Women’s Drug Use in Everyday Life

This book explores the increasing role of psychoactive substances in contemporary everyday life, focusing on women's use. It uses cultural studies and queer phenomenology to analyze women's narratives of drug use from social, legal, cultural, embodied, and gendered perspectives. It examines topics such as stigma, happiness, children, the body, gifts, the drug market, medication, sickness, and health, and how drug-related spaces and directions can be analyzed in terms of gender and class.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This open-access book delves into the growing prevalence of psychoactive substances in modern daily life, with a specific focus on women's consumption. Conducted through an ethnographic study in Sweden, it employs cultural studies and queer phenomenology to examine the narratives of drug use shared by women, encompassing a range of social, legal, cultural, embodied, and gendered perspectives on drugs in the contemporary Western world. The book explores various topics, including stigma, happiness, children, the body, gifts, the drug market, medication, sickness, and health. Additionally, it examines the orientation of women toward others, their adherence to social and cultural norms, drug laws, and the substances themselves. The book discusses the analysis of drug-related spaces and directions in terms of gender and class, and how drug use can influence the directions of contemporary society and culture. It appeals to scholars in sociology, criminology, ethnology, gender studies, law, and history.

Introduction:
The use of psychoactive substances has been on the rise in recent years, with women being particularly affected. This book aims to explore the increasing role of psychoactive substances in contemporary everyday life, with a specific focus on women's consumption. By employing an ethnographic study in Sweden, the book seeks to analyze the narratives of drug use shared by women, encompassing a range of social, legal, cultural, embodied, and gendered perspectives on drugs in the contemporary Western world.

Methodology:
The study was conducted through an ethnographic approach, which involves immersing oneself in a particular culture or community for an extended period of time to observe and document their practices and beliefs. In this case, the researchers spent several months in Sweden, conducting interviews and observations with women who had experienced drug use. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured format, allowing the women to share their experiences and perspectives in their own words.

Findings:
The findings of the study revealed a complex and multifaceted relationship between women and psychoactive substances. Women used drugs for a variety of reasons, including to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression, to enhance their social experiences, and to explore their identities. However, the use of drugs also had negative consequences, such as addiction, health problems, and social isolation.

Discussion:
The study highlights the need for a more comprehensive understanding of women's drug use and its implications. It suggests that drug use should be viewed as a complex phenomenon that is influenced by a range of social, legal, cultural, and personal factors. The study also emphasizes the importance of gender and class in shaping women's drug use experiences and the need for policies and interventions that take these factors into account.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book provides a valuable contribution to the literature on women's drug use. By examining the narratives of drug use shared by women, it sheds light on the complex and multifaceted relationship between women and psychoactive substances. The study highlights the need for a more comprehensive understanding of women's drug use and its implications, and suggests that policies and interventions should be designed to address these issues.

Weight: 483g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031460593
Edition number: 1st ed. 2024