ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews data available on a relatively large African-American (92%) sample (n = 245) of crack smokers (Wallace, 1990b), providing insight into the psychosocial characteristics and functioning of persons presenting such severe addiction to crack that they met DSM-III-R criteria for crack-cocaine dependence and qualified for inpatient hospitalization on a detoxification unit (see Table 3.1). While the data (Wallace, 1990b) may have limitations in generalizing to those individuals presenting with crack-cocaine dependence and possessing similar demographics, an analysis of the data may support the thesis advanced by Levin (1987) and extended to newly abstinent crack smokers in Chapter 2: characteristic narcissism has its origin in either a fixation point or a regression to a level of narcissistic functioning. In addition, the data on the psychosocial characteristics of an inner-city sample of crack smokers may reveal the kind of general life problems or crack-related problems that may be typical of individuals who have advanced to crack dependence. Media stereotypes may be debunked by taking a close look at the actual psychosocial characteristics of a relatively large sample of crack-cocaine smokers treated by Wallace (1990b) in an inpatient detoxification unit from 1986 to 1988 during the height of the crack epidemic. Background Data<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fntable3_1_1">*</xref>
|
Men No. |
(N = 158) (%) |
Women N |
(N = 87) (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ethnicity |
||||
|
Black |
143 |
(90.6) |
83 |
(95.4) |
|
Hispanic |
10 |
(6.3) |
3 |
(3.4) |
|
White |
4 |
(2.5) |
1 |
(1.2) |
|
Other |
1 |
(.6) |
— |
— |
|
Education |
||||
|
High-school dropout |
76 |
(48) |
47 |
(54) |
|
High-school graduate/GED |
52 |
(32.9) |
27 |
(31) |
|
HS/GED and two years college |
22 |
(13.9) |
11 |
(12.7) |
|
College graduate |
6 |
(3.9) |
2 |
(2.3) |
|
Missing |
2 |
(1.3) |
— |
— |
|
Employment Data |
||||
|
Unemployed |
48 |
(30.4) |
51 |
(58.6) |
|
Unemployed over one year and history of crack-related loss of a job |
46 |
((29.1) |
21 |
(24.1) |
|
Currently unemployed but employed within past year |
35 |
(22.2) |
7 |
(8) |
|
Currently employed |
18 |
(11.4) |
5 |
(5.8) |
|
Currently employed and history of crack-related loss of a job |
4 |
(2.5) |
1 |
(1.2) |
|
SSI |
7 |
(4.4) |
2 |
(2.3) |
|
Patterns of Crack Use |
||||
|
Crack only (some marijuana) |
129 |
(81.7) |
64 |
(73.5) |
|
Crack and alcohol |
10 |
(6.3) |
7 |
(8) |
|
Crack and intranasal heroin |
6 |
(3.8) |
8 |
(9.2) |
|
Crack and intravenous drugs |
9 |
(5.7) |
1 |
(1.2) |
|
Crack and methadone maintenance |
4 |
(2.5) |
5 |
(5.8) |
|
Crack and pills |
— |
— |
2 |
(2.3) |
Adapted from Wallace (1990b). Reprinted by permission.
