Chasing life, chased by time: Temporal barriers and reprehensible work among people who inject drugs in Sweden

In a research project on risks of injection drug use, it became evident how substances, along with social conditions, organize experiences of time and life for people who use drugs. Drawing on interviews with 32 participants, we examine how temporal inequality—unequal access to and control over time—emerges through temporal barriers, structural constraints operating through temporal autonomy restrictions and temporal uncertainty. We approach time as a social and political resource from perspectives on (de)valued, (un)recognized, and (in)visibilized forms of work. The results show that access to societal infrastructures and resources shapes participants’ temporal horizons and future orientation, and that relationships with the future are sometimes completely closed off. This forces participants to navigate in the present, often requiring constant temporal work to organize everyday life with daily drug use, including urgent microplanning and waiting for basic needs and institutional decisions. This work, while constant, remains hidden as the activities associated with it are regarded as criminal and reprehensible, further impacting social status and time experiences. Structural exclusions from life within the confines of legality, combined with highly conditional treatment and welfare systems, weaken participants’ autonomy and control over time, and produce waiting as a mode of life. For example, people wait for the legal system to clear their criminal records and for treatment services to trust them with methadone. Institutional timetables thus manifest a temporal barrier, retracting time autonomy and reproducing those who wait as unproductive and perpetually potential rulebreakers. The concept of reprehensible work emerges as central, capturing how everyday activities in a life with drug use become stigmatized. We conclude that shifting focus from substances to their regulation is crucial for addressing temporal barriers and reducing temporal inequalities.