Characteristics and social representation of ecstasy in Europe - Irefrea

The culturally sensitive poly-consumer model, represented in our survey by theUtrecht (Netherlands) sample, where there is also a multi-use but where belonging toone subgroup or another influences the preferred combination of drugs. The type ofpreferred music, the way of dressing, the age, etc and the combination of preferreddrugs depends to the group we are studying, even that it is always a polyconsumepattern. In this study the Dutch sample is represented mainly by the ‘mellow house’group.There is no doubt that there is yet a fourth model, for those countries (Scandinaviancountries, Greece...) where, at the present time, the use made of these substances is avery occasional one.ASSOCIATION WITH DANCINGThe relationship of dancing with this drug is, as we know, frequently noted.Certainly, dancing is the response most chosen by the C group (adding together“enjoying dancing” and “dancing longer”) among the reasons for use. The percentagefluctuates between 32,5% (Nice) and 21,7% (Utrecht). In view of these data, we feelthat from the preventive point of view, the ecstasy-dancing association is important butnot an exclusive one. Young people also associate ecstasy with other aspects so that onecan not work on a preventive policy centred exclusively on this association.Of course, House music is the one in all the sample, where we find a larger numberof the C group than the NC group, exactly the opposite to what happens with rock, pop,salsa and ballads. Other types of music have a more irregular behaviour. The rave sceneonly has importance in some countries. The young in the Nice sample (29,6%) andthose in Utrecht(20%) are the ones showing a certain frequency in going to this sort ofevent.IMPLIED REASONS ON WHY ECSTASY PRODUCES PROBLEMSThe effects of ecstasy are evaluated, in general, very positively by users, notably inCoimbra and Utrecht. In these cities, the fact that the samples showed the lowestfrequencies of use and there are few ex-users may have had some influenceAbout the results of the question about problems that they think can be caused byecstasy, in all the samples, the NC responded in a similar way, opposite to the wayevaluated by the C groups. The NC score much lower all the possibilities in thequestionnaire with the exception of “unforeseeable effects” and “produces addiction”.This last item makes the biggest differences between the two groups. To give anexample, in Coimbra only 1,4% of the C group believes that ecstasy produces addictionagainst 26,3% of the NC group. Even in Utrecht which has given the lowest overallpercentage, the difference between the C group (2,9%) and NC group (15,9%) isstriking. This point gives us interesting keys to the social representation of ecstasy -thispoint will be enlarged below, when we refer to social representation- among the young,and the differences of this representation among consumers and non-consumers, with186