Reflections of Homeless Substance User's Living Experience: Qualitative Study

Aim: Substance abuse is recognized as a major health problem among the homeless. People who cycle in and out of homelessness tend to cycle in and out of alcohol and drug abuse. The relationship between substance abuse and homelessness requires that they are treated simultaneously and not independently. Although there is an increase in public interest concerning the homeless population, research on the issues of homelessness has been fragmented and incomplete. Research is necessary to understand substance abuse among the homeless so that prevention and intervention measures can be developed and implemented. The aim of this study was to describe a homeless population’s lived experience with substance abuse and to better understand factors that effect to substance abuse treatment among the homeless.
This paper fulfilled by the method of grounded theory. The data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 20 men who participating in Project of rehabilitation of drug user (1393). Data from the interviews were analyzed by theoretical coding.
Finding: Categories that emerged from the data included: experience of rejection from family and friends, traumatic experience, negative feelings and emotions, social isolation, social apathy, loss welfare –education infra-structure.
Homeless population's lived experience with substance abuse show that treatment for this group is very different with addicts that they lived with family.