Automedicación con uso recreativo: Análisis de discusiones en foros de una comunidad virtual

The objective of this research was to characterize the discussion forum of a virtual community in which the members addressed drug-related issues for ludic and recreational purposes. Through a netnography approach, a virtual community in Spanish was studied in which users shared content regarding the use of psychoactive substances. Data collection was carried out based on 12 forums whose main topic was the report of consumer experiences. The data were compiled in Excel databases, and thematic data analysis was carried out with the support of the Nvivo software. The results showed that the discussions were characterized by dynamics in which users exchange a wide amount of knowledge about drugs, their uses, symptoms and physiological effects, as well as psychological experience. At the same time, the dynamics of the forums provide resources to users to promote the construction of a sense of community. The findings showed the interest of the communities in promoting care environments, risk prevention, and harm reduction. These types of studies corroborate the relevance of forums as potential and useful scenarios for drug research.