The drug addict and the stigma of addiction.
Two hundred and fifty-six respondents from a small, upper-midwestern college town answered a questionnaire designed to assess their first impression images of the term "drug addict." The results indicated that the overwhelming image was of a disoriented, unhealthy, thin, low-class, male "hippie" with behavioral and skin problems who suffered from a disease. Only 11% of the responses described the condition as a crime. This study is compared with a previous, similar study of the first impression of the term "alcoholic," and suggestions are provided to explain the categorization of the conditions as disease states.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D003415:Crime; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009014:Morals; D011639:Public Opinion; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012925:Social Conformity / Q000523:psychology; D012928:Social Desirability; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*