Representação Social do Usuário de Drogas na Perspectiva de Dependentes Químicos

Abstract

Resumo: Os usuários de drogas estão ligados a um imaginário que remete à irresponsabilidade e à delinquência; por isso, não há muita disponibilidade para ouvir sobre suas experiências e vivências. Diante disso, objetivou-se conhecer e analisar o conteúdo e a estrutura da representação social do usuário de drogas. A amostra compreendeu 30 dependentes químicos em tratamento numa instituição psiquiátrica em João Pessoa-PB. Foi utilizada uma entrevista, analisada por meio da Análise de Conteúdo Temática, e a Técnica de Associação Livre de Palavras, analisada a partir do EVOC. Os instrumentos foram administrados individualmente no ambiente institucional. Constatou-se que a representação social do usuário de drogas é negativa, pois ele é concebido como não confiável e mau-caráter, e como um doente, não tendo capacidade de lutar contra sua dependência. Conclui-se que essas representações podem ter repercussões negativas na vida desses usuários, pois adquirem status de verdade, guiando suas condutas e a forma como compreendem sua realidade. Palavras-chaves: Drogas, Usuário de drogas, Dependência Química, Representações Sociais. Drug User's Social Representation in the Perspective of the Chemical DependentAbstract: Drug users are associated to irresponsibility and delinquency, which makes it difficult for them to be heard. This study sought to know and to analyze the content and structure of drug-user's social representation. The sample included 30 under-treatment drug addicts in a psychiatric institution in João Pessoa-PB. An interview -analyzed by the Thematic Content Analysis -, and a Free Association of Words Technique -analyzed from EVOC -were used. The instruments were individually administrated inside the institutional environment. The drug user's social representation was seen as negative, as he is considered as a bad character, and as a sick and an unreliable person without the capacity of fighting against his addiction. In conclusion, these representations might have negative outcomes on the users' lives as they acquire status of truth, guiding their behaviors and the way they comprehend their realities.

Discourse of psychoactive substance dependents on their discursively constructed image

“…These data corroborate studies based on the theoretical reference of social representations of psychoactive substance users in treatment, who express negative views of themselves and recognize themselves as suffering, distressed and miserable people (6) . The drug is considered damned, associated with the devil and the power to destroy the life of users (5) .…”

“…A study on the social meanings of drug users emphasizes that when they are represented in a negative way, they are objectified both by themselves and by society in an inanimate object and reduced to the condition of the drug (6) and not to a citizen-being, subject of rights and duties with singularity and subjectivity. The negative perception expressed by SD3 in ds9 can influence and harm a person's self-image by making them feel with low selfesteem and intensify the process of self-stigmatization.…”

“…The literature corroborates such findings by reinforcing the degrading view of drug users, who internalize negative stereotypes associated with psychoactive substance dependence and express feelings of shame or inferiority. Such an attitude triggers the low social hierarchical status (4,6,19,21) .…”

“…The statements related the image of substance-dependent people and of themselves to the image of deviant, transgressive beings, who "cause trouble" to society, because they disturb the sleep of others, "wake up at late at night", "ask for money on the street and lie". These are hegemonic and dominant imaginary formations in society and these stereotypes were internalized by users, influence the formation of their self-image (6) and associate them with "vagabond", "deviant", and "transgressor" individuals. The evidence has shown the use of metaphors, that is, figures of language producing figurative meanings through implicit comparisons between the drug dependent and an animal.…”

“…The phenomenon of psychoactive substances is historically permeated by biological or disease, legal and moral paradigms (6) . Despite the peculiarities of these models, they are convergent on focusing only on the drug and users, who are understood as sick people, deviant from standards of norms and normality (7) , requiring remission of symptoms and the search for the "normal" state of subjects (8) .…”