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British South Asian and Muslim Community’s Perceptions and Experiences of Addiction and Traditional Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Hayley AldersonORCiD, Professor Ruth McGovernORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2024 by the authors.Within traditional drug and alcohol (D&A) treatment services, the majority of those accessing support are of white ethnicity, with only a small percentage of people from the British South Asian (BSA) and Muslim community engaging in treatment services. This paper aims to explore perceived barriers to accessing traditional D&A services within the British South Asian and Muslim communities, based on qualitative data from interviews with family members and a practitioner. Qualitative data were obtained via 11 semi-structured interviews involving a practitioner (n = 1), and family and friends (n = 10) of those with historic and current D&A use in the community. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four themes: (1) awareness of drug and alcohol use in the community, (2) drug and alcohol use as a taboo topic and the impact of admitting use, (3) knowledge of services for treatment, (4) how to increase awareness and accessibility of treatment. There was an increasing awareness of D&A use in the BSA and Muslim community. Despite this, limited conversations and misconceptions around D&A use and recovery led to those using D&A and their family members feeling stigmatised within their community and unable to seek support. This paper concludes by recommending increased communication between the BSA and Muslim communities and D&A treatment services to ensure accessibility of treatment by improving cultural competency.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Sattar Z, Lochhead L, Alderson H, Lhussier M, McGovern R, McGovern W

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Year: 2024

Volume: 21

Issue: 10

Online publication date: 10/10/2024

Acceptance date: 02/10/2024

Date deposited: 04/11/2024

ISSN (print): 1661-7827

ISSN (electronic): 1660-4601

Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21101338

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21101338

Data Access Statement: Data Availability Statements are available in section MDPI Research Data Policies at https://www.mdpi.com/ethics (accessed on 31 August 2024).

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