Was Sucht findet – Eine post-postmoderne Annäherung

The post-postmodern era might provide a perfect breeding ground for the phenomenon of substance abuse. Both the use and abuse of substances could be interpreted as a search for an alternative solution – this alternative is the focus of this article. Contingency and coherence play an important role in this process. The conscious construction of coherence is discussed as a central problem in the post-postmodern era. Psychoactive substances could be serving as a crutch in the attempt to avoid contingency and ambivalence. Especially transitioning from one life fragment to another makes it hard for individuals to sustain their sense of coherence. This is an inquiry into how the use of psychoactive substances supports individuals in their attempt to develop a coherent self and what sort of support a post-postmodern therapeutic approach could provide.