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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
07:32
Novel Apparatus and Method for Drug Reinforcement
Published on: August 20, 2010
Interaction rituals in an open drug scene
Trond E Grønnestad1, Hildegunn Sagvaag1, Philip Lalander2
1University of Stavanger, Norway.
Nordisk Alkohol- & Narkotikatidskrift : NAT
|September 16, 2020
Summary
Interaction rituals and shared experiences create strong bonds within open drug scenes, making it difficult for individuals to leave and often leading to their return after attempting to quit drug use.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Criminology
- Public Health
Background:
- Open drug scenes persist in European cities despite law enforcement intervention.
- Underlying social dynamics, rather than specific substances, appear to maintain these communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of interaction rituals in individuals' decisions to remain in or return to open drug scenes.
- To explore the social forces that contribute to the cohesion of drug-using communities.
Main Methods:
- An ethnographic study was conducted over one year in an open drug scene in Norway.
- Data collection involved participant observation and interviews with eight individuals, analyzed through the lens of ritual theory.
Main Results:
- Drug users formed cohesive groups, distinguishing themselves from "normal people."
- Sharing of drugs and adherence to scene-specific rules were crucial.
- Focus on shared attention and collective emotional energy emerged as a key theme.
Conclusions:
- The shared experience of marginalization necessitates unique rules and rituals within drug scenes.
- "Interaction rituals" foster group membership, emotional energy, and solidarity.
- These rituals create barriers to leaving the drug scene and explain recidivism.
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