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Argumentative Essay: Do alcohol consumption and illegal drug abuse contribute to violent criminal behavior?
Introduction
The correlation between alcohol and illicit drugs and violent crimes has been a topic of interest. In this case, it is generally accepted that the occurrence of one is an indicator for the other two. For instance, illicit drug users are likely to consume alcohol and engage in violent crime to finance their addictions. Therefore, there is a high likelihood that alcohol, illicit drugs, and violent crimes are strongly correlated with the first two acting as a precursor for the later. The results of the evaluation of the risk factors for violent crime almost always show that illicit drugs and alcohol use are at the top. In fact, acute drugs and alcohol abuse have been identified as the triggers for violent crime. Despite the avid interest in the subject, it is still not well understood mainly because the regular exhibition of the three factors in one individual does not guarantee that any other person who engages in one of those vices will also be involved in the other two. As a result, the precise nature of the relationship between alcohol, illicit drugs, and violent crimes is still worth investigating (Humber College, 2010, p. 18). Therefore, the objective of the paper is to analyze literature that will shed light on the correlation between the mentioned substances and criminal behavior.
Discussion
The nature of alcohol and illicit drugs use
It seems that human beings always have a desire to alter their state of mind and hence end up using psychoactive substances such as cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.

In this case, the drugs affect the users’ neural pathways and thus change their behaviors, thoughts, and mood. The psychoactive substances are typically used in moderate doses for their positive mind-changing effects including inducing relaxation that is not accompanied by any somatic or behavioral problems. However, the excessive consumption of the substances is regarded as harmful use or abuse since it increases the risk of developing behavioral and somatic problems. The diagnostic criteria presented in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IVTR) supports that assessment by pointing out that alcohol and illicit drug abuse typically involves the use of psychoactive substances in excessive amounts and thereby leading to personal and social problems. For example, the abuser may have to contend with dependence, relapse risks, withdrawal and tolerance issues, and others; this means that the victim will require more of the substances to function normally (Durand and Barlow 85-86). It is worth mentioning that while alcohol use may not be illegal, unless the individual is operating machinery, a majority of the psychoactive drugs – such as cannabis, opiates, anabolic androgenic steroids, and cocaine – are illegal, especially if the consumption is not as directed by a physician.
Defining violent crime
Violent crime as the intentional use of power or force to either harm or threaten to harm another person. In this case, the victim may experience deprivation, psychological abuse, physical injury, sexual assault, or even death. Hence, violent crime is a chief public security issue. In relation to that, violent crime accounts for a large number of physical injuries, loss of quality of life, psychological trauma cases, and even death when the abuse becomes extreme (Darke 202).
Acute intoxication causes changes in the cognitive processing capabilities, capacities, and functions – in relation to evaluation and appraisal of an individual’s social cues and internal state – thereby enhancing the risk of engaging in aggressive behavior and violent crime. In this case, a number of elements work together to force a person to exhibit aggression in terms of violent conduct; the individaul either threatens to hurt or actually injures another being. These elements include the lack of role models and alternative skills, social norms that support violent behavior, and genetic factors that combine to enable the people to act out their aggression. In relation to the role models and alternative skills, according to social learning theories, individuals develop social skills either by observing others or through experience and behavioral reinforcement strategies (Brauer 159). Drug abuse alienates the user and hence prevents the person from interacting with others. This leads to lack of social skills and hence the individual become excessively aggressive to attract attention, thus leading to crime.
Correlating between alcohol, illicit drugs, and violent crime
As earlier indicated, alcohol and illicit drugs use is linked to the increased risk of violently acting out (Willcutt 490). The correlation is multifarious and hence addresses psychological and biological vulnerabilities, personal expectancy, social context, and pharmacological effects as well as distal and proximal risk factors. In addition, the effect of the substances on violent behavior has been studied in a number of disciplines and in relation to a range of violent crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and homicide. A considerable number of the researchers concur that alcohol and illicit drugs use enhances the risk of engaging in violent behavior in a number ways including forcing the addict to engage in the dangerous trading of hard drugs. In addition, the victim suffers from drug seeking conduct, which forces the person to do whatever is necessary to have access to the narcotics; and withdrawal as well as altered perception, all of which cloud the user’s judgement (Duke and Giancola 278-279). In reference to that, some forensic pathologists have noticed that there are changes in the misuse patterns with more of the violent crime victims being alcohol and drug users, hence suggesting that the violent criminals may be choosing their victims on the basis of association. Apart from that, the strong correlation may result from the common underlying risk factors for both criminal activity and psychoactive substance use, the need for externalizing negative personality traits and being impulsive (Krueger et al. 645-646).
In addition, the neurophysiological effects of the substance abuse can explain the amplified probability of engaging in violent crime. In this case, Hoaken and Stewart (1534) propose that there are four conduits through which the pharmacological effects – intoxication – are felt and translated into criminal violence and add that they are neither collectively exhaustive nor mutually exclusive. Firstly, changes in the higher-order cognitive capacities such as the ability to collect and analyze information. Secondly, changes to the pain perception system that is suppressed to either make the individual docile or aggressive. Thirdly, changes in the person’s ability to evaluate threats and experience anxiety, thus dampening the individual’s inhibitions. Finally, changes in the psychomotor activities including how the persons manage their behaviors with regard to approaching, sensing, seeking, and attacking (Hoaken and Stewart 1534-1535).
There is also a considerable amount of literature that associates alcohol and illicit drugs use with violent crime (Duke and Giancola 279). In fact, alcohol and illicit drugs use has been linked with all types of violent crime: child abuse, domestic violence, sexual offense, homicide, and assault among others. The use of the psychoactive substances influences the higher order cognitive construct executive functioning of the users, hence compromising decision-making, planning, and inhibition. Besides that, the ability to ascertain both external and internal cues is diminished (Hoaken and Stewart 1549-1550). As a result, the intoxicated individuals may experience less anxiety, wrongly interpret a social situation and thus act on their impulses without first evaluating the consequences of their actions. Therefore, the persons under the influence of the drugs tend to take unnecessary risks. In this respect, all of the mentioned factors explain why alcohol and illicit drug use increases a person’s likelihood of perpetrating criminal activities such as violent behavior.
Conclusion
One must accept that although the cause of violent crime is multifactorial, alcohol and illicit drugs are still some of the prominent catalysts for engaging in the vice. In fact, the two substances increase the risk of violent crime. The substances’ ability to intoxicate the users and hence make them loose their inhibitions acts as the facilitator for engaging in criminal activity. In this respect, there is a high likelihood that the abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs and violent crimes are strongly correlated with the first two acting as a precursor for the later. Therefore, it can be accepted that alcohol consumption and illegal drug abuse contribute to violent criminal behavior.

Works Cited
Brauer, Jonathan. “Social learning theory and human reinforcement.” Sociological Spectrum, 32.2(2012), 157-177.
Darke, Shane. “The toxicology of homicide offenders and victims: A review.” Drug and Alcohol Review, 29.2(2010), 202-215.
Duke, Aaron and Peter Giancola (2013). “Alcohol reverses religion’s prosocial influence on aggression.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 52.2(2013), 279-292.
Durand, Mark and David Barlow. Essentials of abnormal psychology. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Hoaken, Peter and Sherry Stewart (2003). “Drugs of abuse and the elicitation of human aggressive behavior.” Addictive Behaviors, 28.9(2003), 1533-1554.
Krueger, Robert, Kristian Markon, Christopher Patrick, Stephen Benning and Mark Kramer. “Linking antisocial behavior, substance use, and personality: an integrative quantitative model of the adult externalizing spectrum.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116.4(2007), 645-666.
Willcutt, Erik. “The prevalence of DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review.” Neurotherapeutics, 9.3(2012), 490-499.

Annotated Bibliography
Brauer, Jonathan. “Social learning theory and human reinforcement.” Sociological Spectrum, 32.2(2012), 157-177.
This is a 21-page journal article where the author presents the results of a systematic review on the theory of central causal mechanisms. The results indicate behavior can be reinforced through a range of process with each one producing different results. Overall, the author concedes that social behavior is the result of learning. The article will be useful in showing the correlation between exposure to criminal activity through drug abuse and criminal tendencies. In addition, it will be used to show that simply consuming alcohol and abusing drugs is not enough to explain away criminal behavior. Rather, there has to be some indication the individual is placed in an environment where he or she can observe other criminals, as is always the case with alcohol and drugs whose usage occurs in social settings.
Darke, Shane. “The toxicology of homicide offenders and victims: A review.” Drug and Alcohol Review, 29.2(2010), 202-215.
This is a 14-page journal article that discusses influences that inebriation has on self-preservation. Applying a systematic research review approach, the author makes it clear that intoxication is a commonality among criminal offenders. It concludes that there is a need to reduce drug abuse and alcohol consumption rates since this is expected to reduce crime rate. This article will be useful to the current paper since it presents evidence to show that intoxication eliminates inhibition with criminals left to act on their desire to cause harm to others. As such, evidence from this article will be used to support the notion that alcohol consumption and illegal drug abuse contribute to violent criminal behavior.
Duke, Aaron and Peter Giancola (2013). “Alcohol reverses religion’s prosocial influence on aggression.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 52.2(2013), 279-292.
This is a 14-page journal article that discusses the correlation between aggression and alcohol consumption. Applyign a primary research approach reliant on quantitative approaches, the article shows that there is significant correlation between alcohol consumption and aggression such that those who consume alcohol will be generally less aggressive when compared to their counterparts who consume alcohol. The article will be useful in justifying the assertion that higher levels of aggression characterizing criminal behavior will be noted persons who are intoxicated by alcohol and drugs. In this respect, the article will be used to support the notion that both alcohol consumption and drug abuse are strong predictors of criminal behavior.
Durand, Mark and David Barlow. Essentials of abnormal psychology. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
This is a book that discusses abnormal psychology, explaining what it means to be normal and how this relates to social concepts. In this case, the authors discuss some of the causes of abnormal behavior to include impairment. For that matter, the book offers an explaining for intoxication being blamed for shaping and reinforcing behavior through conditioning to influence frequency of occurrence. Of interest to the current research is the position that intoxication (particularly alcohol and drugs) plays in influencing individuals to engage in socially unacceptable manners. As such, the book will be used to explain the position that alcohol and drugs play in eliminating inhibition, and reinforcing criminal behavior.
Krueger, Robert, Kristian Markon, Christopher Patrick, Stephen Benning and Mark Kramer. “Linking antisocial behavior, substance use, and personality: an integrative quantitative model of the adult externalizing spectrum.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116.4(2007), 645-666.
This is a 22-page journal article that explores the correlation between antisocial behavior and intoxication. Applying a quantitative research approach, the authors provide evidence to show that behavior is subject to external influences from the environment. This notion is used to explain how intoxication influences behavior by exposing an individual to outside influence of the criminal nature. The article will be useful in showing that intoxication does not cause criminal behavior. Rather, intoxication reduces inhibitions and opens up the individual to be influenced by others into engaging in criminal activity. In this respect, the article will be used by the current research to show that intoxication from drugs and alcohol must be accompanied by influence from other criminals to act as a primer.