The symbolic value of drug use for ill-housed people: drug that kills and nourishes

Abstract

Drugs have been consumed since ancient times, and their taboo has generated segregation and hindered the proper confrontation of harmful use. This study investigated the real and symbolic values of drug use for ill-housed people beyond pathologization, seeking to understand factors that hinder giving them up, even with intense losses and suffering. It also aimed to understand its implications for health care. This is a phenomenological qualitative research based on participant observation of ill-housed people care provided by the Street Clinic, interviews with ill-housed people and focus group with professionals from the Health Care Network in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, between March 2017 and July 2019. Results showed that "drug use" interacted with the research categories as follows: drugs are the main reason for living and staying on the streets; drugs motivate having financial activity; drugs cause abandonment of health treatment; drugs soothe and cause depression, suffering and hunger; drugs make them seek shelter and religion to "escape" using, but without adequate treatment hope leads to relapse and low self-esteem - which one want to get rid of, but few successes undermine hope. As expected, it is the reason for divergences among professionals regarding the type of care and support for ill-housed people. Given the results, how can we face abusive use that relieves hunger, loneliness, suffering and depression? How to take care of a use that generates hunger, depression, affective, health and self-esteem losses? A cyclical story told by people in situations of extreme vulnerability. Unveiling the symbolic plurality of drug use enables reflections and new ways of caring for ill-housed people.