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Hindi Research Article
Searching for Sobriety: How Persons with Severe Mental Illness Experience Abstaining from Substance Use
Henning Pettersen1,2*, Torleif Ruud3,4, Edle Ravndal2 and Anne Landheim11National Centre for Dual Diagnosis, Innlandet Hospital Trust, N-2381 Brumunddal, Norway
2Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, N-0407 Oslo, Norway
3Akershus University Hospital, Division Mental Health Services, N-1478 Lørenskog, Norway
4University of Oslo, Institute of Clinical Medicine, P.O. Box 1171, N-0318 Oslo, Norway
- Corresponding Author:
- Henning Pettersen
National Centre for Dual Diagnosis
Innlandet Hospital Trust
P.O. Box 104, N-2381 Brumunddal
Norway, 60175-270
Tel : 0047 95235497
Fax: +55 85 3267 3867
E-mail: Henning.Pettersen@medisin.uio.no
Received date: May 23, 2014; Accepted date: September 15, 2014; Published date: September 18, 2014
Citation: Pettersen H, Ruud T, Ravndal E, Landheim A (2014) Searching for Sobriety: How Persons with Severe Mental Illness Experience Abstaining from Substance Use. J Addict Res Ther 5:193. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.1000193
Copyright: © 2014 Pettersen H, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness (SMI) are more vulnerable to substances than are other people. Many people with SMI tend to attain full remission of their substance use, but others relapse frequently. There is more research on the reasons for substance use than on the reasons for abstaining among these individuals. Information from the latter may contribute to a better understanding of how individuals with SMI experience abstaining from substance use. Objective: The aim of this explorative study was to examine experiences of abstaining from substances of persons diagnosed with SMI. We examined both the reasons given and the requirements and strategies used when abstaining. Methods: A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted, and a descriptive and explorative design was applied. This study included a purposeful sample of 11 patients with SMI and substance use being treated by assertive community treatment teams. Results: The main reasons for quitting substance use were social relationships and meaningful activities. The stated requirements and strategies used in the search for sobriety were detachment towards people and places, positive thinking, controlling feelings and emotions, and fear of dependency. Conclusion: Our results are consistent with those from other qualitative studies on the importance of social relationships and meaningful activities as expressed reasons for abstaining. The strategy of actively avoiding a former adverse milieu to reach sobriety is consistent with findings from one similar study. The strategies of fear of adverse consequences, positive thinking, and controlling feelings and emotions found in the present study have not been reported by other qualitative studies.
