Search

Psychosocial interventions in substitution treatment

Using the experience from our workplace and 11 other workplaces in the Czech Republic, this report from field experience discusses the question of the form of psychosocial support (PSS) in substitution treatment - which procedures are used, what seems to work, how we regard the integration of psychosocial support into substitution treatment, what differences there are among various workplaces, and how psychosocial interventions perceive the ideal form of this support. The results were obtained by means of a written questionnaire. The only selection criterion was a specialisation in substitution treatment. The report was complemented by experience from our own workplace. It appears that there is no universal model of how to provide psychosocial support, although the workplaces under study agreed on the definition of the constituent elements of PSS, which are the necessity for individual care, clear-cut rules, and psychotherapy. Practically all the workplaces provide PSS but it has rather a group form and set frequency.  

The Picture of Illicit Drugs in the European Media: Leaving the Criminal Aspects Aside

BACKGROUND: Meta-analysis of REITOX reports of EU member states, Bulgaria, Romania, and Norway between the years 1996 and 2005 has shown that the portrayal of illlicit drugs in the European media significantly differs between the new member states and the EU 15 states. AIMS: To test the derived hypothesis about the diminishing count of criminal aspects of drug issues in media messages, which was typical of the EU 15 states in the 1990s and the new member states after the year 2000. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: Quantitative content analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Articles dedicated to drug issues in the observed period in MF DNES (Czech Republic, representing the new member states) and The Times (United Kingdom, representing EU15). RESULTS: The hypothesis about the diminishing count of criminal aspects of drug issues in the media was proved. CONCLUSIONS: The media picture of illicit drugs has developed as a result of the work of the non-governmental institutions which are active in the field. This result is in accordance with the sociology of news production presented in the paper.

Dependency, one of aspects of homeless people´s lives

Homelessness has an impact on a whole range of aspects of the lives of the people who experience it. This situation is likely to have an adverse effect on a person’s mental health, as are other stressful events associated with homelessness. One of them is dependency. Research on the links between alcohol problems and homelessness has been conducted abroad. The case reports show that sometimes dependency precedes homelessness, but often homelessness precedes heavy drinking.   

Potential of the use of the hallucinogen ayahuasca in addiction therapy

Takiwasi (Centre for the Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts and for Research into Traditional Medicines) was founded in 1992 in the Peruvian town of Tarapoto as a pilot project focused on research into traditional Amazonian medicine. The president of the Centre, the French doctor Jacques Mabit, and the director, the Peruvian psychologist Jaime Torres, lead the therapeutic team, who treat drug addicts by means of a combination of modern medicine and psychotherapy with traditional healers’ shamanistic knowledge and procedures, including the use of the hallucinogenic vine ayahuasca. This form of treatment appears to be very successful and safe as strict rules and rituals are observed.  

The Role of Drugs in Opiate Users’ Lives And Their Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment

Substitution treatment is a standard method for the management of opiate dependence which reduces a patient’s health and social hazards. Two approved substitutes are now used in the management of opiate dependence in the Czech Republic: methadone and buprenorphine. This study aims to identify and investigate the psychosocial factors that motivate patients to continue their buprenorphine treatment. Thirty interviews took place in drug prevention centres in the Czech cities with the highest rate of drug abuse, providing a basis for further research. The results of these qualitative interviews from three distinct categories compare favourably with similar, quantitative research from the recent past. The content analysis findings are accompanied by respondents’ authentic citations, which provide good illustrations of the situation in question.  

Next articles: «««1»»»
OPPA EU
European Union. European Social Fund.
Prague & EU: Investing into your future.
© Centrum adiktologie 2006-2009. info@adiktologie.cz