Knowledge, attitude & practices amongst substance abusers regarding their efforts to curb substance indulgence in urban slums of Amritsar city

Background and objectives: Substance abuse is a growing problem and getting prime importance due to indulgence of youth. This problem is viewed as a chronic disorder in which relapse is the natural part of recovery process. Prevention of relapse is crucial for control of substance abuse disorder. The goals of treatment are abstinence from/ reduction of use of substance, reduction of frequency and severity of relapses and improvement of psychological and social adaptive functioning. So this study was undertaken to explore the awareness of substance abusers regarding their efforts to curb substance indulgence. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1600 houses selected randomly in four slum areas of Amritsar city in which 1273 respondents were found to be substance abusers. Total 1273 respondents were interviewed using a pre-designed and pre-tested proforma. Observation and Results: Out of 1273 respondents, majority i.e. 828 (65.04%) made attempts to curb their substance indulgence. Amongst 828, majority 516 (62.31%) attempted 3-5 times to refrain from drugs whereas 243 (29.34%) attempted more than 5 times, Financial problem was the main reason amongst 341 (41.18%),who attempted to stop drugs, whereas 293 (35.38%) made an attempt to quit drugs due to their family problems. Majority i.e. 431 (52.05%) faced relapse because of easy availability of drug.Out of 828 respondents who tried to quit drugs, 766 (92.5%) and amongst 445 respondents who didn’t try to quit drugs, 405 (91.01%) admitted drug abuse to be a social problem. Conclusion: In the present study, majority i.e. 828 (65.04%) made attempts to curb their substance indulgence and have failed. As a result the relapse rate was 100%. There may be different reasons of failure to stop the use but it may be due to lack of a strong support mechanism for these adolescents at the family and community level.