Women Drug Users: An Ethnography of a Female Injecting Community

Based on in-depth interviews and observations of the women in their own environment, Women Drug Users is the first full ethnographic account of the lifestyle of female drug users in Britain. It charts their entry into drug use, the various ways in which they finance their habits, and their relationships with friends, partners, family members, and children. Taylor examines the efforts the women have made to give up drugs and details the reasons which make these endeavors difficult. The evidence suggests that, ironically, the lifestyle which evolves around their drug use offers an arena in which the women are able to find a degree of independence and purpose otherwise lacking in their lives, thus making their drug-using lifestyle attractive even when there are apparent disadvantages.