Different realities: Symbolic boundaries and psychedelic drug use

Abstract

This study examines how psychedelic drug users construct symbolic boundaries to differentiate themselves from other drug users. Drawing on 32 semi-structured interviews with people who have used psychedelic drugs, we explore how participants construct their psychedelic use as distinct from, and superior to, other forms of drug use. Participants differentiate themselves from “hard” drug users in two main ways. First, by emphasizing psychedelics’ perceived lack of addictive potential and reduced harm. Second, by focusing on the perceived legitimacy of their use, frequently citing mental health, therapeutic, and experiential benefits. Psychedelic users contrast their experiences with those of other drug users, in part, by valuing psychedelics as facilitating meaningful, introspective, and emotionally significant experiences rather than mere intoxication. These symbolic boundaries serve to sustain their use while shielding them from broader drug-related stigmas. The present study offers a novel example of boundary construction, a discussion of these findings conceptually, and elucidates least some of the reasons for persistent psychedelic use and how those who use psychedelics view themselves.