A Dizzying Array of Substances.pdf - department of anthropology

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entitled to make ‘their’ money in this way, as one of the relatively rare local business opportunitiesavailable to them. The young people know who they are, and at least tolerate their activities. Weheard statements like, ‘They are alright’ and, ‘They walk away from us when they’re doing it.’ Manyother residents, however, including some who buy from these young men, have little regard forthem, remembering them as ‘cheeky kids’ who have managed to leapfrog into a powerful position intheir lives. This local social memory, alongside the contempt that these young men often display foropiate-dependence, is experienced as demeaning for the local buyer.This social intimacy is one of the aspects of life that gives Rialto a sense of being an old communitywhose consciousness of itself was in some ways strengthened through its response to the opiatecrisis of the 1990s. There is a pre-Celtic Tiger feel as one walks from the roundabout. The churchstill physically dominates the area, even though the Boulangerie on the corner indicates thepresence of a newer Ireland. The local shop, where a tab may still be run, coexists next to a largechain newsagent. Indeed, few of the buildings match on this street: the red church clashes withthe crassly coloured DIY store, which, in turn, looks out of place next to the Tudor-style housefronts. Passing the church bus stop, on most days, the same homeless alcoholic man could beseen, a reminder of a more socially-accepted drug problem. Halfway between the roundaboutand Dolphin’s Barn, nestled off to the right, is Dolphin House, surprisingly discrete for such a bigflat complex. The old pool hall (mentioned in Sandra’s narrative below) is now a motor trade butthe four-storey local authority flat complex has not changed much since its construction. Theblock walls now display posters of residents to depict different periods and the challenge: ‘Dareto Dream’. St Andrew’s, an old red bricked building (formerly a Methodist Church) houses theCommunity Drugs Team and Youth Project as well as numerous other community groups andactivities. St Andrew’s Community Centre lies between Dolphin House and Fatima Mansions.Overall, these attributes give a strong community feel to Rialto. This main part of the fieldworkfor this study, for example, was sandwiched between two annual celebrations of an importantcommunity ritual at St Andrew’s Community Centre, titled ‘Friends Remembering Friends’.This event has its roots in the worst days of the heroin crisis. For the past seventeen years, thecommunity has remembered those individuals who died untimely because of drug-related issues.It has become an inclusive event, with old and young, regardless of blood chemistry, or politicalstance on the problem, sharing the loss of friends and family members.an ethnographic study of drug use in the canal communities area 35
BluebellThe Bluebell ED (Inchicore B) has a population that has reduced by 8% in the previous ten yearsto 1830 in 2006. Eighteen percent of this population were born outside Ireland and the UK (3%Poland, 3% EU 25 and 12% Rest of World) (NIRSA, 2008). Bluebell scores high on indicators ofdeprivation. There is a high proportion of semi and unskilled workers and a high proportion ofwhite-Irish (see Maps). A high proportion of lone parents (57%) and low education (39% of the adultpopulation with primary education only) are also evident (Haase and Pratschke 2008).Overall, Bluebell is largely an industrial area. Housing in this area is a mix of blocks of flats,terraced housing and maisonettes. The whole area has a 1950s feel with a sense of isolation andseparateness (Costello and Corr 2003). The area has a peaceful and pretty veneer with well-keptuniform houses with front and back gardens. The flat complex is small, discrete and well maintained.In front and to the right are well-kept terraced houses with porches, extensions, replacedwindows, paved drives and well-kept gardens. The park is situated in the centre with maturetrees and a new-looking playground and colourful basketball court. The maisonettes and fiveblocks of flats look newly painted. Behind, lies the industrial area, separated by a green fieldand a walkway. Electricity pylons stretch into the distance. At the end of the green area arehigh metal gates leading to the industrial area in front of five terraced houses. The gates aredecorated with dozens of flowers in honour of the young man from the area who was shotdead last Monday. The reminder of the extremely violent act contrasts with the peacefulatmosphere in Bluebell, giving a sense that another world lies beneath the still face.At night, going from house to house delivering leaflets with a local outreach worker, the place feelsquiet and seemingly safe. However, behind the door of a normal home, things can be very different:The drugs worker knocks on doors during an outreach visit. No one is home, or if they are theyare not answering. Eventually the front door is opened to reveal a mother in chaos with heraddiction to alcohol and pills. Having ‘relapsed’ in her struggle with addiction she has lockedherself away, missing appointments with the drugs services. The house is in good order and a42-inch TV screen hangs above the fireplace, on full volume. The woman is upset. She knowsshe is out of control, but cannot seem to get herself together. She has missed her methadone,but refused the heroin she was offered. The scene is distressing particularly because ofthe young child present. The worker takes control and gives the woman some tasks to dotomorrow to get back on track, and the offer of full support. We leave, struck by the contrastbetween the stillness on the outside and the chaos within.36A DIZZYING ARRAY OF SUBSTANCES
Page 2: TABLE OF CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Page 7: SCOPE OF THE WORKIn error, Sandra t
Page 12: into this supposed continuum. Indee
Page 15 and 16: late 20s. People drop in for a coup
Page 17 and 18: WHAT IS A DRUG-USER?Any ethnography
Page 19 and 20: heroin-users outside of treatment w
Page 21 and 22: PLEASURES AND PERILSThe co-use of m
Page 23 and 24: needles, though, is clearly not dos
Page 25 and 26: In the 1990s, a new wave of heroin
Page 27 and 28: She is aware that she has not been
Page 29 and 30: Table 2. Change in deprivation indi
Page 31 and 32: MAP 4In 2006 theproportion ofprofes
Page 33 and 34: InchicoreInchicore has changed phys
Page 35: RialtoThe population of the two Ria
Page 39 and 40: VOICES OF DRUG USESET 1: THERAPEAUT
Page 41 and 42: Unfortunately, cocaine had taken a
Page 43 and 44: one free, so she’d make on the on
Page 45 and 46: mates sitting on the landings in th
Page 47 and 48: At different times during the late
Page 49 and 50: of the social relations between the
Page 51 and 52: disorganised or chaotic way. They b
Page 53 and 54: StigmaThe discussion of space, abov
Page 55 and 56: probably after like, I could be aft
Page 57 and 58: SET II: OUTSIDE THE THERAPEUTIC DIS
Page 59 and 60: These sorts of expenditures are pos
Page 61 and 62: Parked on MethadoneThe relationship
Page 63 and 64: Indeed, a lot seemed ‘to happen
Page 65 and 66: Having scored the crack we go back
Page 67 and 68: Figure 1. Persons registered on the
Page 69 and 70: CONCLUSIONThe preceding section ind
Page 71 and 72: certain pre-existing networks. Such
Page 73 and 74: APPENDIXRESULTS OF THE QUANTITATIVE
Page 75 and 76: With whom do you live?GenderTotalWi
Page 77 and 78: Money earned over the past three mo
Page 79 and 80: Current illicit drug use (past thre
Page 81 and 82: Number of days using illicit drugs
Page 83 and 84: Illicit drug use (past 3 months) by
Page 85 and 86: 1Amount spent on drugs in an averag
Page 87 and 88:
Have you ever served a custodial se
Page 89 and 90:
Have you ever used a filter, spoon
Page 91 and 92:
Ellis C and Bochner A.P2000 Auto-et
Page 93 and 94:
c/o Bridge House, Cherry Orchard Ho
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