Addiction and recovery from whoonga : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lifeworld of youth from INK townships "in recovery” = Ukubhenywa noku simama ekubhemeni iwunga : kuhlungwa ngokuhlolisisa nge-phenomenology ehumushayo umhlaba wezimpilo zentsha yasemalokishini ase-INK “esimamayo”.

Abstract

In dealing with a rampant increase in addiction to whoonga or nyaope, a heroin variant drug that has taken hold amongst Black youth in South African townships, the employment of addiction treatment that includes harm reduction measures is advanced. Complementary to these approaches, this study speaks to addictions to whoonga from an ecological perspective, a macro level approach concerned with eliminating addictions by identifying their root causes. In seeking solutions and intervention from the environment that begets addictions, recovery draws empirical evidence from overcoming addiction, a science of factors prompting, sustaining, and supporting abstinence and long-term recovery. This is a person-centred approach that begins with an understanding of recovery from experiences of those “in recovery”, people who are in the process of resolving their addiction issues, to advance interventions that people would identify and be familiar with. To make sense of addiction and recovery from whoonga from the perspective of those who were involved, six young Black African males between the ages of 20 and 33, who had desisted from whoonga use for an average of 3.3 years, were recruited from the communities of Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu (INK) townships, north-west of Durban. Participants were recruited through snowballing, and by using advertisements. Participants were interviewed indepth, and one-on-one at their original homes, using semi-structured interviews. These interviews were guided by an interview schedule derived from literature on addiction treatment, self-change models, as well as recovery frameworks. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology derived from hermeneutic phenomenology that was developed within psychology to add an idiographic component. To understand what addiction and recovery from whoonga meant for participants, four superordinate themes: becoming iphara, being iphara, curative confrontations (becoming human) and nurturing potentials (approximating citizenship), guided discussions. Results show that addiction to whoonga transformed participants in profound and deleterious ways. Addiction was characterised by a state of being iphara, a term that describes the embodiment of dedicated whoonga use. While whoonga addiction was initiated in pursuit of pleasure, escaping difficult life situations, and boredom, and where the influence of friends and peers dominated, it soon became a burden that began with the body becoming the site for pain. The state of being a whoonga addict is described as a preoccupation with the drug and the now, in which there is a deficiency of care for oneself, others, and other life concerns. Largely because of crime committed in the pursuit of the next fix, whoonga addicts are marginalized and ostracised by the community and family members. Other than isolation, to be an iphara is a perilous and precarious lifestyle, in which vigilante attacks from the community retaliating would put addicts’ lives and the lives of those close to them in danger. Arrests presented criminal records with huge implications for future employability. Recovery from whoonga was founded on survival instincts and a sense of self-preservation when difficult conditions as an addict were presented to participants’ lives. The crossroads within whoonga addiction lives jolted participants to the correct orientation to the truth, demanding reorientation to the present, that involved the evaluation of the past and concerns with the future. Although desistance can be coerced, an inner resolve to end addiction lives was deemed necessary; and such bolstered courage to attempt desistance. Desistance involved the use of Methadone: this was difficult particularly for participants who desisted from whoonga use without recourse to medication and professional help. Recovery marks a sense of growing and maturing; taking responsibility for oneself and others, which are efforts of becoming umuntu/human; making amends with peers, family members, and the community. Participants in this study present evidence of overcoming whoonga addiction. They offer an opportunity for the emergence of recovery support in the creation of peer recovery-support groups. Participants would model recovery, presenting hope to those addicted and the community, that overcoming whoonga addiction is a reality. Such should alleviate stigma and create pressure on the unwilling. Peer-recovery groups provide communities of former whoonga addicts with a place to go to. Such communities are best positioned to support early recovery experiments in empathic and non-judgemental ways. To filter preventative measures, reorientation of youth to traditional African ways that support and bolster a sense of pride in who they are, is necessary. Instilling mechanisms of earning membership to the community, and guidance on navigating transition to adulthood, for example, rites of passage amongst youth, would be necessary. The message is that actions and behaviours reverberate, affecting their communities. For youth to understand the plight of own communities, teaching individual responsibility to the health and welfare of communities, is important for prevention. Iqoqa locwaningo Ekuhlahleni indlela iNingizimu Afrika ezobhekana ngayo nokubhebhetheka kokusetshenziswa kwesidakamizwa esibizwa ngewunga noma i-nyaope, nokuyisidakwamizwa se-heroin exutshiwe esesithathe isizinda kwintsha eMnyama ehlala emalokishini, kuhlongozwa ukulandelwa kwezinhlelo eziphakamisa ukusetshenziswa kokulashwa kwezidakamizwa umhlabawonke nezifaka izinhlelo ezehlisa umonakalo odalwa izidakamizwa. Ekuhlangabezeni ngokulekelela lezizindlela, lolucwaningo lubheka ukubhenywa kwalesisidakamizwa ngokusibheka ngokwesimo semvelo, nokuyindlela ebanzana efaka ukuqedwa kokubhenywa kwezidakamizwa ngokuthola izimbangela eziyizinzika edala ukubhenywa kwezidakamizwa. Ukuthola izixazululo nendlela okungangenelelwa ngayo ngokwezendawo edala ukuhuqwa kwalezizidakamizwa, ukusimama ezidakamizweni kuhlongoza ukuqhakambiswa kwezindlela abantu abasimama ngayo ekubhemeni izidakamizwa, nokuyisayensi yokusimama efaka ukuthi yini eyenza abantu baqalise ukusimama, bakulondoloze futhi balekeleleke ukuthi baziyeke futhi baqhubeke bengazibhemi izidakamizwa. Lokhu kubeka phambili umuntu ombandakenyayo, okuqala ngokuthi siqondisise kahle ukuthi abantu abasimamayo, nabaziyekile izidakamizwa benzenjani, ukuze sikwazi ukuthola izisombululo ezizojwayeleka kubantu ngoba zisuselwa kulokho abakwaziyo nokwenzekayo ezimpilweni zabo. Ukuqondisisa kahle ukubhuqabhuqwa nokusimama ekubhuqwabhuqweni ukubhema iwunga kususelwa kwizindlela abayibona ngayo labo abambandakanyekileyo, izinsizwa eziMnyama eziyisithupha ebezineminyaka esukela kwamashumi amababili kuya kumashumi amathathu nantathu, nababesebeyiyekile ukuyibhema iwunga isikhathi esingangeminyaka emithathu nezinyanga ezintathu sebebonke, batholakale kumphakathi wamalokishi aseNanda, eNtuzuma naKwaMashu, kwinyakatho ntshonalanga yeTheku. Ababambe iqhaza kulolucwaningo batholakala ngokuthi bamemane, kwasetshenziswa nezikhangiso. Kwaxoxwa nabo kabanzi kwizinkulumo ubuso nobuso besemakubo. Lezizingxoxo zazingakhululekile ngokuphelele ngoba zazilandela imibuzo eyayihleliwe. Lemibuzo ehleliwe yasuselwa kwimibhalo nezingcwaningo ezidlule kwizifundo zokulashwa kokubhuqabhuqwa izidakamizwa, ukuziguqula kwabantu ngokwabo kanye nakwizinhlaka zokusimama ezidakamizweni. Lezizingxoxo zaqoshwa zabhalwa phansi umcwaningi. Lemibhalo yabe isihunyushwa kusetshenziswa i-interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), nokuyindlela yokucwaninga e-qualitative, esuselwa kuhlobo lwe-phenomenology ehumushayo eyabe isifakwa ukuhluza iidiography ngaphansi kwazo izimfundiso zoMoya. Ukuthi ingenziwa njani lendaba yewunga izosuselwa kwizinhlaka zokusimama. Ukuqondisisa ukubhenywa nokusimama ekubhemeni ADDICTION AND RECOVERY FROM WHOONGA: AN IPA vi iwunga, kuzosetshenziwa lezizingqikithi ezikhuluma ngo: Ukuqala ube iphara; Uma usuyiphara, Ukunqwamana nezimo ezinzima kodwa ezilulamisayo (Usuqala uba umuntu), bese kuba ukwenza izinto eziqhubekisela phambili impilo uzokwazi ukubuyela usebenze njengomuntu ojwayelekile (okungukwenza izinto ezisimamisayo neziwubuntu). Imiphumela yalolucwaningo itshengisa ukuthi ukubhuqwabhuqwa iwunga kwabashintsha ngendlela egxilayo nenemiphumela emibi kubona siqu sabo, nokuchazwa njengokuba iphara nokungukuba isimo sobuhambuma. Nakuba ukuqala ukubhema iwunga kwakungukuhubha intokozo nokuthanda izinto, kubalekelwa izimo ezinzima emakhaya nesimo sokungenzi lutho, lapho kudlange ukushomana nokuthokozisa abangani, iwunga yabe isisuka iba umthwalo, okwaqala ngomzimba usugqamisa ukuba sezinhlungwini. Ukuba iphara kuchazwa njengokunaka iwunga kuphela nentokozo yamanje, lapho umuntu akasenandaba naye, abanye abantu kanye nokwenza ezinye izinto ezibalulekile empilweni. Ngenxa yobugebengu, ukuba iphara kusho ukunyongozwa umphakathi nemindeni, bakukhiphela ngaphandle. Ngaphandle kokunyongozeka, ukuba iphara impilo enobungozi lapho intukuthelo yomphakathi ongahlasela ubeke impilo yakho kanye neyomndeni wakho encupheni kungenzeka. Uma beboshwa babuya benamarekhodi obugebengu okwenza kubenzima ukuqasheka. Ukusimama ukubhema iwunga kutholakala lapho impilo isikubhincisela nxanye sekusele ukuzisindisa wena sekufike izimo ezinzima ezihambisana nokuphila impilo yokubhema iwunga. Lesisimo sokukhetha sihlokolozwa ukuzibuzisisa nokubheka impilo ngendlela eyiqiniso ephoqa ukuthi umuntu abuke isimo lapho ekhona, abuke emuva bese ecabanga ngekusasa. Nakuba ukushiya iwunga kungaphoqwa, uma kusuka ngaphakathi kuyaye kumthwale umuntu ukuthi amelane nezinhlungu zokuyeka. Kwasetshenziswa i-Methadone ukuyeka iwunga, kunzima kakhulu ukuyiyeka, ikakhulukazi kulabo abavele bayeka bengasebenzisanga muthi bangaya nakwabezempilo. Ukusimama kunokufana nokukhula, uyimele impilo ubenendaba nokuzinakekela unakekele nalabo abaseduze kwakho, okuyimizamo yokuba umuntu, uphinde uzwane nabantu, imindeni, abangani kanye nomphakathi Ababambiqhaza basivezela ubufakazi bokuyekeka kwewunga. Basinika ithuba lokuqala izindlela zokulekelela labo abafuna ukuyiyeka, kanye nalabo esebeyiyekile, bengabuyeli. Bangahlahla indlela etshengisa abanye ukuthi iwunga iyayekeka. Bangahlanganyela ndawonye basize laba abasandakuyiyeka ngendlela engezobanyongoza bezozwelana nabo ngosizi abalwaziyo bonke. Ukubhenywa kwewunga emalokishini kuqeda isithunzi, lapho uma ubuntu bufundiswa kwintsha kungaveza izindlela zokuziphatha, nokubaluleke ekuqhubekezeleni umphakathi phambili. Lokhu kungasiza ukuthi balulame nokuthi bengayiqali nokuyiqala iwunga.