Sober house and the elusive quest of recovering from drug addiction: success and challenges from Pemba and Unguja in Zanzibar

Abstract

This article discusses rehabilitation process from drug addiction in Pemba and Unguja Islands

in Tanzania using qualitative techniques of data collection. The objective of the study was to

examine the process of rehabilitation of drug addiction and how in addicted persons

experience rehabilitation process. Data show that recovering people have positive experience

and acknowledge sober house’s contribution on rehabilitating drug addicts. Most of the

addicted person’s confirm the effectiveness of sober houses but emphasize the importance of an

addicted person willingness to change. Data suggest that sober houses provide an ideal social

environment for psychological and physiological changes during the whole process of

rehabilitation. One of the major challenges our data suggest is a higher number of addicts

from sober house who experience relapse, but its extent is not known. The study recommends

that addicts and communities should be informed and encouraged to use sober house and more

in-depth studies are needed to examine the nature and extent of relapse.