Just for Fun?: Cocaine Use among Middle-Class Women

Abstract

The focus of this article is on middle-class female cocaine users. It explores the women's perspective and challenges the notion of cocaine use being a problem of poor, minority populations. The women were either introduced to cocaine by a male or female friend, mostly in the context of “just for fun.” Although all women continued to use cocaine, they had to develop their own cocaine connections and their use became less linked to personal relationships. Most women stressed that they had a “controlled” habit, although the nature of their use indicated that they were addicted. The women linked their control to the resources available to them to hide and support their cocaine use. They put much time and energy into trying to maintain these resources, however, they are not always successful. The findings reveal a need for further studies exploring drug use among middle-class women and the link between drug use and power or control.