The social support is a protection for recovered addicts

The social damages like addiction have harmful effects on a person, his family and people relevant to him. The addiction causes major imbalance in the addict and his family and makes series of new challenges for both of them. At least their daily life is changed; because they try to lead the addict to the period of time before drug using. Meantime, the resources of social and individual support can play certain roles in the process of compromising with life crises like addiction. Therefore, one of the key roles of the family and medical team is making a supportive environment for person being treated. Among addicts, receiving others support acts like a protection against hard and negative consequences caused in withdrawal period and therefore, more coherent and stronger relation is made by his better function.
So the social support can help the addict by several ways until he would pass returning period and comes back to the society as soon as possible.
1. The social support by the family and friends’ cognitive tips can help the treatment process to be passed as soon as possible.
2. The support by preparing material resources like required means, useful skills and etc.
3. The social support causes socio-psychological resources mobilization of a person and his conditions will be improved.
4. Helping the person being treated till his situational demands would be provided.
In our country because of the social support disorganization of associations, institutions, relevant agencies and the important role of the family and friends, the supports are done by the family more and the support expectancy is mainly propounded by the family. Then the family role is very effective and it can have different patterns; therefore, it is necessary the pattern or numerous patterns to be recognized for increasing the hopefulness by the family toward life. This pattern helps us to consider the social support and its constituents and its direct and indirect effect on expectancy; as a result we introduce the effective strategies for helping family social support. On the one hand it must be taken into consideration that the social support of recovered person isn’t only limited to the family and friends, he needs to be accepted by the larger communities, local communities, workplaces, activities, or educational environments and etc, otherwise the person captivity in the family and friends environment cause leading to drug using again. So it’s necessary all of relevant organizations are settled beside the families until the services to be performed better.
It seems that the local groups, educational environments and especially mass media play an important role on peoples’ attitude change and deviant viewpoints and of course their weak function about informing in growth of social damages isn’t effectless. Human was born with confirmation and encouragement, and the possibility of falling would be reduced by creating a sense of security and peace of mind, the sense of being valued and respected by the confirmation and encouragement of support networks.
Also increasing of recognition and awareness concerning recovery principles and returning is necessary to help addicted overcomes his addiction. The rate of long-term recovery among addicts being treated and having insufficient social support is negligible than the persons haven’t been treated, and this means theoretical bases aren’t sufficient in present treatments, we need developing of theories relevant to social support role for recovering of addicts until we reach development in the scope of addiction. Such theories should be included longitudinal, social and interactional processes involving recovery and available options should be studied for reaching the goal. The recovery is a dynamic nature, because social relations have a direct role to stimulate the person for reusing drugs and it is important to understand these social relations affect his tendency toward recovery for conducting the support plans. Getting help from supporters are recognized as the most important factors and elements in recovery process. It shouldn’t be forgotten the addiction treatment is a long-term process and consequently the supports would be more useful, if the treatment be faster and more coherent.

Mina Noorollahi
Social worker