Beyond ‘Addiction’: Dependence, Injecting and Transitions in Opiate Use

Dertadian, George C.

doi:10.1007/978-981-13-1975-4_8

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…This vision, reconsidered and transformed over time into broader consideration of macro and micro‐level risk factors, presently considers drug use along a continuum, namely initiation (i.e., when the individual begins using drugs for the first time) and continuation/relapse (i.e., as the individual continues to use drugs, to the point of routinization and potential sociomedical harm, or stops and restarts drug use) (Ford 2008). Additional work developed in this space has considered other contextual forces, further examined in this analysis, such as inability to access treatment, peer influence, and withdrawal avoidance, as formative in the continuation of drug use career or in relapse (Ali et al 2017; Dertadian 2019; Lindesmith 2008; Mateu‐Gelabert et al 2010). However, the salience of these dynamics, specifically in terms of their legitimacy (i.e., whether a non‐PWUD believes a particular explanation for drug use actually justifies drug use), and their power in generating empathy, remain points of contestation and motivate the current examination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Sociology of Empathy and Shared Understandings: Contextualizing Beliefs and Attitudes on Why People Use Opioids

et al. 2022

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There has been a steep rise in overdoses and mortality among people who use opioids or who inject drugs (PWUD), including in North America, the United Kingdom, and parts of Eastern Europe, with some of the sharpest increases amassing in rural communities. Currently, the literature lacks a comparative focus on the views and experiences of rural PWUD and professionals who regularly work and interface with them, in terms of their understandings of the rural drug use initiation/relapse trajectory. Considering a renewed sociology of emotions and empathy and the constructs of direct experience (e.g., of personal drug use) versus role‐playing (e.g., envisioning oneself in another's position), we used a modified constant comparison method to analyze interviews conducted with PWUD and professional stakeholders in rural southern Illinois, an opioid overdose hotspot. Findings suggest that rural opioid use is adopted in service of an intricate interplay of sensory, relational, somatic, and psychosocial benefits, with a sharp divergence between PWUD, who express considerable agency in their drug use behaviors, and professionals, who fail to successful role‐play in emphasizing PWUD's limited willpower and “deviant” sociocultural predilection. These dynamics illuminate challenges to advancing nuanced, culturally humble programming to advance public health goals related to the opioid and drug injection epidemic.

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