ABSTRACT
First, the being-against-care to which my bereaved respondents made reference translated into a particular way of becoming a serious drug user. They went for drugs such as heroin ‘big time’ and therefore took copious amounts of such drugs whilst also engaging in the more dangerous practice of injection. The first part of the chapter discusses how this also necessitated an immediate change in the level of their criminal involvements. This group described their involvement in acquisitive crime as ‘prolific’. Although it did not result in a change in the nature of their criminal involvements (which remained focused on shoplifting) it opened up the possibility that their criminal involvements would become more serious. Although they were mainly shoplifters, then, they talked about street robbery, which brought the threat of violence, as ‘an option’ that was ‘on the agenda’. The chapter then goes on to discuss how and why the dys-appearing group were quite different to the against-care group. For dys-appearing respondents, becoming a serious drug user meant using drugs such as heroin, but in moderation and via the comparatively safer practice of ‘chasing the dragon’. This was reflected in the immediate criminal consequences that followed-on from their becoming a serious drug user. They were able to moderate their involvement in crime, and some even described themselves as ‘giro junkies’, that is, users that were able to restrict their drug use within existing income limits thereby avoiding increased involvement in crime.
