Substance Abuse and Slow-Motion Disasters

The Case of Detroit

Bibliographic Data

ID2277322
AuthorsP Draus (0000-0003-0759-9776, University of Michigan–Dearborn, corresponding author), Paul J Draus
Year2009
Volume50
Issue2
Pages360-382
Publication date2009-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0253 • E-ISSN: 1533-8525
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1533-8525.2009.01144.x
OpenAlexW2077926274
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited114

In this article, I focus on problem substance use as one outcome of an underlying, "slow-motion disaster" caused by the long-term collision between corrosive structural processes, counterproductive social policies, and vulnerable populations. Using the city of Detroit as an illustration, I offer an original conceptual model for linking the causes and cascading consequences of slow-motion disasters. This model highlights the embedded connections between structural factors, such as racial segregation and systemic unemployment, and multiple destructive outcomes, including health and crime disparities, as well as problem substance use. Finally, I conclude that sociological researchers must engage with broader publics and diverse coalitions if they are to contribute to an alternative social policy—a holistic, regional "disaster response"—that takes multiple layers of causality into account, and addresses the core of vulnerabilities that make such disasters possible. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis paper was first presented at the Society for the Study of Social Problems 2006 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec. I would like to thank Christopher Caudill, James Gruber and Lars Bjorn for their valuable feedback on earlier drafts. Andrew Golub, Pamela Aronson, Lora Lempert, Dan Little, Kurt Metzger, Sandro Galea and Juliette Roddy also offered input at various stages, and Christina Gabrielli and Jennifer Zerweck provided assistance in proofreading the manuscript. Finally, I would like to thank the reviewers and editors at The Sociological Quarterly for their thoughtful criticism.Notes

Causality (physics) · Criminology · Criticism · Political science · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies