Prescribed Drug Use and the Management of Everyday Life: The Experiences of Black and White Working-Class Women

Abstract

Social scientific studies of prescribed drag use have played an important part in heightening awareness that their use can best be understood when considered within a social context. From a sociological point of view, however, these studies often suffer from limitations which restrict their descriptive and explanatory power. This paper discusses these limitations before attempting to develop an alternative approach which focuses on the meanings attached to prescribed drug use, and relates these meanings to the ways in whch the users of these drugs manage their everyday lives as members of particular collectivities. In order to bridge the gap between stracture and experience prescribed drugs are conceptualised as resources which, along with other material and socio‐cultural resources, are both differentially available and variously experienced. Taking minor tranquillisers/hypnotics (e.g. Valium, Mogadon) as a test case attention is focused first on these drags' availability to samples of black and white working‐class women and the meanings which they attribute to these drags. The different patterns of drug use which are found are then related to these women's varying access to and experience of a range of other resources (including paid work, social supports, leisure, cigarettes and religion). This provides a basis for explaining different patterns of drug use and hopefully illustrates the usefulness of ‘resource’ as a bridging concept between social structure and everyday life.

Theorising class, health and lifestyles: can Bourdieu help us?

“…In such circumstances, the sociai benefits oi smoking were seen to outweigh the known costs, and behavioural change proved difficult when viewed within the context of these women's daily lives. Similarly, Gabe and Thorogood (1986) show how patterns of smoking and tranquilliser use amongst black and working-class women relate to their varying degrees of access to other resources such as paid work, social support, leisure, and religion. In addition, there have also been attempts to highlight the role of material factors and the internal structure of the family in shaping and constraining patterns of food choice and consumption (Charles andKerr 1986, Calnan andCant 1990), and the differential meanings of exerdse according to social class (Calnan and Williams 1992).…”

La dépendance aux médicaments psychotropes. De la psychopharmacologie aux usages

“…Les travaux montrent combien les traitements durables sont liés à la prise en charge du vieillissement (Collin, 1999) ou à la prévention et à l'accompagnement des maladies somatiques, du risque cardiovasculaire en particulier (Le Moigne, 2000). Gabe et Thorogood (1986), en Angleterre, ont évoqué de leur côté la possibilité selon laquelle les consommations chroniques pourraient être liées à un traitement de l'isolement social, chez les femmes au foyer de la classe ouvrière en particulier.…”

Introduction: Rethinking the sociology of mental health

“…Symbolic interactionist ideas have also informed studies of other aspects of mental health practice. For instance, there has been a range of research on the prescribing of tranquillisers and antidepressants which explores the meanings users attach to these (Gabe and Thorogood 1986) as well as the role of the media (Gabe and Bury 1991).…”