| Abstract: | Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate substance abusers’ basic characteristics, past drug experience, their understanding towards rehabilitation, abstinence approach of drug and related approaches’ relevance, and to analyze factors which change the results.
Method: This is an investigation study, done during February, 2008. Data is collected from a rehabilitation institution, through self-compiled, structured questionnaires. Later computing was done to reveal how drug addition came about and elements that influence. 376 valid drug abuser samples were collected, accounting for 95.67% of the total questionnaires.
Results: The drug abusers’ average age is 40.99 years old; the first drug use occurred at the age of 26.43 on average, with 8.8 years of usage; the respondents spent 10,288 New Taiwan dollars on drugs every week. Amphetamine and heroin were the most popular drugs and most drug abuser once attempted quitting the addiction on their own. Abstinence cognition: Understanding toward undesirable side effects of addiction and benefits of abstinence is higher than the mean value. Predictors of abstinence cognition: Respondents who have concerns over how taking drugs would tarnish one’s name, fears of losing one’s future, non-usual amphetamine of abstinence cognition. Predictors of abstinence approaches: Abstinence cognition is important predictors of his/her own will, supports from family members or friends, to enter the rehabilitation institution.
Conclusions: In general, most drug abusers are in their primes, but linger in and out drug addiction; although most recognize the fact that quitting drug addiction is important and are willing to act, their attempts still end up ineffective. Results also showed that when "self-determination" is strong, and there is a family member or friend to support, the interference environment will be the main factors affecting quitting drugs.
Recommendations: Drug abusers, their own will and determination, their relatives and the Government’s actively supporting the system will dominate the result of quitting a drug addiction. |
