People Who Use Drugs in Rehabilitation, from Chaos to Discipline: Advantages and Pitfalls

Abstract

Evidence -based models emphasizing on lifestyle bahaviors for the treatment of drug use is still in its infancy .The development of multifactorial effective drug use intervention programs as part of health promotion is crucial to decrease risk of relapse. This study aims at exploring the lifestyle practices including dietary intake, physical activity and sleep of people who use drugs undergoing residential rehabilitation treatment in Lebanon with its perceived benefits and pitfalls. A purposive sample of 18 males and 9 females at different stages of recovery from drug use in rehabilitation centers participated in the qualitative discussions. The six phases thematic analysis revealed four themes: chaotic lifestyle, disciplined lifestyle, benefits and pitfalls of disciplined lifestyle, and suggestions for making rehabilitation a better experience. Participants discussed their chaotic lifestyle during addiction with poor food intake, disrupted sleep and low physical activity moving to a more disciplined routine enforcing normality in lifestyle practices with social and professional support .The early phases of treatment were marked with increased food intake and weight gain perceived as a health indicator and the sole divergent from drugs ,moving towards more structured meals and efforts to lose weight in later stages. Lack of variety of Physical activity programs taking into consideration the motivational differences among the participants was also highlighted. Measures for improving rehabilitation services in terms of promoting healthy eating habits and environmental control were thoroughly addressed. These findings shed the light on the challenges faced in maintaining a healthy lifestyle in rehabilitation centers and the necessities of addressing them to improve the overall rehabilitation experience , prevent relapse and inform the development of future targeted intervention programs tackling all aspects of behavioral changes .