Strategies Methamphetamine Addicts Devise as They Go Through Treatment: A Research Proposal

Presenter Information

Phillip Buzzard, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 204

Start Date

6-4-2010 10:00 AM

End Date

6-4-2010 12:00 PM

Student's Major

Sociology and Corrections

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

William Wagner

Mentor's Department

Sociology and Corrections

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

The behavioral strategies methamphetamine addicts employ as they go through treatment are not well understood and are difficult to research. Some of these strategies lead to a life free from addiction and others protect, hide and even foster a continued commitment to addiction. This research proposal provides a model for doing research on the social mechanisms that are not understood well enough to provide direction for more effective treatment programs. The proposal presents an assessment of the seriousness of the problem with methamphetamine addiction, a review of the literature on the methamphetamine addict and on the treatment programs used to assist the addict. This information provides a foundation for applying Labeling and Attribution theory as an explanation for the emergence of specific behavioral strategies in meth addicts. To determine whether or not these theoretical explanations can be supported, hypotheses have been set out and a methodology to test them with a sample of methamphetamine addicts has been developed. A longitudinal qualitative methodology is suggested as a means to demystify and demythologize the strategies and barriers that characterize the struggle addicts face and to provide empirical insights needed to program meaningful assistance.