Voluntary risk-taking and heavy-end crack cocaine use: An edgework perspective

McGovern, Ruth and McGovern, William (2011) Voluntary risk-taking and heavy-end crack cocaine use: An edgework perspective. Health, Risk & Society, 13 (5). pp. 487-500. ISSN 1369-8575

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Abstract

Heavy-end drug use is a widely studied and discussed topic, however much of the research within the field considers the phenomenon of use from perspectives of individual or social pathology, devoid of any pleasure or meaning-making potential for the user. This paper seeks to offer an alternative perspective to understanding heavy-end drug use, with specific reference to crack cocaine, to that of the ‘powerless addict’ typically present in the hegemonic discourse. By applying Stephen Lyng's concept of edgework to this high-risk activity, this article will seek to demonstrate the purposeful nature of crack cocaine user for the user. The paper argues that users involve themselves in risk-taking behaviours in order to create meaning in an otherwise meaningless life. Within this context, meaning-making is achieved by honing skills and developing specialist knowledge which enables them to negotiate the ‘edge’ inherent in heavy-end crack cocaine use and control the uncontrollable.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	edgework, drug use, crack cocaine, risk
Subjects:	B200 Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy L900 Others in Social studies
Department:	Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Ellen Cole
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2012 12:49
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 14:37
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/10650

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