Role of Substance Abuse Treatment Centers in Addiction Recurrence

Recurrence or relapse to drug abuse is a socioeconomic problem in communities. There are clear and hidden factors in addiction relapse.

Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the role of Substance Abuse Treatment Centers (SATCs) on relapse to addiction in Iran.

A qualitative study was carried out with an interpretational approach in Iran in 2017. The study area was Sistan and Baluchestan province located in the Southeast of Iran, where it is a transit route for drug smuggling. We selected 22 patients, who had the experience of return to addiction, by a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and individual interviews that were recorded and transcribed. A content analysis method was used to analyze the data.

There were 20 (91%) male patients and about 27% of the patients were unemployed. Approximately, 68% (n = 15) of patients had drug quitting experience for one to five times. Five themes emerged as reasons for addiction recurrence including inadequate supervision on the SATCs, managers and personnel’s inappropriate behaviors, inadequate meetings at SATCs, and overstaying in these centers.

In total, SATCs may have a negative role in the treatment and recovery of patients. Therefore, more careful and constant supervision is recommended for these centers.