CHOOSERS OR LOSERS?

A new report called "Choosers or Losers? Influences on Young People's
Choices about Drugs in Inner-City Dublin" has departed considerably
from previous studies by including within its scope the rationale
underlying young people's drug-use. Author Paula Mayock, of the
Children's Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin, interviewed many
middle-range drug-users (eg cannabis and E), as well as abstainers and
very young heroin-users. Much previous research has left these
particular groups out, its focus being adult heroin-users.

Mayock's report examines the use - and, importantly, the non-use - of
drugs by 15-19-year-olds, in an inner-city area where drug-use is
highly concentrated.

"Considerable time and effort were invested in the establishment of
trust and rapport with prospective research participants," says
Mayock. "I had to familiarise myself with the social landscape in
terms of where the young hung out, and the different areas for
different drug-taking. For example, cannabis-smokers wouldn't hang out
in heroin areas.

"I had to establish street credibility. I didn't want to be perceived
as an authority figure or a rat." Respondents categorised themselves
as abstainers, drug-takers or problem drug-takers, in accordance with
how they viewed themselves at the time of interview.

Among Mayock's findings:

* Drug initiation took place, on average, at 13.2 years for
drug-takers, and 12.4 years for problem drug-takers. Cannabis,
followed by inhalants, dominated as the drugs first used. For the
majority, cannabis use was an accepted norm and was not considered to
be a 'deviant' activity.

* Early heroin-use was a covert activity and young people went to
considerable lengths to conceal it from adults and peers. The time
lapse between first heroin use and dependence varied from six months
to one year. The onset of dependence frequently took young people by
surprise.

* Drug avoidance did not necessarily imply total abstinence.
Respondents made an effort to self-regulate their intake and to reduce
the potential harm resulting from drug-use.

* The majority rejected the suggestion that they were 'pressurised'
into drug use. The most commonly stated incentives for drug-use
included availability, curiosity, pleasure and fun, peer group
membership and the alleviation of boredom and negative
self-thought.

* Young people assessed the benefits and dangers associated with
various drugs. Judgements about the relative 'safety' versus 'risk'
associated with using various substances strongly influenced their
drug choices. Drug use was rarely pursued in the absence of perceived
rewards.

According to Mayock, "Discussions of youth and drugs can often veer
dangerously towards the view that drug-taking is a largely irrational
behaviour with benefits that are entirely ill-conceived by the user.
This current study has gone some way towards redressing this imbalance."

Mayock believes that harm reduction must play a much stronger role
than it presently does in drug policies and education. "Blanket 'say
no' approaches to drugs leave us with very little to say to young
people who say yes to drugs. They know that drugs don't always have
detrimental consequences. The advantage of harm reduction is that
there is some chance that young people will respond.

"Young people need to be able to establish fact from myth and to make
informed choices about their use of drugs. They need to learn to apply
skills which minimise the harm caused by drugs. In short, they need to
be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to cope with a
drug-using world."