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Background: Existing research highlights an increase in psychedelic microdosing, particularly for therapeutic purposes and as a means for self-enhancement. However, we know little about the different routes into and out of microdosing, particularly by those who do not consume other illicit substances, and of the processes involved in the development, maintenance, and cessation of practices., Methods: Drawing upon a trans-national interview-based study of 23 participants actively microdosing (n = 19), about to start (n = 3), or who were past users (n = 1), we develop a phased-based analysis of different user pathways., Results: We identify key phases as: 'Awareness/Discovery', where participants became aware of microdosing; 'Research/Reframing', where they researched access, techniques, and undertook 'stigma work' to reframe risks; 'Access/Supply' where they sought reliable and safe sources of psychedelics and cultivated attitudes/practices/substances for longer-term use; 'Experimentation/Differentiation' where participants altered dosing levels/schedules and, inter-relatedly, differentiated 'effects' and 'benefits'; 'Independence/Incorporation' where they stabilised practices into patterns 'right for them'; and 'Expansion/Advocacy' where microdosing was linked to greater inter- and intrapersonal 'expansiveness'., Conclusions: Pathways in and out of microdosing are multilinear and differentiated. Nonetheless, a dynamic processual approach helps highlight the overall structure of changes involved which, we find, can entail a shift towards greater temporal and relational 'expansiveness', greater independence, and more incorporated practices. These shifts necessitated considerable 'work' variously to negate stigma, maintain supply, determine dose, document shifts, and other kinds of material-symbolic 'investment'. We also show the significance of processual/phased-based models beyond psychedelics to better understand drug-use journeys and temporalities which confound conventional dependency-focused paradigms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In a culture of preloading and late-night licenses, alcohol-related violence remains a persistent problem for police and public health. Understood as a ritualized 'micro-social' interaction (Collins 2009a, 2009b), entry into bars and clubs is a particular flashpoint for violence between bouncers/door staff and customers., Methods: A police-led initiative to deter excessive drunkenness and preloading using hand-held breathalysers (the #RU2Drunk scheme) was investigated from the perspective of security and bar staff using the devices. Interviews (n = 18 + 12), a focus group with security staff (n = 22) and a focus group with a security company (n = 3) were conducted in two seaside towns in the South-West of England, UK. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted., Findings: Door staff emphasised the normality of 'determined drunkenness' and associated violence in their working lives. Breathalyser use appeared to disrupt the 'ritual' of the violent encounter by reconfiguring it into an interaction between customer and technology. This depersonalized the judgement about who was 'too drunk' to enter the venue, with the more discretionary nature of who to breathalyse hidden from customers. Other door staff found it less useful and saw it as a challenge to their authority and expertise. At a managerial level there was concern about the transfer of responsibility for policing the night time economy (NTE)., Conclusion: There is potential to reconfigure the violent encounter for door staff using breathalyser devices. However, this is more likely to succeed where other structural limits (e.g. restrictions on late licenses) are in place, and as part of wider policy initiatives to reconfigure the alcohol-saturated NTE leisure scene., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this study was to identify and differentiate socially shared accounts of e-cigarette use (vaping) using Q-methodology, combining factor analysis with qualitative comments., Methods: Seventy statements on e-cigarettes, drawn from media, academic and online discussions, were sorted by participants along a continuum of agreement/disagreement, commenting on strongly ranked items. Each participant thus created their own 'account' of their vaping. A by-person correlation matrix of the sorts was conducted, then factor analysed, to identify similar accounts (p<0.01). Fifty-five UK vapers participated by post, 55% male, mean age of 46, 84% only vaping/16% vaping and smoking, 95% vaping daily., Results: Three accounts of e-cigarettes were identified. The first two were associated with having quit smoking; the third with ongoing tobacco smoking and vaping. In Factor One, 'Vaping as Pleasure', vaping was characterized as enjoyable, with long-term use envisaged and a medical model of vaping rejected. Factor One participants also held a strong vaping identity and were politically motivated to maintain the rights of adults to vape. In Factor Two, 'Vaping as Medical Treatment', vaping was understood as a pragmatic choice about how to medicate one's smoking addiction, with the aim being to treat and ultimately reduce nicotine dependence. In Factor Three, 'Ambivalent E-Cigarette Use', participants reported fewer benefits and harboured more negative beliefs about e-cigarettes; they also strongly rejected a vaper identity, having no interest in online forums or being labelled a 'vaper' themselves., Conclusion: The UK e-cigarette users in this sample were not a homogeneous group; differing in their beliefs, motivations for use, identity and political interest. In particular they diverged on whether they accepted a medicalized account of vaping and identified as a vaper. Public health messages targeted to one group of e-cigarette users may not resonate with others., (Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)