Psychedelic substance use in the Reddit psychonaut community. A qualitative study on motives and modalities

Psychedelic substance use in the Reddit psychonaut community. A qualitative study on motives and modalities Jani Pestana, Franca Beccaria, Enrico Petrilli Drugs and Alcohol Today, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp.112-123 The purpose of this paper is to investigate motives and modalities of psychedelic substance use in the psychonaut community that is hosted on the Reddit platform (r/psychonaut). Psychonauts are sometimes described as responsible drug users. Elements of responsible use include sharing stories, advice and experiences, reagent testing substances, proper dosing and education on harm reduction and its practical implication. Investigating psychonauts’ substance use can highlight what responsible use means for them and could inform best practices for psychedelic use. Qualitative content analysis of posts and comments on the r/psychonaut subreddit was completed. In total, 350 posts were investigated. A combination of deductive and inductive methods was used to both structure the research and to allow room for novel information. To investigate participant’s motives, this combination was used to both collect and analyse the data. To examine modalities, concepts and keywords were formed out of the collected data and then analysed. Motives for use ranged from self-knowledge, self-investigation and self-medication to increasing artistic expression, curiosity and recreation. Concerning modalities, the respondents put a high emphasis on preparati...
Source: Drugs and Alcohol Today - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: research