Methamphetamine Use in Club Subcultures

Abstract

In recent decades, methamphetamine developed a peculiar geographic distribution in the United States, with limited diffusion in the Northeast. While use within gay clubs received attention, methamphetamine in club subcultures more broadly remains less clear. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we provide a descriptive assessment of methamphetamine use in club subcultures. Methamphetamine use in club subcultures often has instrumental purposes. The context of initiation into methamphetamine use and its close connection to cocaine shape later patterns of use. Viewing meth solely as a gay party drug misses a significant part of the population and may misguide public health strategies to reduce methamphetamine use in the Northeast.

RÉSUMÉ

Au cours des récentes décennies, la méthamphétamine a connu une distribution géographique particulière aux Etats-Unis, avec une diffusion limitée dans le Nord-est. Alors que l'attention s'est concentrée sur la consommation au sein des clubs gay, la méthamphétamine dans les subcultures des clubs au sens plus large demeure moins claire. En utilisant des données quantitatives et qualitatives, nous fournissons une évaluation descriptive de la consommation de la méthamphétamine dans les subcultures des boîtes de nuit. La consommation de la méthamphétamine dans ces subcultures se fait souvent à des fins utilitaires. Le contexte de l'initiation à l'usage de la méthamphétamine et son lien étroit avec la cocaïne déterminent les habitudes d'usage ultérieures. Considérer la méthamphétamine uniquement comme drogue de fête en milieu gay revient à exclure une partie importante de la population et pourrait mener à l'adoption de politiques malavisées en matière de réduction de l'usage de la méthamphétamine au Nord-Est.

RESUMEN

En décadas recientes, la metanfetamina ha desarrollado una distribución geográfica peculiar en los Estados Unidos, con limitada difusión en el Noreste. Si bien el uso de metanfetamina en clubes gay ha recibido atención, su uso en subculturas de club en general continúa siendo menos claro. Usando data cuantitativa y cualitativa, proveemos un reconocimiento descriptivo del uso de metanfetamina en subculturas de club. El uso de la metanfetamina en subculturas de club tiene a menudo propósitos instrumentales. El contexto de iniciación en el uso de la metanfetamina y su estrecha conexión con la cocaína modela patrones de uso posteriores. Ver la metanfetamina únicamente como una droga de fiesta gay excluye una parte significativa de la población, y puede aconsejar mal a estrategias de salud pública para reducir el uso de metanfetamina en el Noreste.

Keywords :

• methamphetamine
• youth
• club subculture

THE AUTHORS

Brian C. Kelly, PhD, is an Associate Professor of sociology in Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. His topical areas of research interest include drug use, sexual health, HIV/AIDS, and youth cultures. The foci of his current research projects include work on prescription drug abuse among young adults in nightlife scenes, methamphetamine abuse and HIV risk in China, club drug use among young adults, and the health and well-being of adolescents in age discordant relationships.

Amy LeClair is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology, New York University, and a Project Coordinator at Hunter College's Center for HIV Educations Studies and Training. She is interested in the fields of medical sociology, mental health and illness, substance use, and emerging adulthood. Her dissertation is a study of how macrolevel changes produced by the medicalization of mental illness are resolved at the individual level, focusing specifically on the case of young adults taking antidepressants.

Jeffrey T. Parsons, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is also the founding Director of the Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST). His current formative research studies and intervention trials focus on a range of subjects, including gay male couples, sexual risk behaviors, drug/alcohol use, sexual compulsivity, and HIV medication adherence. Dr. Parsons is also the Editor of Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and an Associate Editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior and AIDS and Behavior.