An 11-year follow-up of a network of cocaine users

This paper presents findings from an exploratory 11-year follow-up study of a small network of cocaine users. These findings suggest that while serious abuse potential exists, addiction is not a uniform outcome of sustained use and that long-term controlled use is possible. In all, four types of career use pattern are described, in addition to one case of regular abuse. These data also suggest the importance of user norms and informal social controls in mitigating against the force of pharmacological and physiological factors leading toward dependence or addiction.