Cocaine users and self-regulation mechanisms

Abstract

Purpose -The prevalence of cocaine use has been increasing since the mid-1990s in many European countries, Italy included. There is a large variety of patterns of cocaine use in natural settings, but on the whole, the existence of different patterns of cocaine use remains widely unknown to drug professionals, as well as to public opinion. The purpose of this paper is to investigate patterns and trajectories of use, the meaning of use within the context of users' life styles, the perception of controlled/uncontrolled use, personal strategies to keep drug use "under control". Design/methodology/approach -This paper illustrates findings from a qualitative study among 115 cocaine users. Participants were recruited using the snow ball sampling (a minimum lifetime experience of 20 instances of cocaine use was required). Findings -The findings confirm the variability of cocaine use trajectories and the prevalent tendency towards more moderate patterns of use. Such variability is in patent contrast to the disease model of addiction and its assumed predetermined linear trajectories. Set, and particularly setting and all the environmental factors, such as life events, appear to be the variables that can better explain the dynamic course of patterns of use.Research limitations/implications -The main limit concerns the non-randomisation in the selection of the nominees. Participants were recruited in the night entertainment scene of the main Tuscan cities through personal contacts of staff from risk reduction facilities: in spite of the personal and confidential approach, the number of "non institutionalized" users willing to collaborate was too low, therefore the authors decided to omit the randomisation. Social implications -The findings bear social implications as they can contribute to a change in the social representation of users so as to reduce the stigma. They can also prompt innovation in the operational models of drug services. Originality/value -It is the first qualitative research from the "control" perspective ever led in Italy.

Self‐managing illicit stimulant use: A qualitative study with patients receiving injectable opioid agonist treatment

“…Participants discussed significant efforts to ‘control’ their stimulant use by engaging in alternative activities and by practicing strategies to regulate their use. These findings are well situated in prior studies of substance use self‐regulation that have reflected the efforts people make to decrease the negative health and social consequences of substance use without stopping consumption [29,30,35,53,54]. In recent years, there has been a focus on extending discussions of substance use behaviour beyond individualistic models, to consider the broader environment within which these activities are situated [55].…”

“…Deductive reasoning was used to move the inquiry forward, making inferences about the emergent data, supported by engagement with literature [27,28]. For example, emerging categories focused on participants' personal goals, strategies to regulate their use and engagement in meaningful activities led the researchers to consult with literature on substance use self‐regulation [29–37] and self‐management of chronic conditions [38–42]. Engagement with this literature informed the next stage of coding which reconnected the data into three interrelated categories (distancing from the street environment, taking control of use and mobilising support; further described below) as making up the process of ‘self‐managing illicit stimulant use’.…”

Library and information science education as ignition source for services in non-academic special libraries

“…The snowball technique as deployed by Kashima et al,2013;Rodrigues et al,2012;Zuffa et al,2014 was employed to identify the sample. The first library in-charge named the other library in-charges or named other special libraries.…”