Withdrawal Symptoms Hindering Harm-Minimization and Drug Detoxification Efforts: Experiences of Injecting Drug Users in Nepal

Prison, a missing target to address issues related to drug detoxification and rehabilitation: Nepalese experiences

“…However, the compulsion of drug use has compelled many drug users to engage in criminal activities to afford drugs. People who have been using drugs for a longer period have already experienced conflict with their family members, arising from, for example, theft of familial properties at the early stages of drug use (Jha and Madison, 2012;Wang and Wang, 2007). As drug users lose their earnings and familial support, supporting their drug use becomes increasingly difficult.…”

“…What implications have they conceptualized about having their son or daughter engaged in drug use? The implications of drug use have been perceived as varied and contextual and these are constructed through social processes in which people engage in dialogues to define things, such as what it means to use "drugs" and how people perceive someone who uses drugs (Jha and Madison, 2012;Stroker, 1993). The meanings derived from the experiences of the participants reflect on the sociocultural, economic, contextual factors, values and norms (Charles et al, 1994;Jha, 2006;Moustakas, 1994;Nader and Gonzalez, 2000).…”

“…Most drug users engage in criminal or illegal activities to afford and maintain their drug use. For example, theft, burglary, pickpocketing, looting, cheating and violence are common activities reported by other studies (Aich et al, 2010;Jha and Madison, 2012). Many youths were reported to have sold their familial properties cheaply and used the money to purchase drugs.…”

“…While detoxification, rehabilitation and the maintenance of a drug-free life is a desired goal, relapse rates are significantly high (Jha and Plummer, 2012). A number of factors may contribute to relapse, for example, non-existence of comprehensive detoxification and rehabilitation services, lack of monitoring and follow up after detoxification and rehabilitation, high rates of unemployment, lack of family support, frequent interactions with peers who use drugs and a lack of willpower or adequate coping skills to deal effectively with the temptation to use drugs (Jha and Madison, 2012;Jha and Plummer, 2012). The nature of these factors suggest the need for a comprehensive and coordinated array of health and social services to respond to the multiple needs of the drug user and minimize the likelihood of relapse (Donovan, 2003;Marlatt and Donovan, 2005).…”