue or individual failing, the book examines the wide variety of factors which lead to youth substance abuse such as extreme poverty and other structural factors. Whilst it does not overlook individual agency, the rich descriptions from young people's oral histories show us that the contexts in which agency was exercised, was often considerably constrained by significant structural forces. The sociological concept of 'situated choice', which is used to explain and understand how people make choices within their individual context, is used throughout the book as we witness young people wrestling to escape intergenerational disadvantage.
The book will be of interest to scholars and students of Social Work, Social Policy, Youth Studies, Sociology and Health Studies.
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Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Kathryn Daley is Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia. She teaches courses in social research. Previously she worked as a youth alcohol and other drug outreach worker.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Youth and Substance Abuse
Authors: Kathryn Daley
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33675-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and the Author(s) 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-33674-9Published: 15 December 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-81570-1Published: 04 July 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-33675-6Published: 30 November 2016
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 212
Topics: Childhood, Adolescence and Society, Sociology of Family, Youth and Aging, Youth Offending and Juvenile Justice