Lived experiences of young addicts about the role of social support in preventing addiction relapse

Addiction relapse is a complex, multifaceted and dynamic phenomenon that is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors. The purpose of this research was to analyze the lived experiences of young addicts about the role of social support in preventing addiction relapse. Husserl's descriptive phenomenological method was used in order to discover the lived experiences of young people and the role of social support in their return to addiction. The target population consisted of all young people, who were between 18 and 35 years old. They had referred to addiction treatment centers in Golestan province to get rid of addiction again. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Sampling continued until data saturation; this goal was realized in sample 15.The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview; which lasted between 50 to 70 minutes. The data were analyzed using the 7-step Colaizzi method. In order to achieve validity and reliability of the interviews, the criteria proposed by Lincoln and Gouba. From the analysis of young people's lived experiences of the role of social support in addiction relapse, 5 main themes and 38 sub-themes were obtained. The main themes were: bad friends, insufficient family support, weak family control, family coercion and marital discord. Social support is very important in preventing addiction; And it demands special attention, especially from families.