An interpretive study of the reported emotional experiences of recovering substance abusers from an Eastern Cape community.

Abstract

Substance abuse has become a source of major concern from the public health perspective not just for the individual but also for the wider society. Drug abuse extends far beyond the substance abuser, contributing to damaged relationships with family, community, health workers and volunteers. However, the major impact is upon the children of the abuser (Fox, Oliver & Ellis, 2013). The purpose of this study is to capture the subjective experiences of diagnosed substance abusers from an under-resourced suburb in the Eastern Cape. A phenomenological investigation is conducted at a local rehabilitation centre, focusing on the target population, to make sense of their major life experiences as members in a marginalized community focussing on mental health and poverty. This gives them a voice in their own health care, allowing them to suggest ways in which their needs could be sufficiently met by social services. Taking cognizance of their unmet needs creates awareness of any scarcities that may be bridged by new evaluations. This could bring added value to existing interventions. In doing so, improvements to the quality of life experienced by this community may evolve from a legacy of mental ill-health and poverty. In addition, it may create a positive platform for the future generation by breaking the negative evolution to which they are confined. The results of this study concluded that addiction starts of as a coping mechanism which then leads to dependency and tolerance becoming an addictive habit. Responses from participants indicated the risk of enabling, environmental influences such as peer pressure, their work place and the accessibility of drugs as threat to their possible relapse after recovery. Due to heredity and exposure other members of the family also become addicted resulting in marginalised societies remaining in a cycle of poverty for generations. Children of substance abusers are at risk of becoming substance abusers themselves through modelling and neglect. The cost of recovery revealed a lack of social support and rehabilitation centres in East London.