Experiences and Perceptions of Caregivers of Relapsed Heroin Abusers: in Cape Town, South Africa

Substance abuse is one of the numerous mental health related problems all over the world, including South Africa. Heroin abuse is associated with complicated health conditions such as withdrawal symptoms, fatal overdose, collapsed veins, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. This situation is worsened when the heroin abusers relapse after they undergo a rehabilitation programme. Drug rehabilitation programme enables a drug addict to learn how to restore his good health, by adopting a drug free or useful life through the therapy and education. Previous studies showed the importance of involving families in the rehabilitation and post-discharge programme. The family involvement in drug abuse rehabilitation plays an important role in the successful rehabilitation of drug dependent clients. However, author's experience as mental health nurse who had worked for many years in mental health facilities, observed that there is minimal involvement of social network/ family during the rehabilitation process.