The unofficial history of drug use: a study in a Brazilian sample

Interviews were conducted with 59 former intensive users of illicit drugs with no evidence of current social or behavioural dysfunction. Data were gathered by in-depth standardized interviews through which, past and current psychoactive substance use (including alcohol, tobacco and tranquillizers) were assessed. Special attention was given to the subjects' attributions as to what had caused the change in the drug use pattern. Events attributed for ending or substantially decreasing drug use were categorized as follows: 'physical-mental problems/disliked side effects' (27.1% of respondents), 'developmental/maturational/existential reasons' (27.1%), 'formal or informal drug treatment system' (11.8%), 'interpersonal reasons' (10.2%), 'job or school/performance lowering' (10.2%), 'religious/spiritual involvement' (6.8%), and 'legal/financial problems' (6.8%). The major finding was that only 7 out of the 59 respondents (11.8%) reported having ever been in any formal or informal drug treatment system.