Drug Use and Meanings of Risk and Pleasure

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore meanings of risk and pleasure around drugs among adolescents and young adults, and provide data that represent the users’ perspectives. Using in-depth qualitative data from a sample of 300 young dance event attendees in the San Francisco Bay Area, we will analyze their perceptions of ecstasy and other illicit drugs, which are sometimes used at raves, clubs and other dance events. Using contemporary socio-cultural theories of risk, we will explore how young adults socially ‘construct’ notions of risk and risk-taking, how they engage in a process of negotiating the risks versus the pleasures of specific drugs, and the extent to which young people's notions of risk, danger and pleasure around drugs are influenced by the social setting and social groupings.

Collection of data for this article was made possible by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA 14317).

Collection of data for this article was made possible by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA 14317).

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to thank Katie Hendy, Eileen Wu and Alicia Reyes who conducted the majority of the interviews.

Notes

Collection of data for this article was made possible by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA 14317).

1. For a discussion of mainstream versus underground see Thornton (1996).

2. Moore and Valverde call club drugs ‘an unstable array of substances’ (2000, p. 527).

3. For example, see Lyng's (1990) research on edgework.

4. Exceptions include Duff (2003), France (2000), Mitchell et al. (2004) and Plant and Plant (1992).

5. See also Henderson (1999), O'Connor and Klaus (2000) and O'Malley and Valverde (2004).

6. See also Douglas and Wildavsky (1982).

7. While Douglas adopts what can be described as a weak social constructionist model, she does not subscribe to the argument that there are no real dangers—‘the reality of the dangers is not at issue’ (1992, p. 29).

8. See also Ettorre and Miles (2002).

9. A small sample of non-club drug users were also interviewed.

10. A point also noted by Gamma et al. (2005).

11. For example, see the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2005) or The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign (2005).

12. These effects are publicized by drug prevention agencies in information they present to the public (see note [11]).

13. For a more detailed discussion see Hunt and Barker (2001).

14. See also Kelly (2005).

15. For a further discussion see Hunt et al. (2002). Also see Henderson (1993).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Geoffrey P. Hunt

All authors are at the Institute for Scientific Analysis, Alameda, USA