Controlled drug use: the phenomenon and construct

The study discusses the problems caused by the latency of drug consumption patterns. In modern society, there are groups that practice controlled, restrained drug use and do not attract the attention of law enforcement agencies and medical institutions. The moderate drug consumption compatible with the regulatory way of life is a challenge to traditional views in the scientific and subcultural communities. Relevant information is available in Russian, English, and German studies presented. Based on the data taken from the unstructured interviews having involved 70 respondents, the researcher shows the real situation of controlled drug use. The comparison of this information with the interview results of drug users at high risk (70 people undergoing rehabilitation in Moscow region) allows one to identify the characteristics of controlled drug consumption. Based on the analysis of drug-related web forums, the author reveals both destructive and productive functions of the controlled drug use construct. The purpose of the study is to draw the attention of Russian scientists to the phenomenon of controlled drug consumption, which has been actively reviewed by international researchers since the 1980s, as a little progress has been made in the practical and theoretical issues in this regard in Russian addiction medicine. The paper looks at the most latent form of dealing with drugs that focuses on the regulatory aspects of addictive behavior, the diversification of the phenomenon of drug abuse, and its “normalization” in the world. Controlled drug use destroys the established social rule of a drug-free lifestyle; its promotion among the population has a destructive effect on the drug prevention system. At the same time, within the drug community, the construct of the controlled drug consumption consolidates the gradual withdrawal from drugs and contributes to the development of productive self-restrictive practices. As a result of the analysis of relevant literature and empirical data, the author concludes that the phenomenon of controlled drug consumption having arisen in the drug subculture is a social construct that generates the latent “integrated” drug use as a modern phenomenon in society.