El consumo de inhalables en las prácticas de socialidad de dos grupos de estudiantes de secundarias públicas

Abstract

IntroductionInhalant use among various populations in Mexico occurs within the context of its legality, inadequate health regulation and supervision of its production and sales, high availability and low cost, combined with the pleasurable effects of inhaling, which vary according to the context and users. ObjectiveThis paper describes the social practices involved in the co-construction of inhalant use contexts of two groups of Mexican middle school students and their reported effects. MethodPhoto elicitation methodology was used, with two videotapes produced by students on school sociality practices where inhalants we are used and then analyzed in discussion groups. ResultsThe theoretical categorization of the data was performed using Atlas. ti software. It was found that although the students inhaled toluene, only one of the students experienced dizziness and headaches, while another classmate felt sleepy. The other video was different; students got high, experiencing euphoria, emotional disinhibition and hallucinations. Dizziness, pain and drowsiness seem largely determined by toluene and alcohol use, whereas the different effects appear to be caused by the sociality of the contexts of inhalant use, students' subjectivity and their length of consumption. Discussion and conclusionIt is argued that students enjoy inhalant use because getting high reinforces their sociality. The article concludes that inhalant use should be discouraged by incorporating the agency and subjectivity of youth, without neglecting the macro-social factors involved in the production, marketing and regulation of inhalants.Key words: Sociality, inhalants, hallucinations, teenage students. RESUMEN IntroducciónLa extensión del consumo de inhalables hacia distintas poblaciones de México ocurre en el macrocontexto de la legalidad y la deficiente regulación sanitaria y policial de dichas sustancias, así como su gran disponibilidad y bajo costo, en combinación con los efectos placenteros de su inhalación, los cuales varían según el contexto y los usuarios. ObjetivoAquí se describen las prácticas de coconstrucción de los contextos de consumo de inhalables. También, los efectos de éstos en dos grupos de estudiantes mexicanos de educación secundaria. MétodoSe utilizó la metodología de la photo elicitation, analizando, en grupos de discusión, dos videograbaciones producidas por los mismos estudiantes, en las que consumen inhalables. ResultadosSe realizó la categorización teórica de los datos con el software Atlas.ti. Se encontró que, a pesar de que los estudiantes inhalan tolueno, sólo una de las estudiantes experimentó mareo y dolor de cabeza, en tanto que otra compañera se sintió somnolienta. Sin embargo, el segundo video muestra que los estudiantes experimentaron la prendidez (euforia, desinhibición afectiva) y alucinaciones. El mareo, el dolor y la somnolencia parecen determinados mayormente por el consumo de tolueno y alcohol, pero los efectos disímiles, por la socialidad de los contextos de consumo del inhalable, la subjetivación d...

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