Case study scenario
For many young people in Western Australia, ‘Leavers Week’ has become a traditional occasion to mark the end of students’ senior high school years. Students tend to congregate in several well-known locations and describe the experience as ‘winding down’ after the stressful experience of completing their schooling years.
However, Leavers Week has also become known as a time that many young people are exposed to and may partake in drug use – both illicit and licit. There is divided opinion about whether alcohol usage at Leavers Week is okay or not okay, with some parents supplying young people with alcohol and some not. Concern has been expressed by many parties, including parents, school authorities, local authorities, local community members and some students, about the drug taking behaviour at these events, including a range of ‘party’ drugs and prescription medications.
These same parties are concerned about how the consumption of alcohol and other drugs may be associated with behaviour such as unsafe sex, violence and traffic injuries.
The Shire of Busselton (in the south west of WA) is particularly concerned about the negative effects of this week on tourism to the local towns such as Dunsborough, Yallingup and Margaret River.
Write a short short essay- Choose one (1) of the following conceptual models of addiction
• the moral model
• a biological construct
• a psychological construct
• a sociological construct
Discuss how this model theorises addiction and drug use and how it might explain addiction that arises from young people engaging in events such as Leavers Week.
Refer to Clark (2011) to clarify the conceptual models of addiction; the moral model, a biological construct, a psychological construct and a sociological construct
Use scholarly and peer reviewed literature to support your answer. Minimum 5 peer reviewed references
Sample Solution