Characteristics and social representation of ecstasy in Europe - Irefrea

implied danger), but depending on whether they are consumers or not, people arepositioned for or against.We have observed that the non XTC users have a more cautious attitude. They arein a significant way more preoccupied by the dangers associated with the use of thisdrug (for example its addictive or unforeseeable effects) and less interested in using thisdrug to have fun or to keep awake or to evade reality. We know also that the ecstasyusers are more sensation seeker and social deviant than non users.Further research must be done to understand better the nature and function of socialrepresentation. Our hypothesis is that the messages transmitted by preventivecampaigns only will be effective if they connect with the social representation schemaof young people. On the contrary, they will be ineffective or, even worse,counterpreventive if they do not connect or reinforce inadequate social representations.It looks like there should be a different approach on prevention of those who arealready users and prevention of those who have not yet used the substance since, as wehave seen, the social representations of both groups do not coincide and, therefore, anew strategy should be applied.To keep this differences in mind are important when planning prevention strategies.In the case that the target group of a campaign is very wide, we think that there shouldbe an especial interest not to weaken this “cautious” attitude of non consumers. As wehave seen in the past chapter some preventive orientations just take care of theconsumers and do not bother at all about the non consumers. We believe that a moreintegral approach should be more appropriate.IS IT A SEPARATED PREVENTIVE APPROACH FOR DESIGNER DRUGS JUSTIFIED?In a recent review of the use of stimulants (Kaplan et al., 1994) it is considered thatits use has epidemic patterns and that too many preventive efforts can becounterpreventive. Even that it is always difficult to make generalisations in the field ofdrugs or in the area of prevention, this statement can be useful as a warning that noteverything is worth.As it has been said, the ideal situation to conceive the prevention of designer drugswill be into a wider and comprehensive preventive strategy. Ecstasy is just a productthat can change through the time in its way to be used, in the amount of pills taken everytime, in the simultaneous use with other drugs, in the affinities with youth culture,..Some data of this investigation, coincident with other epidemiological studies, indicatesthat ecstasy is forming part of a wider drugs constellation, against a widely widespreadstereotype. According to this stereotype the ecstasy consumers were some exclusive anddifferentiate to the rest of persons that use or misuse of drugs. Within this cliché wasthe idea that they were youths taking exclusively ecstasy and quite capable to exercisea control over the substance. The only dangers of this consumption would come fromthe adulteration of the product and the ignorance of some procedures on its use to avoidproblems (e.g. to drink water and to rest to avoid the heat stroke).217