ABSTRACT
As a medical anthropologist researching drug use in Colombia, the author knew Omar well from previous conversations; there was more complexity behind what he was saying. Alcohol use was palpable in Colombia. Epidemiological research has shown that drug availability is an ecological risk factor for drug use in Colombia but also that availability itself does not account for the actual pathways by which the user comes into contact with these drugs. Neuroanthropology offers a framework to understand how social and cultural processes interact with human development, biology, and behavior. Ethnographic research on addiction has consistently highlighted how absorption and immersion into addictive experiences can be very compelling. The World Health Organization estimates total worldwide substance use to consist of 2 billion consumers of alcohol, 1.3 billion smokers, and 185 million users of other drugs. Within societies, immediate pathways to alcohol and drug abuse often fall along social faultlines.
