A Delphi study of the subjective “rush” experience: Understanding the perspective of the injecting drug user to enhance quality of drug intervention

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore what injecting drug users mean by the “rush,” their subjective experiences of it, and possible factors that may affect the experience. ) found the “rush” to be likened to sexual orgasm; however, other studies attempting to pinpoint the “rush” have revealed a wide range of subjective sensations and emotions that bear no link to sexual orgasm (). As such, it remains unclear what both drug users and workers mean when they refer to the “rush” and whether the experience differs between users. An opportunity sample of 25 participants (20 males and 5 females) were recruited from the client base at the Cardiff Community Addictions Unit. A qualitative design was implemented using the Delphi technique and content analysis, with two rounds of questionnaires being administered. Moderately strong consensuses were found for various aspects of the rush and factors affecting the rush, such as “type of drug,” “warm” and “itchy/scratchy feelings,” and for environment not being a contributing factor. These findings could be used to improve services for clients through developing a better client–worker understanding of the “rush” and in possibly developing client contact methods.

Keywords:

• Rush
• injecting
• drug

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr Richard Pates for originally developing the idea for this research and supporting the execution of the research. In addition we thank the study participants and CAU colleagues for their invaluable contribution.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.