In this paper, we put forward an analysis on the experiences of crack users in relation to their own bodies, feelings and histories relating to drug use. Based on the methodological presuppositions of deep hermeneutics, participant observation and focus groups were conducted at a psychosocial care center for alcohol and other drugs. The analysis was supported by authors within sociology, social psychology and psychoanalysis. In the discourse of healthcare professionals, crack cocaine users and the mass media, it was confirmed that relationships of domination between men and women were reproduced and maintained. Users’ bodies are a target for social categorizations and end up becoming attached to crack cocaine users’ identities. Another important point observed was that crack cocaine users presented critical thinking against the hegemonic discourse on drugs that is carried in the communication media.
Crack cocaine; Human body; Stereotype; Social stigma; Social Psychology