THE TAMPERE A-KILTA HUNAJA SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOVERY GROUP AS A SUPPORTING ENTITY OF ADDICTION SELF-CARE Aalto Venla Degree Programme in Health Care | April 2013 Supervisor: Pirilä Ritva Number of pages: 65 | Appendices: 8
Keywords: substance addiction, self-care, qualitative research
The aim of the study was to research the experiences relating to the self-care of substance addicts taking part in the Tampere A-Kilta Hunaja substance abuse support group. Its goal was to collect information which could be applied to direct the group’s activities in areas which would support the self-care of substance addicts based on the experience of the study group. The methodology of the study was qualitative. The source material was collected through interviews of substance abusers (N = 4) active in the Hunaja group in the summer of 2012. The material collected in the group interview session was analyzed by applying theoretically informed inductive content analysis. The study resulted in a list of key factors in substance abuse self-care of the participants in the Hunaja group. The key factors constitute of physical, psychological and social forms of self-care in addition to the support offered by the Hunaja group in relation to the motivation and skills needed for its successful implementation. The results demonstrated that those participating in the group used several different methods of self-care in attempting to recover from their abuse habits. Participating in the Hunaja group encouraged the self-care of substance abusers. The self-care was implemented both individually and as a part of a counselor-supported peer group. Based on the results, special attention needs to be paid to the development of the group dynamic and peer support. The results of the thesis can be applied to the development of the Hunaja group. The study unveiled information about the self-care of substance addicts from the perspective of experienced experts in the field. This information can also be applied in developing other forms of recovery programs. A beneficial future study would be to gauge of responses from the counselors of the Hunaja group on how group activities support the self-care of substance abusers. Thesis work based on the self-care of substance addiction could increase the involvement of recovering abusers in services designed to benefit their situation.
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