ABSTRACT
Consensus in the verbal reports of drug users derives from a commonality of function, not from any universal truth. This is particularly so for the nonvolitional content of certain drug discourses, where an appeal to lack of volitional control serves the purpose of removing personal responsibility rather than being a “true” report of some physiological/pharmacological internal state. The role of pleasure as a factor that might influence control over a drug habit is revealed as a tantalising possibility by the discourses provided by the ecstasy and LSD users. It may be that for some individuals, a hedonistic drug habit might be incompatible with one is uncontrolled or “addicted”. In a word, good results are obtained from actions that reinforce misperceptions and stereotypes, ways that add fuel to mythical conceptualisations of addiction. Consequently, a central conclusion from the research is that drugspeak has a life of its own, that certain modes of functional presentation form an integral part of addicted state.
