Analyzing the Drugstore Cowboy

Drugstore Cowboy features Bob Hughes (played by Matt Dillon) -- a character struggling with addiction -- and his little band of vagabond drug dependents. The story is set in USA of the early 1970s. Hughes heads a drug addict "family," which comprises his wife, Dianne (played by Kelly Lynch), together with another couple; the "family" pay for their drug stash by means of drugstore robberies as they move across America.

When one of the members of their gang meets with a tragic end, Hughes makes up his mind to quit this dysfunctional group and becomes a good citizen. However, this move -- to leave behind his criminal past -- turns out to be a lot more challenging than anticipated, when Hughes finds himself stalked by a former acquaintance (accompanied by an accomplice) who seeks to acquire drugs, whatever the price. Following their success, the two shoot up, plan their subsequent raid, and the cycle repeats.

It doesn't sell for long, however- Bob and his gang seem too sophisticated to be stuck in the endless routine of drug addiction. Matt Dillon resembles the deceased James Dean, with his well-defined cheekbones and deep-set eyes, while the female lead, Lynch, with her cover-girl charm, looks more like someone who should be on a ramp, rather than running from the police. In a different world, the two would make the best-poised couple one sees at a party.

This, however, is ruined by the fact that their bigger priority is drugs, and not each other, regardless of what either of the two think. It appears to be totally insane that Bob can overlook his wife to drool over drugs he does not require. His addiction and a series of unsuccessful robberies feed Bob's superstition -- however, his breaking point comes in the form of young Nadine dying of overdose (McHugh, Hearon & Otto, 2010).

Question 2 Clinical tests that explore the inclusion of training in communication and coping skills must prove to have positive outcomes; these form the common elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for drug abuse. The basis of strategy employment must be case conceptualization, building on the reports of patients, and the behavioral inspection of these deficits. Exercises to develop interpersonal skills can aim to repair relationship problems, and enhance the ability of using effective communication and social support.

In case of patients having the sound support of their significant other, or some other member of their family, adopting this support in therapy can benefit both aims for relationship functioning and abstinence. Moreover, the ability of rejecting substance offers may prove a weakness and a barrier to recovery. Rehearsing socially-acceptable negative responses to drug/alcohol offers gives patient a more powerful skill set, which will aid in applying these refusals in real-life scenarios.

Wherever appropriate, these rehearsals may be accompanied by emotional induction or imaginary exposure for increasing the extent of similarity between the rehearsal and a high-risk, real drug use situation. Strategies for acknowledging the link of alcohol/drug issues with mental health issues would be essential for countering the addiction. Timely intervention and collaboration between mental healthcare workers and professionals providing alcohol/drug treatment in recovery-oriented, integrated local systems is required for ensuring effective outcomes for both the above issues.

CBT therapy for drug/alcohol use-linked problems varies with protocol employed and, owing to the difference in various psychoactive substances' effects and nature, the targeted substance. However, several key aspects appear across protocols. The implementation of learning-centered strategies for targeting maladaptive patterns of behavior, skills deficits, and cognitive and motivational obstacles to change represents one aspect that is constant across interventions. One major principle lying behind CBT is: alcohol and drugs are powerful behavior reinforcers.

With time, these negative (for instance, decreasing negative impact) and positive (for instance, improving social experiences) reinforcers are linked to a broad range of external as well as internal stimuli. Key CBT elements aim at mitigating the forceful, reinforcing impacts of alcohol and drugs by raising the contingency linked to non-use (for instance, vouchers for abstaining from drugs/alcohol) or skill building for facilitating decreased use and abstinence maintenance, as well as facilitating opportunities to reward non-drug activities.

Cognitive behavioral strategies must be formulated for addressing functional drug-use cues, which can include a wider range of skills training, cognitive reappraisal, psycho-education, etc. Separate CBT plans differ in the extent to which individual components are utilized. Functional analysis elements, behavioral strategies for avoiding triggers, and the development of drug refusal, coping, and problem-solving skills must be observed in interventions for drug addicts.

Evidence for CBT effectiveness for drug/alcohol use-linked disorders is acquired from meta-analyses; estimations of effect size are done through heterogeneous conditions of comparison (low-medium range) and comparison with no-therapy control groups (large) (McHugh, Hearon & Otto, 2010).

Question 3 Numerous attributes are responsible for making individuals susceptible to addiction, including weak self-regulation (which is the ability of maintaining emotional stability and balance), lacking self-identity (the ability of maintaining a positive sense of self, particularly in social interactions) and differentiation, a feeling of emptiness/deficiency (the feeling that one is lacking in something), and damaged impulse control. All the above qualities are characteristic to addiction, according to Mate, and they develop, or don't, due to trauma or neglect in early childhood.

However, Mate admits that all addictions aren't grounded in trauma or abuse. Nevertheless, one can trace every addiction to distressing experiences. Some form of hurt lies at the heart of every addictive behavior. Hughes' addiction is on account of the fact that an addict experiences greater excitement by using drugs than by sex -- he is exhilarated with planning a burglary, the fear (adrenaline rush) that accompanies the actual robbery, and the ultimate payoff (drug consumption).

Bob, apparently, never changed his romantic partner since high school -- somewhere on the way, he marries her, but both are focused more on drugs, than on one another (Mate, 2010). Question 4 The movie looks into a drug addict's mind-set, integrating the roller coaster of impulses and moods that characterize them. Somewhere on the way, the group's and society's prospects become progressively bleak.

A series of heists gone badly fire Hughes' superstition; however, his breaking point comes in the form of young Nadine's death by overdose, causing Hughes to quit, join rehab, and start an honest job at a factory. At the movie's outset, he's nothing more than a mere charming thief. But viewers can really sense.