Kontakt 2023, 25(1):44-49 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2023.010

Self-recovery of Roma drug users in the context of social workSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Stanislav Ondrášek1, *, Alena Hricová2, Tomáš Mrhálek3, Kamil Podzimek4, David Urban5
1 University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Social and Special-paedagogical Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
2 Prague College of Psychosocial Studies, Praha, Czech Republic
3 University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Education, Department of Psychology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
4 Prevent 99, z. ú., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
5 College of Polytechnics Jihlava, Jihlava, Czech Republic

Roma drug users are a group that typically do not use therapeutic services for drug addiction. However, a higher rate of self-recovery among Roma drug users can be observed within outpatient services than among the majority population. The described phenomenen is based on long-term observations and interviews with Roma clients at a contact center (an ambulant social services center for drug users) in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. This article examines the cultural specifics associated with substance withdrawal among Roma drug users in the Czech Republic. Our analysis of self-recovery focuses on the description of motives for quitting drug use, along with the use of individual strategies and specific rituals associated with cessation, which are interconnected in the context of the cultural specifics of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic. The results demonstrate the impact of social capital on self-healing, where the influence of a broader and more cohesive family social network is shown. The social capital represented by the family of Roma drug users motivated quitting the most.

Keywords: Drug users; Roma; Self-recovery; Social work
Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Received: December 11, 2022; Revised: December 11, 2022; Accepted: March 27, 2023; Prepublished online: March 28, 2023; Published: March 30, 2023  Show citation

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Ondrášek S, Hricová A, Mrhálek T, Podzimek K, Urban D. Self-recovery of Roma drug users in the context of social work. Kontakt. 2023;25(1):44-49. doi: 10.32725/kont.2023.010.
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