Part III: Risk and consumption: Chapter 12: Drugs and risk.

This chapter assesses the risks associated with the consumption of drugs for preventing the transmission of HIV infections and AIDS. The importance, to sociocultural theory of the emerging analytical focus on consumption remains to be seen and is still the subject of debate. However there is one particular class of consumption which has a very long association, at least at the level of the popular representation, with identity formation, namely recreational drug use. The junkie, dope fiend, speed freak or alcoholic are all recognizable categories of identity which are based on the person's perceived consumption of particular substances. While such views of non-medical drug consumers still enjoy a widespread currency there is also a relatively long history of social research into drug consumption, and its related risks, which reveals a more complex picture. Thus, such consumption exists in a cultural context in which social meanings, rituals and rules have to be learned and negotiated. Some of the rituals and rules around drug use enjoy a formal legal sanction but many more are the result of locally negotiated cultural meanings. Any understanding of the risk behaviors connected with drug consumption has to take account of this cultural background if it is to help reduce the potential harm that can follow drug use.