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The complexity of relations between drugs, alcohol, and violence

This article discuss the complex relations between drugs and violence. Drawing on empirical studies and current forms of discourse, it analyzes conceptual and methodological problems related to the establishment of causal nexuses, risks, and associations. By demonstrating the theoretical and practical difficulties in such associations, it also points to the need for a debate in the field of public health and social policies. The article expresses concern that programs and prevention not be contaminated by fallacies, contributing nothing to an understanding of (or action related to) the social issue of drugs.

Street Drugs; Alcohol Drinking; Violence; Public Health; Sociology


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