Derived from the Greek meaning “lack of law,” the term anomie was used by sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) to describe an abnormal social condition wherein the cohesion of society is weakened by some crisis, such as an economic depression, that causes each individual to pursue his or her own solitary interests without concern for the wider society.

In 1938 Robert Merton Americanized the concept, arguing that no other society comes so close to viewing economic success as such an absolute value that the pressure to succeed tends to eliminate social constraint over the means employed to achieve success. In the United States, in this view, “good” (ambition) causes “evil” (deviance). According to Merton, anomie results when people, confronted by the contradiction between goals and means, “become estranged from a society that promises them in principle what they are denied in reality [economic opportunity].” This sense of strain is particularly strong among the disadvantaged segments of our population, whose use of drugs is endemic.
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Here are some typical steps involved in becoming dependent on cocaine:

1. Experimental use. The individual begins his or her initiation out of curiosity in a social situation in which some friends offer a “taste” of cocaine. Most of the person’s friends are nonusers, and the person uses cocaine only when it is offered to enhance feelings. Relationships remain normal, and no significant health or financial problems appear. There might even be an improvement in work performance and social functioning—gregariousness or extroversion.

2. Compulsive use. The person begins to buy cocaine and increases the number of friends who are users. Solitary use of cocaine follows, and use to enhance moods and performance and to ward off depression associated with the “crash” of coming down off cocaine continues to increase. Social disruptions appear, particularly mood swings, as well as health problems due to a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. Work performance begins to deteriorate steadily, and the user avoids non-drug-using friends. The user begins to encounter financial problems that result from supporting a growing cocaine habit.
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The life of a heroin addict can be conceived of as a “career” with a number of stages:

1. Experimentation. The individual, usually an adolescent, experiments with a variety of substances, including alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and perhaps barbiturates and amphetamines, and might snort heroin or inject it subcutaneously.

2. Initiation. The drug abuser is initiated into intravenous use of heroin. Although the first use is often accompanied by unpleasant side effects such as vomiting, the user learns to enjoy subsequent injections. Heroin use begins to be a center of existence.
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The alcoholic typically passes through several stages on the way to becoming addicted to alcohol:

• Social drinking: In this initial pattern alcohol is used to enhance pleasant social situations. The drug is taken for relaxation and entertainment. For some individuals drinking alcohol has a ritualistic dimension—a glass of wine or beer or a drink with a meal or as part of a religious ritual. Others may have an alcoholic beverage after work with colleagues—“a beer with the boys.” The social drinker imbibes small amounts and does not experience harmful effects such as loss of control or impaired judgment. Although social drinkers view alcohol as generating positive feelings, they do not need the substance for enjoyment. The social drinker observes societal conventions about when, where, and how much to drink.
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