‘It's just a social thing’: Drug use, friendship and borderwork among marginalized young people

Foster, Karen; Spencer, Dale

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2012.12.005

Cited by 55 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Controlled substances are drugs that have been identified by the Canadian federal government as having an elevated potential for abuse or addiction, and are listed in schedules I to V of Canada's 1996 Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. 7 Abuse of controlled medication refers to the consumption of substances intended for medical treatment for the purpose of producing euphoric feelings of well-being (a "high"), whereas misuse refers to a deviation from prescribed instructions, such as taking an additional sleeping pill when the first did not have the desired effect.…”

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confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional examination of medicinal substance abuse and use of nonmedicinal substances among Canadian youth: findings from the 2012-2013 Youth Smoking Survey

2015

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Background:Medicinal substance abuse is prevalent in Canada; however, little is known about patterns of abuse among young people. In this study, we sought to characterize the abuse of medicinal substances, such as prescription medications and selected over-thecounter substances, as well as that of licit and illicit nonmedicinal substances, using a nationally representative sample of young people. Methods:Cross-sectional, nationally representative data for children in grades 7-12 were obtained from Health Canada's 2012-2013 Youth Smoking Survey (n = 38 667). Multinomial regression analyses were conducted to examine subgroup differences in medicinal substance abuse and comorbid abuse of both medicinal and nonmedicinal substances.Results: About 5% of youth reported abusing medicinal substances in the previous year. Dextromethorphan, a substance found in many cough and cold syrups, was the most widely abused (2.9%), followed by pain medications (2.6%), sleeping medications (1.8%), stimulants (1.7%) and sedatives (1.0%). Abuse of nonmedicinal substances aside from tobacco and alcohol was reported by 21.3% of the population, and abuse of any substances was detected in 23.0% of the surveyed population. Girls at each grade level reported higher rates of abuse of medicinal substances than boys. Regional differences were seen with regard to the types of substances abused across Canada.Interpretation: A substantial minority of Canadian youth report abusing medicinal substances, including over-the-counter medications (e.g., cough syrup) and prescriptions medications (e.g., pain medication). In contrast to nonmedicinal substances, girls were more likely than boys to report abuse of medicinal substances. Abstract Research CMAJ OPEN E388CMAJ OPEN, 3(4)

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confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional examination of medicinal substance abuse and use of nonmedicinal substances among Canadian youth: findings from the 2012-2013 Youth Smoking Survey

2015

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“…by considering that recovery processes may not necessarily include total abstinence, but rather a reconfiguration of social roles and practices, for instance, in balancing moderate drug use with being a caring parent or a responsible employee (Neale et al, 2011). Following this line of thought, we draw inspiration from performative narrative theory (Bamberg, 2004;Riessman, 2003;2012) and from social psychological studies of borderwork (Thorne, 1993;Davies 2006;Foster & Spencer, 2013) to demonstrate how young people perform recovering identities vis-à-vis their still-using friends.…”

Section: Performing Recovering Identities In Relation To Friends: Anamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, for example Pilkington (2007) shows how young drug users experience their friend groups as safe and supportive environments where they can receive guidance and enact drug decisions. Similarly, using a narrative approach, Foster & Spencer (2013) demonstrate how drug consumption is interwoven with affective relationships of trust, and how young drug users engage in identity work by drawing boundaries between their own friendship group's responsible drug use and the irresponsible drug use of others (see also MacLean, 2016;Mayock, 2002). Thus, the dominant picture of young drug users as being either passively drawn into a world of drug use through socialisation processes (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbing the ‘spoiled-unspoiled’ binary: performances of recovering identities in drug-experienced youths’ friendship narratives

Herold

Søgaard

2018

Addiction Research & Theory

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In existing recovery studies, binary distinctions between 'spoiled' identities defined by drug-related practices and relationships on the one side, and 'un-spoiled' drug-free identities on the other, are dominant. Similarly, in contexts of youth drug-treatment, substance-using friends are generally viewed as 'bad company', while non-using friends are considered as recovery promoters. This article, however, joins the growing chorus of qualitative researchers beginning to question critically this 'spoiled-unspoiled' distinction. Based on 30 qualitative interviews with 15 young people recruited from a Danish drug-treatment database, we investigate how drug-experienced youth perform recovering identities vis-à-vis their still-using friends. Employing a performative approach to identity formation, we demonstrate how such identity processes play out, and the dilemmas and ambivalences they entail. For example, while drug-using friends are regularly positioned as 'bad company', this is often accompanied by sentiments such as loss and frustration. Our analysis suggests that young people in recovery are easily trapped between societal expectations related to factors such as education on the one hand, and comfortability and connectedness with friends on the other. However, by means of carefully balanced 'borderwork', participants did occasionally manage to integrate using friends into their recovering identities without positioning them as 'bad company' per se. On this basis, we discuss whether breaking bonds with friends who still use drugs is imperative for any process of recovery, and argue that treatment programmes should focus on reconfiguring drug-related friendships, while taking seriously the notion that recovering youth are not necessarily interested in abandoning relations with drug-using friends.

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“…Importantly, drugs can be sold and obtained in a fairly straightforward fashion. It is a place for business relations, friendships, and belonging, making the process of initiation and remaining in a drug scene about more than marginalization and drug abuse (Fitzgerald, 2009;Foster & Spencer, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group solidarity in a hostile milieu: Immigrant experiences in a street-based drug scene

Sandøy¹

2014

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

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Based Drug SceneAims: Street-based drug scenes are typically portrayed as lacking in solidarity. Studies frequently cast camaraderie as solely instrumental, highly conditional, and temporary. The aim of this paper is to explore social dynamics and group solidarity in a seemingly hostile drug scene, and demonstrate the importance of this milieu for a group of immigrant men.Methods: Data was drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in the street-based drug scene in the downtown parts of Oslo, Norway. The fieldwork included participant observation, informal conversations, and 17 interviews with street-based drug users.Findings: Drug transactions, viewed as interaction rituals, may help create group solidarity among the members of the scene. Group solidarity is displayed in social bonds that drew former members back to the scene and in the inclusion of isolated, immigrant men. Conclusions:The street-based drug scene in Oslo, with its repeated interaction rituals and bonds of group membership, provides a community for people who experience low degrees of solidarity elsewhere, as demonstrated in the case of immigrants. This paper encourages a continued and improved emphasis on contexts for drug use as socially enabling environments.

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‘It's just a social thing’: Drug use, friendship and borderwork among marginalized young people

Cited by 55 publications

References 29 publications

A cross-sectional examination of medicinal substance abuse and use of nonmedicinal substances among Canadian youth: findings from the 2012-2013 Youth Smoking Survey

A cross-sectional examination of medicinal substance abuse and use of nonmedicinal substances among Canadian youth: findings from the 2012-2013 Youth Smoking Survey

Disturbing the ‘spoiled-unspoiled’ binary: performances of recovering identities in drug-experienced youths’ friendship narratives

Group solidarity in a hostile milieu: Immigrant experiences in a street-based drug scene

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