The journey from drug addiction to drug recovery; a case report of an inpatient rehabilitation

Abstract

In Pakistan, 64% of the total population is under the age of 30 and unfortunately, the increasing number of young addicts in Pakistan is estimated at the distressing rate of 40,000 per year. By considering the alarming situation and scarcity of literature, this research aims to investigate the recovery phase of drug addiction by introducing a case that highlights drug addiction, recovery, and relapse in the Pakistani context. We designed a case study approach in which face-to-face interviews were used. The case under consideration is a 38 years old patient with a history of chronic addiction with episodes of recovery and relapses. The shift of approaches from the extreme end of the addiction continuum to full recovery poses an opportunity for drug rehabilitation professionals to learn factors associated with drug addiction, the recovery process, and first-hand comments on recovering interventions in Pakistan.