Drug users in society

FRANÇAIS :
Cet ouvrage traite du problème de la drogue sous l'angle de l'étude de la vie des usagers eux-mêmes. Partant du principe qu'un comportement individuel ne peut être dissocié de facteurs psychologiques ou socio-économiques, l'auteur étudie donc les souvenirs d'enfance, la vie de famille, le réseau de connaissances, les études, les revenus, l'emploi, l'habitat ainsi que les conditions physiques et mentales d'usagers de drogue. J. Neale décrit les opinions et les trajectoires de vie de 200 usagers d'opiacés écossais de tout age, contacté après leur admission à l'hôpital suite à une overdose et grâce à la méthode dite "boule-de-neige". A partir de ces interviews individuelles, l'auteur présente un tableau assez complet de la situation générale de ces usagers. Un premier chapitre retrace brièvement l'usage des opiacés dans l'histoire et dans la législation anglaise et américaine, un deuxième chapitre traite des études ethnographiques et des approches théoriques existantes. Les chapitres suivants, illustrés de propos d'usagers, s'intéressent à l'expérimentation, à l'injection, à l'accès aux produits, à la vie quotidienne de ces usagers, au lien avec la criminalité, la violence, les revenus. Sont également décrits les lieux de vie, les problèmes particuliers des sans domiciles fixe, les relations avec la police, les interpellations, la prison, la santé (sida et hépatites). Enfin les usagers témoignent de leur recours au traitement et évaluent les services de soins.
ENGLISH :
The problem of drug misuse can never be fully understood without a clear appreciation of the motivations and life circumstances of those individuals who become involved in drug taking. Inevitably, individual behaviour relates to a wide range of psychological and socio-economic factors. These include childhood experiences, family life and interpersonal relationships, income, employment and educational opportunities, housing circumstances, and physical and mental well-being. The aim of this book is to shed more light on some of these complex issues. Drawing extensively upon drug users' own words, this [book] offers a candid insight into the views and experiences of those individuals who have become addicted to opiates, but also abuse a wide range of other illicit substances. By relating the statements of these individuals to existing policy and service provision, previous research, and theoretical debates, it is hoped that understanding of drug-related issues will be increased and improvements in policy and practice may follow. The central part of the book is based on data collected from in-depth interviews with 200 opiate users living in Scotland. These interviews were conducted as part of a research project funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department to investigate drug users' views and experiences of non-fatal illicit drug overdose. The 200 respondents included men and women, teenagers and older addicts, novice drug users and those who had been addicted for many years. Some were in treatment whereas others had refused or been denied various forms of formal assistance. In addition to discussing their experiences of drug overdose, those interviewed willingly provided in-depth accounts of many other aspects of their lives. These included their family circumstances, living arrangements, income sources, employment histories, health status, views of imprisonment and the criminal justice system, drug-use histories, experiences of drug treatment programmes, and contacts with generic and specialist drug service and healthcare providers. By interviewing addicts at different stages of their drug-using careers and by discussing with them a wide range of issues, it has been possible to produce a detailed and rounded overview of what it is like to be opiate dependent. The book that has resulted focuses neither explicitly on men nor on women, but is gender sensitive. Equally, it does not consider only those aspects of drug users' lives that relate directly to drug-taking behaviour (that is, obtaining and using drugs). Rather, it locates these activities within the wider context of personal biographies and daily routines. In this way, drug use is seen as a part of life, but not the only part that may be of interest to the outsider. (Extract of the publication)