COUN 130: Addiction in Society

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
District General Education: D1. Social Science, E4. Counseling
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

Examines addiction as a major social phenomenon through the lenses of sociology and the behavioral sciences. Students analyze how substance use and behavioral addictions develop within social structures, cultural norms, and institutional systems. Emphasis is placed on sociological theories of deviance, socialization, inequality, and group behavior to understand how addiction affects families, communities, and society at large. Topics include the social construction of addiction, historical and contemporary policy responses, disparities among racial/ethnic groups, gendered experiences of addiction, and the role of media, economics, and public institutions. Students evaluate sociological research, interpret data, and engage in critical inquiry about the broader social forces that shape addiction and recovery. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Distinguish the difference between drug use, misuse and abuse.
  • Describe the consequences of drug use, both psychotherapeutic and harmful effects.
  • Identify the personal and social factors and concerns of drug taking behavior.
  • Describe drug laws and historical legal cases and perspective of drug use.
  • Analyze the current public health issues of drug use, including political, social and economic factors.
  • Discuss effects of substance abuse on the family.
  • Describe the effect of the environmental and sociological factors in the development of alcoholism/substance abuse.
  • List known identifiable substance abuse symptoms.
  • Define the different types of tolerance and dependence.
  • Discuss the history of legislative efforts to regulate and control drug availability and their impact.
  • Define short-term and long-term consequences of drug use, abuse, and dependency.
  • Analyze the characteristics of addiction and populations most at risk due to age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and age at first initiation.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of various social systems in dealing with addiction use disorders.
  • Identify mal-adaptive behavior, who experiences it, what causes it, and how it can be improved.
  • Describe the sociological perspectives and their applications to\\ndrug and alcohol use.
  • Apply various theories of drug use, including the pharmacological\\nperspective.
  • Compare and contrast various methods of research in the\\ninvestigation of drug and alcohol consumption.

Major Course Content

  1. Addiction as a Social Phenomenon  
    1. Sociological definitions vs. biomedical definitions 
    2. Model frameworks with sociological constructs such as deviance, norm violation, and social role disruption 
    3. Addiction as a socially constructed category 
      1. Examine how societies determine what is considered addictive or deviant based on cultural norms and moral framework
    4. Drug use in historical and modern society 
      1. From temperance movements to DSM classifications; how definitions reflect societal values, economic interests, and political agendas 
    5. The nature of addiction
    6. Interdisciplinary Behavioral Science Foundations
      1. Behavioral Science Perspectives 
        1. Introduction to reinforcement, habit formation, reward pathways, and self-regulation—interpreted through social behavioral frameworks
    7. Social attitudes
    8. Use, misuse, abuse, and dependency of psychoactive substances
    9. What Is a Drug?
    10. Medical Utility Illegality
    11. Psycho-activity Defining Drugs
  2. Sociological Theories 
    1. Social Control and Self-Control Theory
      1. Addiction is analyzed through the strength or weakness of social bonds (family, school, work, community)
      2. Hirschi’s dimensions of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief as predictors of conformity or deviance
      3. Explores how low self-control, often shaped early in life, interacts with environmental opportunities to increase addiction risk
    2. Social Learning and Subculture Theory
      1. Behavior is learned through observation, imitation, reinforcement, and peer association
      2. Addiction is conceptualized as behavior shaped by differential reinforcement and exposure to models who normalize substance use
      3. Certain groups create alternative norms and values where substance use is normalized, tolerated, or celebrated
    3. Selective Interaction/Socialization
      1. Individuals tend to choose peer groups whose behaviors and values align with their own preexisting tendencies
      2. Addiction risk increases when individuals self-select into groups that normalize or encourage substance use
      3. Group norms shape attitudes, expectations, and identity
      4. Repeated exposure to social messaging over time leads to internalization of addiction-related behaviors
    4. Conflict Theory
      1. Addiction as a product of inequality and structural oppression
      2. Higher addiction rates often correspond with conditions of poverty, unstable housing, unemployment, and marginalized community status
  3. Drugs in America: The Historical Context 
    1. Drug Use in Nineteenth Century America
    2. The Movement to Prohibit Alcohol: 1784 – 1920
    3. Early Anti-Opium Legislation
    4. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
    5. The Harrison Act, 1914
    6. The Marihuana Tax Act, 1937
    7. The Controlled Substances Act and the Nixon/Ford Administration
    8. Drugs in the news and media bias
    9. Drug legislation and racism
    10. Historical Trends in Drug Consumption
    11. Drug Use: Methods and Data Methods of Research Sampling Statistics Rates of Drug Use
  4. Alcohol and other drugs
    1. Digestion, absorption, breakdown and removal
    2. Acute effects
    3. Cumulative effects
    4. Medical complications for body systems
    5. Male/Female differences
    6. Sleep disturbances
    7. Basic actions of drugs on the nervous system
    8. Tolerance and withdrawal
  5. Drug-regulated legislation and drugs as a social problem
    1. Past and present drug regulation
    2. Broad views of addiction and social systems that attempt to find solutions
  6. Addiction: Definitions, Theories and Models
    1. Disease Model
    2. Biopsychosocial Model
    3. DSM-V
  7. Classifications of drug categories
    1. CNS - Depressants
      1. Sedatives - Hypnotics
      2. Alcohol - pharmacological effects and behavioral perspectives
      3. Narcotics (Opioids)
      4. Marijuana
    2. Stimulants
      1. Cocaine
      2. Methamphetamine
      3. Tobacco
      4. Caffeine
    3. Hallucinogens (Psychedelics)
      1. LSD
      2. Mushrooms
    4. Inhalants 
    5. Steroids 
    6. Over the Counter (OTC), prescriptions, and herbal drugs 
  8. Effects of substance abuse problems on family
  9. Prevention strategies and treatment modalities
    1. Screening and evaluation
    2. Intervention/referral
    3. Case management
    4. Types of counseling services (Individual, Group, Family)
    5. Aftercare and follow-up
  10. Treatment Techniques
    1. 12-Step organizations
    2. Spiritual counseling
    3. Behavioral techniques
    4. Meditation

    5. From Denial to Recovery

  11. Components of addiction
    1. Terminology
    2. Physiological components of substance disorders and addiction
    3. Chemical reaction
      1. Risk factors
      2. Safety measures
    4. Tolerance
    5. Dependence
    6. Psychological effects of substances
  12. Education and prevention
    1. Resilience and primary prevention efforts
    2. National drug control policy
    3. Public health
    4. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
    5. Historical approaches
    6. School-based prevention programs
    7. Community-based prevention programs
    8. Family systems
    9. College campuses
    10. Teenage substance abuse
    11. Multicultural Issues
  13. Addiction and Diverse Populations
    1. Women
    2. The employed
    3. Adolescents
    4. The elderly
    5. Suicidal individuals
    6. LGBTQ+
    7. Formerly incarcerated individuals

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Loosening the Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information. Treatment of Addictions, Individual and Group Alternative Training.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

1. Write a personal reflection essay that explores the impact of addiction on individuals, families, and society. 2. Opinion essay that examines the social impact of addiction. 3. Term paper and written report on the consequences of addiction as it relates to harming the individual. 4. Comparative Analysis of Addiction Models. Students will be asked to compare and contrast different addiction models, such as the disease model, biopsychosocial model, or social learning theory.

Examples of Outside Assignments

1. Community outreach and awareness project. In this assignment, students will work on community outreach and awareness project related to addiction. They can choose a specific topic, such as the dangers of substance abuse, prevention strategies, or available support services. 2. Reading assignments on understanding addiction. 3. Research for term paper and oral presentations and written analysis of addiction case studies. 4. Community Resource Scavenger Hunt. Students will explore local or online resources related to addiction. 5. Personal Reflection Journals. Students will maintain a personal reflection journal. In this journal, they can record their evolving understanding of addiction, reactions to class materials, and connections to their own lives or experiences.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture