Historique
Périodique
Attempted cessation of heroin use among men approaching mid-life
(Tentative d'arrêt de l'usage d'héroïne chez des hommes approchant l'âge mûr)
Auteur(s) :
MULLEN, K. ;
HAMMERSLEY, R.
Année
2006
Page(s) :
77-92
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Refs biblio. :
45
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Note générale :
Drugs Education, Prevention and Policy, 2006, 13, (1), 77-92
Note de contenu :
tabl.
Résumé :
ENGLISH :
Aims: To analyse the reasons for ceasing or continuing heroin use in mid-life and examine the contribution of drug treatment and social factors to this process. Methods: A semi-structured qualitative interview discussing drug-using history was conducted with Glasgow men who had previously received treatment for drug problems. Findings: Successful cessation occurred after repeated attempts and repeated treatments, often in the context of major life changes. Relapse occurred because of quitting without adequate mental preparation; returning to old haunts and life circumstances, life difficulties, the tedium of a life without heroin, and inability to cope with normal emotions previously blocked by heroin use. Men's lives could be understood as a set of tensions between the deviant subculture of heroin injecting and the conventional neighbourhood. The balance of these tensions affected men's behaviour and generally there needed to be both a push away from the subculture and a pull towards the neighbourhood for long-term cessation to occur. Conclusions: Treatment of heroin dependence may be better regarded as the management of a chronic problem, rather than as a single intervention with a quantifiable outcome. Treatment needs to consider both the benefits and problems of heroin use and the benefits and problems of conventional living. (Author's abstract.)
Affiliation :
Section Psychological Med., Univ. Glasgow, Gartnavel Royal Hosp., 1055 Great Western Rd, Glasgow G12 0xh, E-mail k.mullenclinmed.gla.ac.uk
Royaume-Uni. United Kingdom.
Royaume-Uni. United Kingdom.