Representations of Heroin Addiction in Seychelles

This paper critically examines addiction in Seychelles, which has one of the world’s highest per capita rates of heroin use. Using qualitative research, including media analysis, interviews with former users, and insights from policymakers, the study explores how heroin use/addiction is represented and managed in this small island context. Media and official discourses often stigmatise users, framing them as deviant or diseased, which shapes public attitudes and reinforces exclusion. Former users describe persistent stigma, social isolation, and difficulty reclaiming a ‘normal’ identity due to limited anonymity in a close-knit society. Professionals highlight tensions between harm-reduction and punitive policies, complicated by resource limitations and political patronage. Employing a Foucauldian lens, the paper identifies dominant discourses: disorder, resource scarcity, politics, stigma, and normalization that structure both experience and policy. The findings highlight how these narratives sustain structural barriers and stigma, and argue for more inclusive, context-sensitive drug/addiction policies in Seychelles and comparable small island states.