Pushing boundaries or adding a gimmick to the party? Young people's experiences of nitrous oxide use in Denmark.

Nitrous oxide (NO) use for intoxication among young people has increased in many parts of the Western world, including Denmark. The literature, however, primarily focusses on harms related to NO use, and not on other aspects, for example modes of administration or effects such as different forms of pleasure or fun. Therefore, despite this increase, we still know very little about how and why young people use nitrous oxide for intoxication, including their experiences of NO intoxication. Based on 45 qualitative interviews with young Danes age 18-25 years, who all were former or present NO users, we explore their experiences of NO intoxication. We do this by analyzing in-depth descriptions of where, how and with whom they use NO. When analyzing these descriptions in relation to different modes of administration, intensity of use, combination with other substances (e.g. alcohol, cannabis), and use in different settings, we argue that NO intoxication is experienced differently by the young participants. Some of the participants also searched for particular intoxication experiences with NO. We unfold the participants' various descriptions of intoxication by differentiating between moderate and intensive use. Overall, our study shows that these differences in NO use for intoxication are not equally risky or harmful. In general, young people's own perspectives and experiences with (illegal) drug use is increasingly emphasized as important to include when developing preventive interventions. Our analysis of the young participants' differing experiences with NO for intoxication can inform future prevention initiatives in relation to harms of NO intoxication.