What It Means to Be High: A Qualitative Exploration of Heroin Intoxication Through the Lens of Flow Theory

Abstract

There is an urgent need for evidence-based recreational therapy practices for the treatment of individuals experiencing heroin addiction. The meaning of the heroin experience has never been explored exclusively through a leisure lens, and as such, little is known about the unique leisure needs of this population. Flow theory offers an opportunity to explore the meaning of heroin intoxication through a leisure lens. While drug intoxication and flow are mutually exclusive experiences, drug intoxication may feel like, or mimic, flow. Previous research has suggested that the flow-like qualities of drug intoxication may be relevant in the treatment of drug addiction. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of heroin intoxication through the leisure lens of flow theory in order to gain deeper understanding of the ways in which heroin intoxication is similar to flow, and subsequently, to gain preliminary understanding of the ways in which the similarities between heroin intoxication and flow may inform recreational therapy practice with this unique population. Directed qualitative content analysis was used to analyze a sample of 101 anonymous heroin experience narratives. The findings of this study indicate that for members of the research sample, heroin intoxication is a deeply meaningful experience that mimics flow in several key areas, including the manifestation of intrinsic rewards. The findings of this study also indicate that recreational therapists can utilize flow theory to conceptualize that which is lost when sobriety is gained, thereby gleaning vital knowledge about the leisure needs of individuals in recovery from heroin addiction. Due to the striking similarities between heroin intoxication and flow, the researcher concluded that flow theory should be a focal point in recreational therapy service delivery to patients experiencing heroin addiction.