A Subcultural Study of Recreational Ecstasy Use

This article looks at the extent to which subcultural theories of deviance are still relevant to understanding recreational drug use, given the relatively widespread nature of drug use among today's youth. In order to determine this, the social and subcultural use of the recently popular drug “ecstasy” (MDMA) is examined using the research methods of semi-structured interviewing and observation. The data suggest that ecstasy use is a manifestation of a broad social involvement in a subculture of drug use. It is argued that subcultural theories of deviance provide an important understanding of ecstasy use in today's society. A main conclusion drawn from the data is that the meaning of drug use has to be looked at in the context of the norms of behaviour and shared understandings of the drug-using subculture in which they are learnt.