A brighter side: Protective and risk factors in the rehabilitation of chronic drug abusers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Despite the increase of research investigating various aspects of the drug problem in Hong Kong in the past decade, little was known about the pathway to continuous drug use or recovery of chronic drug abusers. This book reports upon a pioneer longitudinal study of chronic drug abusers in Hong Kong that used an analytical framework consisting of sociological, psychological and treatment variables to explore the protective and risk factors affecting the relapse or abstinence of chronic drug abusers. The findings of the study have significant implications for theories of drug use and rehabilitation, especially highlighting the roles of social capital, self-efficacy, short-term abstinence and harm reduction in the chronic drug abuser's road to recovery.