DRUG-RELATED IDENTITY CHANGE - THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPIRICAL-ASSESSMENT

Our study targets an understanding of the drug-related identity change process, which may offer important sociological insights into the eti ology of drug abuse. Our work is grounded in symbolic interactionism, cultural studies, and an extant drug-identity model (Anderson 1994). W e use a quantitative survey instrument and retrospective accounts to t est our model with a representative sample of white and black females and males seeking treatment for drug abuse in mid-Michigan. Our data s how that for many drug-related identity change began in Childhood and early adolescence with marginalizing experiences that helped create eg o identity discomfort and lost control in defining an identity before drug use Identification with a drug subculture offered alternative ide ntities to resolve such predicaments. Additionally, we found that iden tification with a drug subculture significantly reduced ego identity d iscomfort during drug use, which, thereby, substantiates the claim tha t subcultures can act as solutions to individual problems and predicam ents.