摘要：This paper focuses on a research consultancy developed in collaborationwith harm reduction services. At first, ethnographers were asked to map and analyzetendencies and patterns of recreational drug use within different types of contexts(clubs, free parties, festivals, pubs, etc.) located in eight Italian territories. But, almostimmediately, the negotiation with the sponsor brought researchers to include also ananalysis of the relationship between services and “consumers”. Due to limited fundsand time available to carry out the consultancy, and considering the heterogeneity offieldwork, ethnographers had to look for alternative ways to reach and include a highernumber of substance consumers. To face this challenging field researchers developedcreative, unusual strategies and (perhaps unorthodox) methods. The outcome of theconsultancy permitted us to analyze the peculiar methodologies characterizing harmreduction services and their relationship with consumers. Furthermore, the researchersmanaged to capture some features of the consumers’ strategies and habits within loisircontexts. Despite the limits of the chosen research strategies, the partnership revealedinteresting perspectives on harm reduction for both operators and ethnographers.
