Recovery from drug abuse is a complex process in which motivation is central. The focus of this article is on drug-dependent people's experiences with sources that influence their motivation to change. The sample in our study was comprised of 127 drug-dependent adults identified in criminal courts, hospital emergency departments and Health and…

Aims: To explore how service users' views of measuring addiction recovery differ from those of service providers. Methods: Five focus groups conducted in two English cities with (i) people currently using Class A drugs (n = 6); (ii) people currently using alcohol (n = 12); (iii) individuals in residential detoxification (n = 12); (iv) individuals…

Aims: Addiction treatment training has been recognized to be an essential part of the curriculum in psychiatry and general medicine. Our objective in this study was to measure the knowledge and attitudes towards addictions among medical residents of a general hospital in Catalonia, Spain. Methods: Within a sample of medical residents, we…

Aims: To provide a general hospital training programme that enhances the likelihood of identifying and approaching patients with alcohol-related problems upon which interventions and referrals to specialist addiction in-reach nurses would impact. Delivery of training: Twenty wards were identified as having a high rate of admissions for…

Given the importance of communication skills and positive relationships to addiction recovery, a series of communication skills workshops for residents of a long-term drug and alcohol residential treatment centre was designed and delivered by students in an undergraduate communication class within the university's Community Service Learning…

Background: A stigma is a long-lasting mark of social disgrace that has a profound effect on interactions between the stigmatized and the unstigmatized. Factors governing the extent of stigmatization attached to an individual include the perceived danger posed by that person and the extent to which she/he is seen as being to blame for the stigma.…

Internationally, service user involvement has become a common feature of public policy and more specifically public health policy in the recent decades. In a general context, the involvement of service users in health services has been well documented; however, less evidence is available within the area of drug treatment service provision. This…

Drug use is an alarming issue in Bangladesh. Most drug users return to drugs after treatment, in what becomes a vicious cycle of treatment and relapse. This study explored why they return and what pathways they follow. We carried out 5 key informant interviews, 10 in-depth interviews, 2 focus group discussions, 3 case studies, 8 observations, and…

The main objective of this follow-up study is to explore factors influencing the success or failure of women in reintegrating after their release from prison. Female drug users in five European cities were tracked after being released from prison. Out of 234 female prisoners contacted in prisons, 59 were included in the follow-up study. Structured…

This paper describes psychosocial outcomes of an Indigenous residential substance abuse rehabilitation centre in Australia, examines the sensitivity to change of the new Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM), and explores the degree to which service users value cultural components of the treatment program. Participants were 57 Indigenous and 46…

This study deals with how substance-dependent men perceive their paternal identity. Data were based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 Israeli fathers who were enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment. Content analysis revealed that participants had undergone a process of parental identity formation composed of four distinct stages:…

The therapeutic alliance is a significant research area in counseling. The understanding of the therapeutic alliance, particularly in drug treatment settings helps counselors and clients to increase the treatment outcomes and its treatment process. The present study investigated the journeys of recovering counselors and clients in a private…

Directors' and treatment staff's perceptions of organizational functioning within substance abuse treatment facilities in four provinces in South Africa were examined via the Texas Christian University's Organizational Readiness for Change instrument. Forty-four treatment facilities (out of 89) participated in the study. Results indicated that…

There is increasing emphasis on the use routine outcome assessment measures to inform quality assurance initiatives. The calculation of reliable and clinically significant change indices is one strategy that organizations could use to develop both internal and externally focused benchmarking processes. The current study aimed to develop reliable…

Introduction: This article reports on a Department of Health UK funded project to implement consensus substance misuse teaching in undergraduate curricula in medical schools in England. The aim was to better equip practising doctors of the future to deal with substance misuse issues. Method: A project coordinator worked with local curriculum…