Embarking on large-scale qualitative research: reaping the benefits of mixed methods in studying youth, clubs and drugs.

Qualitative research is often conceptualized as inherently small-scale research, primarily conducted by a lone researcher enmeshed in extensive and long-term fieldwork or involving in-depth interviews with a small sample of 20 to 30 participants. In the study of illicit drugs, traditionally this has often been in the form of ethnographies of drug-using subcultures. Such small-scale projects have produced important interpretive scholarship that focuses on the culture and meaning of drug use in situated, embodied contexts.

"HOW ASIAN AM I?" ASIAN AMERICAN YOUTH CULTURES, DRUG USE, AND ETHNIC IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION.

This article analyzes the construction of ethnic identity in the narratives of 100 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. We examine how illicit drug use and other consuming practices shape their understanding of Asian American identities, finding three distinct patterns. The first presents a disjuncture between Asian American ethnicity and drug use, seeing their own consumption as exceptional.

Food in the family. Bringing young people back in.

This article analyzes eating and beliefs about family meals in the qualitative interview narratives of 30 "at-risk" gang-involved young women in the San Francisco Bay Area. We begin our examination of consumption practices with a study of households and identify three major types-extended, single-parent and blended. Within these households, food purchasing and consumption activities are varied, and in many cases, our respondents rely upon extended family members and non-kin relations for support.

Young Mother (in the) Hood: Gang Girls' Negotiation of New Identities.

This article examines the experiences of young women in street gangs who become mothers. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 65 young women in the San Francisco, CA, Bay Area, we examine their narratives about the transition to motherhood. In particular, we focus on the ways these young women negotiate femininities and attempt to reconcile their identities as young mothers and gang girls-both stigmatized identities.

"It's one of the better drugs to use": perceptions of cocaine use among gay and bisexual Asian American men.

Research on drug use among gay and bisexual men has primarily focused on examining the link between drug use- most notably, methamphetamine-sexual practices, and risk of HIV transmission. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from 40 interviews with gay and bisexual Asian American men, we examine perceptions and meanings associated with cocaine use in the San Francisco Bay Area gay community. We found that the participants, in contrast to their negative perceptions of methamphetamine use, believed that cocaine enhanced sociability and was acceptable for use in most social situations.

GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND ETHNICITY AS FACTORS OF CLUB DRUG USE AMONG ASIAN AMERICANS.

This article examines the relationship between substance use and gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and nativity among 250 Asian American youths involved in the dance club/rave scene. We find distinct patterns of drug use differing by country of origin and ethnicity. However, contrary to some literature we do not find significant differences corresponding to immigration status, or number of years in the U.

What's in a label? Ecstasy sellers' perceptions of pill brands.

This article presents selected findings from a qualitative study of Ecstasy sellers and their sales practices, knowledge of distribution networks, buyer-seller relationships, and self-reported drug use. In-depth interviews were conducted with 80 men and women who had sold five or more hits of Ecstasy five or more times in the six months prior to the interview. Study participants described their perceptions of the various types of Ecstasy they had distributed or used themselves.

Asian American identity and drug consumption: from acculturation to normalization.

This article analyzes the relationship between substance use and ethnic identity in the narratives of 206 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. We examined the meaning of drug use and found three types of narratives invoked to explain their drug use. The first noted difficulties arising from their Asian American identities, the experience of culture clash, and stresses associated with acculturation and Americanization.

Maximising the highs and minimising the lows: harm reduction guidance within ecstasy distribution networks.

Background: Little is known about how users build and share knowledge concerning the highs and lows of Ecstasy and the role that Ecstasy sellers play in the exchange of this information.

Methods: These findings are based on a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded project, "An Exploratory Study of Ecstasy Distribution," conducted between 2003 and 2006. We completed in-depth interviews with 120 men and women in the San Francisco Bay Area who had sold 5 or more doses 5 or more times in the 6 months prior to the interview.

Youth gangs and drugs: the case of marijuana.

While the association between drug sales and violence has been a central focus of gang research since the 1980s, the issue of drug use within gangs has been given much less attention. This is especially true in the case of marijuana. This lack of interest is surprising given the extent to which gang members use marijuana.

Situations of violence in the lives of girl gang members.

Women and violence has become a topic of increasing concern. Women's involvement in perpetrating violence, especially girl gang members, also has raised national concern. The participation of young women in gangs and gang violence has caused public consternation as they are perceived to be violating traditional notions of femininity.

Alcohol and violence in the lives of gang members.

Life within a gang includes two endemic features: violence and alcohol. Yet, to date, most researchers studying gang behavior have focused on violence and its relationship to illicit drugs, largely neglecting the importance of alcohol in gang life. Because alcohol is an integral and regular part of socializing within gang life, drinking works as a social lubricant, or social glue, to maintain not only the cohesion and social solidarity of the gang, but also to affirm masculinity and male togetherness.

Walking the tightrope: balancing health and drug use.

This article stems from a study on San Francisco drug users and their health care experiences. Two hundred thirty-eight study participants were administered depth interviews and questionnaires to reveal a variety of health concerns and health behaviors. For these analyses, which focused on health practices and risky behaviors, the sample was divided into two groups: marijuana users, and other drug users (including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and crack).

Socio-cultural anthropology and alcohol and drug research: towards a unified theory.

The arrival of the millennium has understandably created a growing tendency for social commentators to evaluate the current state of the world, assess prior developments and suggest new and enlightened ways forward. In this time of re-appraisals, we assess the current state of the anthropology of alcohol and drug research, consider its early history, examine the range and theoretical underpinnings of work done today, and propose the elements of a possible future model. In formulating the model, we have borrowed from a number of different theoretical approaches and insights not only from anthropological discussions of alcohol and drug issues but also from anthropological research outside these arenas.

Drug treatment in contemporary anthropology and sociology.

The relatively slim social science literature on drug treatment is reviewed. Attention is paid to the institutionalization of treatment at the meso (local community or clinic) level and the micro (client) level rather than to the more commonly examined macro (societal or national) level. The inter-penetration across these levels of ideologies and practices around drugs is revealed through discussion of the targeting of certain populations for treatment, methods of client control in treatment settings, and the client's view of treatment.

The demedicalization of methadone maintenance.

The institution of methadone maintenance as a treatment modality for heroin addiction in the mid-1960s was part of the growing medicalization of social problems in the United States. The definition of deviance as "sickness" rather than "badness" set the stage for America's first harm-reduction strategy. By the 1970s methadone maintenance was seen as a way to reduce drug-related crime, and federally funded programs proliferated.

Cultural adaptations of Alcoholics Anonymous to serve Hispanic populations.

Hispanic A.A. groups in Los Angeles operate with two different models, one involving "terapia dura" (rough therapy) and the other employing less confrontive methods.

Mothering on crack cocaine: a grounded theory analysis.

Mothers who use crack cocaine are commonly believed to be selfish, uncaring, and neglectful of their children. For this paper, the grounded theory method was used to analyze 68 semi-structured depth interviews with cocaine-using mothers. These women's views of motherhood, the strategies they used to manage mothering on cocaine, and the contextual influences on mothering outcomes were explored.

Drug treatment on demand--not.

Drug treatment on demand, appropriate and affordable drug treatment for injection drug users who are "ready" to enter a program, is a humane approach to drug treatment services and an important mechanism to halt the spread of HIV. However, drug treatment on demand is not a reality in the United States. In fact, due to funding cuts at federal, state, and local levels, entry into drug treatment programs has become increasingly more difficult over the past decade.

Police referral to psychiatric emergency services and its effect on disposition decisions.

Objective: Some clinicians and researchers have questioned the appropriateness of police referrals to psychiatric emergency services and have suggested that police exercise undue influence on hospital admission decisions. The purpose of this study was to test these assertions.

Methods: Research clinicians in nine emergency services in California observed staff evaluations of 772 cases and rated patients' symptom severity, danger to self or others, and grave disability.

Nursing in rural Native American communities.

This article discusses the importance of cultural sensitivity in providing nursing services to Native Americans. This necessitates general information about cultural universals that transcend specific tribes as well as cultural-specific knowledge. Cultural sensitivity also requires an understanding of the centuries-long oppression of Native Americans and their cultures by the dominant society.