The Meaning of the Rush for Initiates to Injecting Drug Use

Abstract

Initiation into injecting drug use involves a new drug experience and a significantly greater risk of exposure to infection with blood-borne viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Previous studies have suggested that the promise and experience of a rush are particularly important in initiating into injecting drug use. This study explores the experience of the rush for initiates to injection drug use and contextualizes the experience within the construction of being initiated into injecting behavior. Semistructured interviews (n=17) of one to two hours were conducted by a peer interviewer trained in open-ended interview techniques. The manner in which the rush is narrativized suggests that the rush of the first hit occupies a role as one element of a separation rite in the rite of initiation, marking a transformation in social role. The findings highlight the need to acknowledge the pleasure and the ritual complexity of the experience of initiation to injecting drug use and to incorporate these dimensions into harm-reduction strategies.