Describing the Interviewee
The interviewee is a 27 years old female who works as a DJ and a musician. She has a history of mental health struggles, including self-harm, and she was recently diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Recently, she entered a rehabilitation facility and enrolled in the 12 steps program. This female is a good example of why addiction develops and ways in which a person can overcome it, including professional help and social support.
Describing the Interview Process
The interview was conducted via Skype call on November 20th. I contacted the interviewee through social media since she has publicly talked about her addiction and recovery process in one of her Instagram posts. The purpose of her post was to show support to others who struggle with addiction, and I asked her to discuss her recovery process. I wrote her a message asking them to take part in a short interview about addiction and recovery, which would be recorded for the purposes of my class. I prepared several questions, including the ones included in this assignment. The interview process was good; I called the interviewee at a scheduled time and asked her the questions from the list.
Interview Findings
The interviewee discussed the onset of her addiction, which began after she turned 18. She argued that the social acceptance of substances such as alcohol and even heavy drugs among her peers has led to her using them on a regular basis. Moreover, she cited mental health struggles and social stigma as important factors that led to the worsening of her symptoms. She recommended raising awareness about the struggles of the people addicted to drugs among the general population as a way of encouraging them to get professional help. Additionally, she highlighted the importance of paying attention to policies that allow individuals to get professional mental health help.
To start, please tell me a little bit about yourself.
The interviewee is a DJ and has been working since she turned 18, “Well, I am a professional DJ, I have been working as a DJ in nightclubs and at parties.” Apart from that, she recently began to write her own music and produce songs. “I am really excited about my upcoming album that I am working on right now.”
As I understand, you recently entered a rehabilitation facility because of drug addiction, can you tell me more about that?
The interviewee states that she has been using drugs on and off since she was 18, when she started DJing. However, she states that she “cannot say that I had a serious addiction at that time; I used it from time to time.” But she used to drink a lot of alcohol at parties, which was her main concern. She entered a rehab facility six months ago because she had a lot of stress, she was in a bad relationship, and she had troubles at work. She started to use cocaine regularly, and began to drink every evening. At that time, this was a way to cope with problems and “get my mind off of things.” When she was drinking and using, she began to self-harm, which “was a real problem for me because when I would get sober, I would be terrified at the things I have done.”
What substances did you use?
Cocaine, weed occasionally, and alcohol were the substances she used initially. Over time, when she had to DJ in front of large crowds, she began to use tranquilizers to feel calm before her performances, “which is probably an uncommon drug for most.”
How long have you been in recovery?
The interviewee has made several attempts at rehabilitating from her drug addiction, including a treatment at a rehabilitation clinic. “I entered the 12 steps program three months ago, but before I have been in a rehab clinic, so in total about six months.”
How did you quit using?
The interviewee describes the following situation, which made her rethink her addiction issues: “I hit rock bottom one night after celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday. We had a great time; we spent the evening together, I made dinner, and we chatted. But after he left, I took an enormous among of tranquilizers, drank a bottle of tequila, and I started to cut myself. After I woke up the next morning, I realized that I could no longer continue like this; it was horrible. I needed to do something, especially because there was no apparent reason for using drugs or self-harming; it was life self-sabotage.”
What led you to take drugs in the first place?
For her, drug use and addiction were not something terrible; they were a normal part of life. Her friends and colleagues and my social circle had that acceptance towards drugs. “I think it was normal in the environment where I worked, people could take drugs every evening, and they were drinking alcohol all the time.”
What do you consider to be the most significant drug problems in your region/city/area? Why?
She states that she knows that there are also issues with opioids and that people overuse the medications that were prescribed to them. She faced that problem too with her addiction to tranquilizers, which she tried for the first time after a physician’s prescription. Also, “I see a lot of young people, below the age of 21, who come to nightclubs and drink alcohol. I think it is a real problem because, from my experience, I know how easy it is to become addicted to it.”
If you had to select three psychoactive drugs that you consider to be the most problematic and harmful, what would they be and why?
The society talks a lot about heavy drugs and how dangerous they are, but they barely mention that alcohol is just as addictive and can cause harm to one’s physical and mental health. “For me, I’d say it’s alcohol because it is the most accessible. I feel like all of my friends or people I know drink alcohol or have some sort of addiction to it right now, and it’s a real problem.” The next one would be cocaine; “I know many people in the entertainment industry who regularly use it,” and they do not recognize that it is a problem and that this substance harms their health. The final one would have to be an opioid, such as oxycontin. “I do not know much about how these substances work, but I know that opioids are probably among the most addiction-causing ones.”
What are the most important factors that help people recover from addiction?
She notes that she actually entered therapy recently, and she realized how important social support is because it helps get over the stigma. For her, with therapy, she was able to tell her family about my drug addiction and explain to them that she needed support and their understanding. “Social support was the most important for me because, for a long time, I was scared to even mention my problems. And I think that my addiction has gotten worse over time because I was ashamed of it, and I did not talk about my problems.” Apart from that, she received professional help in a rehabilitation facility, and with the 12 steps program, she finds it helpful because “especially the 12 steps targeted many mental health struggles that I had. Hence, I was able to accept that I am an addict and that it has caused harm to my life.”
What policies, services, and prevention/intervention programs are needed to help reduce drug use problems in your region/city/area or state?
“Since my drug abuse issues began when I had mental health struggles, I think that raising awareness about that is the most important. For many people, drugs may be a source of relief when they struggle and feel ashamed of their mental health problems.” As opposed to that, normalizing reaching for professional help and getting social support would help eliminate that. And also, making mental health more accessible is an important policy issue because many people, especially young people, cannot afford to go to therapy; it is too expensive.
Reflection
In this interview, it is of particular interest that the interviewee had an addiction both to tranquilizers and alcohol. Despite the public opinion and acceptance of alcohol as a substance one can freely purchase in any store, it is a highly addictive drug. The interviewee mentioned that she entered the “12 steps program” to overcome her addiction to alcohol. This program is a well-renounced way of addressing alcohol addiction. This includes support groups and work on the 12 steps, each of which should help an addict overcome the shame and other negative emotions they experience due to their addiction and learn how to cope with their problems.
According to the American Addiction Centers (2021a), “first developed and used by Alcoholics Anonymous, is a 12-step plan in order to overcome addictions and compulsions” (para. 1). Additionally, this program is built on the idea of social support and participants helping one another, which is an important factor, considering that the interviewee mentioned the importance of social support in her recovery process.
The addiction to tranquilizers is a problem that is not talked about enough in professional circles and by the general public. According to the American Addiction Centers (2021b), approximately 60 million people in the United States have a prescription for tranquilizers. Not all medications that fall into this category are addictive; for example, major tranquilizers, such as antipsychotics, are not habit-forming and do not lead to addiction. However, minor tranquilizers that are prescribed for the treatment of anxiety or sleep problems often cause an addiction (American Addiction Centers, 2021b). Moreover, some types of tranquilizers, such as barbiturates, require professional treatment for addiction in rehabilitation because withdrawal symptoms caused by these drugs are very strong.
Another important thing that the interviewer talked about was the mental health struggles and how they affected their addiction. Mental health problems indeed may be a strong predictor of drug abuse, and addressing these issues could be a good prevention strategy. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020), many people who have an addiction are diagnosed with a mental health condition. Moreover, data collected by this institute shows a connection between anxiety disorders and drug abuse. Some substances may lead the person with mental health problems to experience severe symptoms (“Mental health and substance use disorders,” 2019).
Both issues are a result of genetic factors, exposure to trauma, and brain composition variations, which explains the correlation between the two. Hence, the experience of the interviewee is common as she, similarly to many other individuals with different types of mental health struggles, uses drugs as a way of coping with these issues. Moreover, it becomes essential to address the mental health issues when treating addiction due to the connection between the two.
From the perspective of mental health and addiction, policies that would address the accessibility of mental health support services become a vital prevention strategy. This is because they can help individuals learn how to cope with their struggles without the use of psychoactive substances.
For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) offers a wide range of methods targeting thoughts that help develop a healthier way of thinking; according to Addiction Center (n.d.), “CBT teaches those in treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD) to find connections between their thoughts, feelings, and actions and increase awareness of how these things impact recovery” (para. 3). The premise is that by teaching individuals about how their thinking affects their actions, including the harmful ones linked to addiction, one can provide them with a tool to control their behaviors better.
In summary, this interview has shown two valid methods for overcoming the addiction, as opposed to the traditional rehabilitation in a professional facility, which is CBT and the “12 steps program.” The interviewee shared her experience of using different types of drugs, such as tranquilizers, cocaine, and alcohol. Additionally, she has discussed the policy issues and legislation that can aid people who have already developed an addiction. She recommended expanding the provision of mental health services to people with addictions as a way of combating this problem.
References
Addiction Center. (2019). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Web.
American Addiction Centers. (2021a). Tranquilizer addiction. Web.
American Addiction Centers. (2021b). 12 step programs: 12 steps to recovery for drug & alcohol treatment. Web.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020). Common comorbidities with substance use disorders research report. Web.
Mental health and substance use disorders. (2019). Web.