Fast Lives: Women Who Use Crack Cocaine PDF
Preview Fast Lives: Women Who Use Crack Cocaine
Fast Lives Women Who Use Crack Cocaine Fast Lives Women Who Use Crack Cocaine Claire E. Sterk 1 Temple University Press PHILADELPHIA Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122 Copyright © 1999 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 1999 Printed in the United States of America ® The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sterk, Claire E., 1957- Fast lives : women who use crack cocaine / Claire E. Sterk. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56639-671-9 (cloth : alk. paper). — ISBN 1-56639-672-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Women—Drug use—United States. 2. Crack (Drug)—United States. 3. Women—United States—Social conditions. I. Title. HV5824.W6S8 1999 362.29'82'0820973 —dc21 98-3579 CIP Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1 Getting Into Drugs 30 2 Patterns of Income Generation and Drug Use 47 3 Significant Others: The Women's Steady Partners 78 4 Reproduction and Motherhood 99 5 Of and On: Experiences with Drug Treatment 119 6 Female Drug Users and the AIDS Epidemic 14 7 Violent Encounters 173 8 Past Experiences, Future Aspirations and Policies 192 Notes 217 Bibliography 25 Index 235 Acknowledgments This book would not have been possible without the help of many people. In college and graduate school, I was very fortunate to learn about ethnographic research from Frank Bovenkerk, Institute of Criminology, University of Utrecht, and Charles Kaplan, University of Limburg. My first job as a drug researcher was with Charlie at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. In the United States, I benefited enormously from the support of Bill Kornblum, Terry Williams, Charles Winick, the late Vernon Boggs, and oth- ers of the Graduate School and University Center, City Uni- versity of New York. They always were available to listen to my stories, to coach me, and to provide emotional support. Bill and his family treated me as a member. Vernon was my "partner in crime." He was a true friend, always there to watch my back. Most importantly, he taught me to believe in myself. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) provided a substantial portion of the funding for this research (R29DA- 07407; RO1DA09819; RO1DA10642). Many staff members made the research possible, and special mention should be made of my project officers, Mario DeLaRosa, Coryl Jones, Susan Coyle, Helen Cesari, Elizabeth Lambert, and Rich Needle. The Neighborhood Research Program of the Foun- dation for Child Development in New York supported re- search on the impact of community characteristics on the lives of young children. In addition, a grant from the Re- search Office of Georgia State University allowed me to ex- Vll vi Acknowledgments pand the breadth of my work. Despite the various funding sources, the research became known as project FAST, the Female Atlanta Study. Many of the women in this study re- ferred to the fast lifestyle associated with crack cocaine use, which gave added meaning to the project's name. Many colleagues and friends have provided feedback on my ideas at professional meetings or during informal inter- actions. Among them, I especially would like to thank Mike Agar, the late Patrick Biernacki, Myra Burnett, Eloise Dun- lap, Sam Friedman, Don DesJarlais, Billy DiFazio, Michael Giles, Laetitia Goldstein, Jim Hall, John Hagendorn, Nic Kozel, Selma Marks, Rani Marx, Jeanne McGettigan, Art Murphy, Sheigla Murphy, Al Pach, David Petersen, Richard Rothenberg, Chuck Rutheiser, Marcel Scholtes, the late John Waters, Wayne Wiebel, and Terry Williams. They all contributed to the content of the book or to my mental well-being. Patsy Ulmer's phone calls and the many relax- ing hours with Carol Hansen boosted my spirits. Countless people assisted with the completion of this project. I fear I will forget to mention someone and I ask their forgiveness in advance. I would like to thank Wanda Baker, Susan Maleski, and Tanya Sharpe, who participated in the early days of the research. In addition, the following individuals contributed with interviewing, mapping, tran- scribing, and many other tasks: Lotta Danielson, Kathy Dolan, Lithia Givens, Susan Hart, Stephani Hatch, Sarah Heathcote, Shirley Jordan, Lee Jenkins, Cecilia Lyles, Yvonne "Kiki" Medina, and the late Sterling White. Many other community members and graduate students helped with the research, a process described by many as having opened their eyes to lives different from their own. They kept their good humor even when life got hectic. Rhonda Mullen always took time to edit my work in progress, and Acknowledgments ix she must have had some good laughs as she polished my early drafts. I aspire to become a writer like her. Michael Ames of Temple University Press provided the final push to complete this project and I thank him for his assistance. During my earlier years as a child in a coal mining town in the Netherlands, I learned about the relativity of life, its joys and its struggles. At high school, I learned about drugs and their negative consequences. I watched friends getting sick and losing control. My parents, Sjef and Thea Sterk, al- lowed me to become the person I am. They often wondered where I was headed. My siblings Liset and John and their families never tired of hearing another story. Sometimes I wonder how the world around me contin- ued to function. My "special" daughters, Kristin and Shel- ley constantly reminded me of the joys of life. They were perfect adolescents and have matured into wonderful young adults. While they requested regular updates on my pro- gress, they also made sure I found time to play with them and give back rubs. Kirk Elifson, my husband, never com- plained about "having to do it all." His contributions would be too great to list here, but heTl always be my "kabouter." I know I pushed limits, caused him to be concerned about my safety, and, at times, was obsessed with the FAST women. I thank him for accepting all my flaws and I dedi- cate this book to him. My greatest debt is to the women whose stories appear in the following pages. They must remain anonymous. I hope the reader senses their strength. Already vulnerable, they were willing to talk openly about their lives. I will never be able to truly express my gratitude to them. They were willing to let me, a stranger, into their lives. This work has allowed me to develop close friendships with women whom I otherwise might never have met.
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