An Exploratory Study of Social Connections and Drug Usage Among Filipino Americans

This research reports information from semi-structured interviews with 14 northern California Filipino Americans to explore
how social connections are associated with methamphetamine use. The interviews examine how the social connections of Filipino
American methamphetamine users are influenced by class and generational status. I hypothesize that drug users become involved
in social networks that facilitate drug use and that cases of recovery occur among users when they change their social networks.
Generational differences in age of first methamphetamine use suggest that drug usage among first generation users may be a
way of coping with social class disadvantages. User social networks within social class groups generate ethnic solidarity
and highlight the existence of a shared culture that plays an adaptive role in aiding survival, but such support does not
appear to help Filipinos stop methamphetamine use. The realization by users that their networks have enabled and reinforced
their drug usage serves as a major turning point in helping them “break free” from the social ties that foster continued usage.
Those that maintain their ties to user networks tend to remain users.