The place and meaning of ‘controlled’, illicit substance use in the private lives of a group of individuals

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the thoughts and feelings of a group of individuals towards their ‘controlled’, illicit drug use. In‐depth semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted with six participants (age range 25–37 years) in order to explore their experiences of recreational, illicit, drug use. The interviewee's fitted the description of a ‘controlled drug user’ with engagement in full time employment as a key element of inclusion in the study. Phenomenological methods were employed to analyse the data generated from the interviews and develop key themes for discussion. Three main themes emerged from the data: (a) participants were introduced to drugs by someone they knew; (b) certain drugs can fulfil a specific social function; (c) pros and cons are considered prior to trying a drug. Interview exerts are included in the paper to highlight the origin of each key theme and these are discussed in relation to existing literature. A central essence statement was developed from the data, which concluded that ‘controlled, illicit drug use can be maintained by “socially included” individuals'.