Drug Availability, Life Structure, and Situational Ethics of Heroin Addicts

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Abstract
In contrast to the conventional wisdom that a process of "moral degeneracy" inevitably ensues with increased heroin addiction, recent research has identified a distinctive set of ethical standards held in common by many "junkies" This article examines the ethical dynamics associated with distinct situations of heroin use with data obtained from extensive life history interviews with 30 hard-core criminal addicts Addicts tended to violate the ideal norms of their own subculture under circumstances directly related to two contingencies drug availability and life structure Although novice addicts may violate subcultural standards out of ignorance, the greatest potential for deviation from these normative ideals occurs when low levels of drug availability are combined with a lack of daily routine and life structure, a combination typical of the 'street junkie" situation

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