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The Discursive Construction of Drug Realities: Discourses on Drugs, Users, and Drug-Related Practices

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The Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental Health

Abstract

Drugs are substances, that is, material realities with specific, describable chemical characteristics. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the scientific literature about drugs is dominated by bio-medical viewpoints. This scientific literature is based upon ‘hard facts’, chemical or neuronal reactions independent of the researcher’s viewpoint, and – of course – not the result of discourses. However, discourse and discourse analysis encompass more than text and talking. Discourse analysis can be used to better understand even apparently ‘objective’ realities.

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Recommended reading

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    Article  Google Scholar 

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Authors
  1. Benno Herzog
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leicester, UK

    Michelle O’Reilly (Senior Lecturer) (Senior Lecturer)

  2. Indiana University, USA

    Jessica Nina Lester (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

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© 2016 Benno Herzog

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Herzog, B. (2016). The Discursive Construction of Drug Realities: Discourses on Drugs, Users, and Drug-Related Practices. In: O’Reilly, M., Lester, J.N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental Health. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137496850_6

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