During the 70s, sociologists carried out interviews with drug addicts about their life stories, aiming to overcome stereotypical representations. These sociological studies can be analysed as historical sources for reconstructing the spread of drug addiction using a bottom-up approach. This paper reflects on some recurring themes present in those interviews, highlighting the drug addicts’ point of view and self-representation. Drug addicts become thus active subjects and producers of meaning, rather than objects of representation.
