ABSTRACT
Although we draw on a variety of sources of data throughout this book – from observations at dance and club events to analysis of policy and legislation that provide the context for these events – first and foremost this is a study of the experiences and narratives of young club-drug users in the rave, dance, and club scenes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the course of two years (2002-04), we interviewed 300 young men and women who use club drugs and who participate in these scenes. As we will discuss below, this group of people includes those who identify very strongly with the rave or club scenes as well as those who only occasionally attend these as just a small part of their broader leisure repertoire. It includes frequent and heavy drug users, experimental users, occasional users, and former users. The young people we talked to were diverse in terms of their genders, their sexual identities, and their ethnicities. We primarily talked to young adults, aged 18-24, with some others in their late twenties or thirties and a smaller number under 18. This was a fairly well-educated group of people, or at least ones with educational goals, as many were still students. Most, though not all, of those we interviewed were from middle-class backgrounds. About half of the sample identified as white, and the other half with another racial/ethnic group (most commonly Asian American, as well as Latino, African American, and “other”). Very few of those we talked to were married or with children – not surprising, given the continued involvement in night life and club drugs of most of those we interviewed. The diversity and heterogeneity of those we interviewed means that it would be impossible to paint a picture of “the” club-drug user, “the” raver, or “the” clubber. Instead, we have noticed different patterns and constructed typologies of participants, which we will outline below. Throughout the interviews, we were very lucky to encounter the openness and willingness to share their experiences, ideas, and thoughts, of the young people we talked to, even when discussing very sensitive topics. Ultimately, we hope that the stories that we tell throughout this book are their stories.
