NCJ Number
167080
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 124 Dated: (Winter 1996) Pages: 797-805
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article presents the case history of a 23-year-old white male's recovery from 12 years of alcohol and other substance abuse.
Abstract
The peer pressures that led to the experimental use of marijuana at age 11 and the evolving social relations that contributed to chronic substance use are described. Included are details about the subject's family life, peer relationships, criminal involvement, and transition from alcohol and marijuana use to chronic amphetamine addiction. Also described are experiences with drug burn-out and the eventual rehabilitation and recovery process that led to a lifestyle that is currently free of drugs. The case is discussed in the context of current theoretical and empirical research in adolescent drug abuse. The authors advise that even though the subject was influenced by the external factors of peer pressure and a dysfunctional family, the main reason he began to use drugs was his own conscious decision to experiment and continue use. He was responsible for ignoring his mother's advice as well as his friends' warnings about the dangers of speed. The only thing that could stop his drug use was also a conscious decision to seek treatment. Narcotics Anonymous group therapy provided a drug-free environment that helped him to break off his relationships with his drug-using acquaintances. His new friends in group therapy helped him reorganize and gain control over his life and his interaction with the real world. He then began to improve his relationships with his mother and his brother. The authors note that it is unusual for a drug addict to turn his/her life around and go on to graduate from college. The individual's personal decision to quit drugs is the crucial factor in successful rehabilitation. Family support and enrollment in a rehabilitation program help to ensure success. The major goal of the anti-drug campaign should be to access drug addicts on a more personal level via family members, close friends, and other addicts in recovery. 18 references