Groin injecting in injectable opioid treatment service users in South London

TY - JOUR

T1 - Groin injecting in injectable opioid treatment service users in South London

AU - Miller, Peter G.

AU - Forzisi, Luciana

AU - Zador, Deborah

AU - Lintzeris, Nick

AU - Metrebian, Nicola

AU - Van Der Waal, Rob

AU - Mayet, Soraya

AU - Strang, John

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - Femoral (or groin) injecting is an emerging public health challenge to all drug-related services within the UK. Recent work in the area has proposed that groin injecting in the UK has moved from being a 'risk boundary' to an 'acceptable behaviour'. This article uses data from 10 in-depth qualitative interviews with service users from a supervised injectable opiate treatment service in South London to report on pathways to, and reasons for, groin injecting. Our findings indicate that even though groin injecting constitutes a risk boundary for some injectors, the practice is no longer heavily stigmatised and is perceived by some to be an acceptable risk. Narratives also pointed to the importance of peers in the initiation of groin injecting. Interviewees described the groin as a site of 'last resort' in contrast to 'convenience' groin injectors described in some previous research. We conclude that it might be helpful to distinguish between convenience and last resort groin injectors and support the call for innovative interventions which aim to reduce modelling of groin injection and which promote social norms supportive of using peripheral injecting sites.

AB - Femoral (or groin) injecting is an emerging public health challenge to all drug-related services within the UK. Recent work in the area has proposed that groin injecting in the UK has moved from being a 'risk boundary' to an 'acceptable behaviour'. This article uses data from 10 in-depth qualitative interviews with service users from a supervised injectable opiate treatment service in South London to report on pathways to, and reasons for, groin injecting. Our findings indicate that even though groin injecting constitutes a risk boundary for some injectors, the practice is no longer heavily stigmatised and is perceived by some to be an acceptable risk. Narratives also pointed to the importance of peers in the initiation of groin injecting. Interviewees described the groin as a site of 'last resort' in contrast to 'convenience' groin injectors described in some previous research. We conclude that it might be helpful to distinguish between convenience and last resort groin injectors and support the call for innovative interventions which aim to reduce modelling of groin injection and which promote social norms supportive of using peripheral injecting sites.

U2 - 10.1080/16066350802635660

DO - 10.1080/16066350802635660

M3 - Article

VL - 17

SP - 381

EP - 389

JO - ADDICTION RESEARCH AND THEORY

JF - ADDICTION RESEARCH AND THEORY

IS - 4

ER -