Phenomenology (Intro To Results)

Recovery from Drug Abuse 1
A Phenomenological Study on the Recovery from Drug Abuse
A Thesis Presented
to the Applied Psychology Program of the
University of the Philippines Diliman
Extension Program in Pampanga
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Degree of Bachelor of Arts
Major in Applied Psychology
Isabela Katrina T. Malonzo
2017
In the Philippines, all that could be seen and heard for the past year were news like these: Drug
War: 96 killed in the last 3 days; War on drugs: Death toll hits 59; In Philippine Drug War, Little
Help for Those Who Surrender (The Philippine Star, 2016; Ramirez, 2016; Paddock, 2016).
The war on drugs is an initiative of the present administration, which was declared in order to
solve the longstanding drug problem in the country. Many supported the campaign while there were also
those who resisted and protested against the methodology that was being used to tackle the drug issue.
Perhaps, the great unrest that ensued among those who do not agree with the chosen solution stemmed
from the sheer number of lives that were claimed by the war. On the other hand, it could also be that the
reason behind the unwavering support of some is their desire for change since so many years have already
passed from when the era of drugs and other harmful substances began. Despite that however, it still
remained rampant and while it is true that the substances themselves do not pose much of a threat, the
way they are used decides whether they could or could not be considered as such.
Today, a number of crimes were attributed to those who undergo substance abuse, which only
contributed to the pre-existing stigma on addiction. Furthermore, it appears that blatant shunning of those
called adiks and lasenggeros, to name a few, has become the norm and that these people are now seen
as the dregs of society, those that we should pay no mind. They are showcased as the epitome of the worst
of the worst and of those who are hopeless in life. This particular assumption appeared to be what usually
guides people in their search for the answer to the substance abuse problem.
By working under the premise that these individuals have no hope in turning their lives back
around, it somewhat gave rise to the idea that the only option people have is to eliminate the problem all
together. Exterminate those that they see as pests, in other words, kill. This kind of thinking also brought
about a culture of rampant disregard for life itself. It now seemed quite easy to pull the trigger or use any
other weapon to end someones life. Some would even justify their actions as an act of service to the
general populace since they were getting rid of those that they deemed to be threats. Nonetheless, there is
the irony that is enclosed in that thinking: while they are trying to remove the said threat, they themselves
become threats of their own. One might actually begin to wonder what happened along the way.
Also, nowadays, a number of people seem to treat these substance abusers as mere animals: easily
slaughtered. Maybe the reason behind the apparent disinterest in human life would be the crimes as well
as victims that are associated with substance abusers. It makes one wonder though, if this is the only path
that the adiks or lasenggeros could take. A path that chains them to a fate where in they would
inevitably do something that is harmful to others and eventually, to themselves.
Rationale
What they need is another option. Other people do say that we only have one life to live and it is
true nevertheless, living only once is not tantamount to having one, sole chance. Do-overs, how many one
might need, is a privilege humans have. As beings that can think on their own and decide for themselves,
they ultimately have the power to take control of their lives. In whatever sort of situation they might be in,
they can change it. It is because inside everyone is a deep-seated potential, one that enables someone to
adjust and to adapt. One that holds the promise of a self that could be redefined since humans can undergo
a dynamic process of ceaseless transformations that eventually leads to growth.
Growth, according to Bronfenbrenner (1994), happens during the numerous interactions with
everything that surrounds an individual. It is a progressive undertaking that involves being directly or
indirectly influenced by the environment that embraces a person and in turn, being able to affect, whether
intentional or unintentional, those that are located outside of an individual (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). With
this definition, it can be seen how inevitable a thing growth is what with all the things that are happening
and everything that could happen through out ones life.
As all these possibilities are alive within humanity, and as it is a fact that substance abusers are
also human beings, this means that they, too could take ahold of their lives and steer them toward another
path. At present, there are already certain people who have already accomplished such a feat. They have
fought against the clutches of dependence and came out triumphant. It is indeed intriguing to look at such
a phenomenon where in some individuals succeeded at while most people continue to struggle with.
Moving beyond mere intrigue, thorough examination of the cases of these individuals could likely
yield more practical alternatives to the solution employed in the substance abuse problem. Digging deeper
into the experiences of the people who have gone through the phenomenon might point to the direction
that should be taken in order to effectively eradicate this specific predicament the Filipinos are facing.
Possibly, a more humane and systematic way to solve this issue could be gleaned out of this research as
well.
Another factor in pursuing this study lies in the theme, that of about growth and recoverya
perspective somewhat contrary to the current preferred view of the populace. In reminding people that
humans are neither stagnant nor incapable of change, it promotes a more positive thinking about others,
which might help in motivating people to try and be more understanding instead of closing their minds off
almost immediately.
All of these put together completes the puzzle as to why this study was made. These people who
might have taken a step or a leap towards what society dictates to be the wrong direction were able to turn
their life back around. It is a testament indeed of how much humans can do if given a choice. They could
rise from the rut they were in like what these people, who were once slaves to drugs and alcohol, did.
They were able to successfully escape the clutches of addiction.
Objectives
However, escaping substance abuse is not an easy feat and in order to do that, individuals go
through a process or a journey of some sort toward their respective recoveries. Understanding this process
is important since there are a lot of things that could be learned hence, this study aims:
to know the processes individuals have to go through in order to recover from drug abuse;
to know what they have learned in the process of recovery;
to identify the experiences of these people that were pivotal to their recovery and growth;
to determine the specific techniques individuals used in order to sustain their recovery; and
to learn about the factors that could possibly prevent relapse.
Research Questions
From these objectives, the following questions could be derived:
What processes did these individuals have to undergo in order to escape the clutches of drug
abuse?
What were the learnings or insights these people acquired from what they have been through?
What significant experiences from addiction contributed to the recovery and growth of these
people?
What techniques or strategies did these individuals employ in order to sustain their recovery?
What factors generally contribute to the prevention of relapse?
Significance of the Study

Learning all these could play a part in various matters. One of which perhaps is in contributing to
the fight to open minds. As it is seen at present, a lot of issues are being magnified due to a heavy
inclination to stigma. This research could help in reminding others that there are other ways to look at
things; a lot of perspectives exist. An example of which would be the one used in this study: people are
seen as beings with the capacity to change and be someone different from their previous selves. By
reminding the general population about this, they might be able to broaden their own perspectives and
could hopefully lead to a more critical analysis as they continue to search for the most efficient solution to
the substance abuse problem. This, of course, does not stop at just changing mindsets.
This study could also be a source of inspiration for the people. It could be so since it serves as a
call to remember that humans continue to grow and are thereby creating different and ideally, better
versions of themselves. In keeping this in mind, one should be able to hold on to the hope that there is still
something that can be done and the individual has the power to do it. Aside from that, it is some sort of a
reminder as well that people would not remain fixed on a certain point in their lives, they would
eventually be able to move ahead as things would inevitably change. Another thing to keep in mind here
is that even if change is inescapable, the person still has some sort of power over life. It lies in the
decisions or choices the individual could make.
Aside from the power to inspire, another significance in doing this research is that of a practical
one. There could be an impact on the future of rehabilitation. The findings could be integrated in the
therapies that are currently being employed for the people who are trying to be free from substance
addiction. The information could also be used by people or even communities that would want to have an
active participation in the aftercare of the person who was once a substance abuser. Another possible
contribution is to stimulate the creation of programs that are more humane, change and growth oriented,
and also respectful of the dignity of the person. Hopefully, as a result, all these would lead the individuals
to a successful recovery or to a lessened probability of relapse.
One more thing that this research can do is to contribute to the present body of knowledge in the
recovery from drug abuse. It could also fill some gaps in the research when it comes to what actually
works when healing from addiction. It could help as well in shedding more light in other areas it could be
of any relation to. Also, since this study is focused on Filipinos who are in the process of recovery from
drug abuse, studies in the area of recovery in the Philippines could be furthered.
Scope and Delimitations

This study then would focus on the recovery from drug abuse that is a circumstance that many
have tried to conquer but are still striving to do so at present. Filipinos who have experienced the said
phenomenon comprised the pool of participants since the experiences of the Filipino people on addiction
and recovery is not much documented hence, the scarcity in literature.
As for the drugs used, the study included marijuana, shabu, and a certain drug which is a heroin
derivative. Also, the participants of the study were previously admitted to a treatment center or
rehabilitation center and are all currently residing in Pampanga. There was no prescribed age range or
limit during the beginning of the research since these individuals could really be anyone. A study on
recovery was even done in Davao that included a 15 year-old (Guabong, Longno, Castro, & Guinto,
2015), which shows that addiction chooses no age. In this study however, the ages of the participants are
between early thirties and late fifties.
Lastly, found in this research as well are only the analyses on the experiences of the individuals
who have undergone drug abuse. Given the limited time and resources, the experiences of the family
members and other people involved in the whole recovery experience could not be examined.
Definition of Terms
Addiction/Substance Abuse - described as a dependence to drugs or alcohol; for example, a person
needs to drink alcohol or use a drug in order to be able to do something else
Recovery - a state where in a person is no longer dependent on any substance; for example, a person
does not feel the need to take any substance in order to perform other tasks
Relapse - the term used to refer to the occurrence of a persons dependence to drug while in recovery
Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature
I. Addiction
Addiction and Treatment
The prevalence of substance abuse as a whole is now considered as one of the major issues the
world faces. Drug addiction, in particular, is a global problem that not only affects families but it has an
impact on society as well. As years passed, the accessibility of addictive substances as well as the number
of users have also increased. Consequently, this type of environment had also raised the risks for minors
to fall victims to addiction (Guabong, Longno, Castro, & Guinto, 2015).
Addiction is defined by Goodman (1990) as a process by which a behavior that could be either
for pleasure or for providing escape from an individuals internal discomforts is employed within a
pattern of failure to control the behavior time and time again and the persistence in doing the behavior
although there are significant negative consequences. To put it simply, the individual suffering from
addiction is rendered powerless in stopping the behavior and that despite the presence of repercussions,
the individual can no longer manage the behavior (Goodman, 1990).
Meanwhile, Covington (1999) explains addiction through the spiral model. As the spiral
continues its descent, it was said to form ever tightening loops. This was how addiction was framed. It
drags a person into that endless loop that continues to get smaller and smaller until the individual is
completely consumed by the drug and that becomes the center of their life. Everything is reorganized so
as to keep drugs or alcohol or any other substance as the sole priority (cited in Covington, 2002).
Treating addiction on the other hand is not as simple as removing the drug from the system of a
person or what is commonly called detoxification. It does not also mean that a person no longer has an
addiction once all withdrawal symptoms are no longer felt rather, OBrien & McLellan (1996) states the
underlying addictive disorder persists, and that this persistence produces a tendency to relapse to active
drug-taking (OBrien & McLellan, 1996).
An issue that could probably affect addiction treatment is the discrimination towards women that
was emphasized by Covington (2002). The reality of women who succumb to addiction are stigmatized.
Their sexuality and competence as parents are attacked. Meanwhile, their male counterparts who are in
the very same situation as them are only seen as bums (Covington, 2002). In the case of women
however, they are called with names much more deprecating and that the thing that is being attacked with
them are their very being. Unlike their male counterparts who are only villainized only up to the level of
what they do for a living. An example of this is when women are called whores and as mentioned earlier,
men are seen as bums. The double standards presses a heavy burden to the women involved in substance
abuse and so Covington (2002) said that the women in turn, carry more shame and would take quite a
varied and delicate approach when it comes to treating them from their addiction (Covington, 2002). Most
probably, the feelings of shame and guilt should be taken into account as the therapy is administered
because more than the drug itself, these emotions might have drawn far deeper scars.
In relation to the problem with stigma, addiction treatments predominantly focus on the male
experience according to Covington (2002). There are quite complex reasons behind this and one of which
was like what was mentioned above: a number of the views are related to stereotypes when it comes to
men and women. On the other hand, some of it was caused by the lack of acknowledgement in how men
and women differ when it comes to their respective needs. People should understand as well as accept that
there are truly significant differences between genders and that there are certain characteristics that are
only found in one and the other has its own set of distinct traits as well. Aside from these, Covington also
said that the heavy focus of treatments on the male population is likely due to who the people who
research, create policies, and continue to further the field of addiction are. Also included are those who
direct these treatments. Almost all of these that were mentioned are of the male variety. In most
circumstances, they had experienced the world in a different way or they see it in a very different light
from that of a woman. This then, more often than not, leads to the exclusion of womens realities in the
treatment setting. Hence, the fundamental obstacles to developing gender-specific treatments are diverse.
They lie in the theory, administration, and as well as in the structure of treatments. There could also be
some problems with the policy-making and even in funding decisions (Covington, 2002).
Then, it could be said that it would be much harder for women to get the treatment they need as
long as these problems exist. As long as this issue on not having gender-specific treatments remains
unresolved, there will still be women who would carry on much longer as slaves to the endless spiral of
addiction.
Aside from the disparity of the way men and women are perceived as well as in their needs in
treatment, another variable that might influence the engagement in addictive behaviors is the history of
trauma within families. As it is stated in the study of Schfer (2011), alcohol as well as other forms of
drug addiction are one of the contributing factors in the destruction of families and communities.
However, the results also showed that almost all of the participants childhoods, in reference to their
families of origin, were marred with painful and traumatic experiences and this then tend to be one of the
factors that led to their addictive behavior that consequently affected their relationships with other family
members (Schfer, 2011). It is interesting to note how huge the role the family could play and how much
past experiences could influence or even shape peoples lives. It is important to remember this or perhaps,
consider this at all times since most often than not, society tends to shift the blame solely to the person
who engaged in substance abuse, which should not be the case, as this study points out.
In addition, the participants of the research as well as their families all experienced different types
of family disruption like losing custody of children, becoming unemployed, separation in marriages,
physical as well as psychological abuse and lastly, depression or perhaps other health issues. There were
also participants in the study who were involved in drug-related crimes or who have encountered
accidents during the course of their usage, which also affected the state of their familial relations (Schfer,
2011). Here, it could be seen how matters could be related to each other and perhaps this would make
more sense when viewed through the systems perspective of Urie Bronfenbrenner (1994) where in he
hypothesized that the microsystem, which includes the family, could affect the individual and how the
individual could also affect them as well (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Finally, the study also calls for attention
to be given on how diverse and complex the psychological dynamics of the families of addicts are. Aside
from that, Schfer (2011) also stated that the observed dynamics is a reflection of the society, which is
responsible for the creation of such social conditions that act as the breeding grounds of addiction
(Schfer, 2011).
Another factor that could also be considered in treatment is spirituality. It is possibly a construct
that urges people to see the positive side of things. In Piedmonts (2004) study it is said to be a
motivational construct that could be measured empirically. It is also considered as a predictor for the
outcomes of psychosocial treatments for addiction as well. Since people who abuse substances are often
trapped inside their own worlds that are filled with pain, feelings of incompetency, and beliefs of
inadequacy (Piedmont, 2004) spirituality now becomes a welcomed haven for these addicts. As stated by
Piedmont (2004), spiritualitys role in the lives of these people is in the way it erases the thinking of
worthlessness and uselessness. One of its emphasis is that they see broken people as valuable beings and
that it stresses the significance of each person in the fabric of life (Piedmont, 2004).
In a certain study, the Davao City Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents or DCTRCDD
merges spirituality with a therapeutic community approach. As Guabong et al, (2015) mentioned,
DCTRCDD takes on a therapeutic community approach that is strengthened with spiritual guidance. It
was said that the people who undergo treatment in this agency are just like residents of a regular
community where in they have their own roles and responsibilities (Guabong et al., 2015). This seems to
be a good approach since the people that were admitted in the agency, even though quite excluded from
the world outside the facility, could still feel as if they are just like all the other people. It helps that in
spite of being placed in an institution, they could still feel like they are not completely useless and that
they could still function. It is also nice to note here that the word community meant that it is not only
somewhere people gather but they also feel that they are accepted and that they belong; they are part of
the community.
In addition, to Piedmonts (2004) study, the data gathered also determined to provide evidence on
spirituality being a separate dimension of personality that is not within the existing models on individual
differences. It is also stated that spirituality could even be considered as the sixth factor of personality
(Piedmont, 2004). This finding should probably be researched further in order to be able to explore the
benefits of spirituality on addiction treatment.
Relapse
Aside from treatments, gender probably plays a role in some aspects of relapse as well. When it
comes to alcohol disorders, Walitzer and Dearing's (2006) study found that alcohol relapse is similar
across genders. Factors such as negative mood, childhood sexual abuse, alcohol-related self-efficacy, and
poorer coping strategies indeed are predictive of alcohol relapse, however gender did not have any direct
effect on the aforementioned. Marriage and alcohol relapse though, is moderately affected by gender.
Marriage and marital stress are factors that could influence the relapse tendency of women. With men
however, the effect was the opposite: marriage lowered risks of relapse. When it comes to substance
abuse, women are reported to have lower relapse tendencies and those who do relapse, appear to have a
negative affect alongside interpersonal problems. Men on the other hand, usually have positive
experiences before relapsing (Walitzer & Dearing, 2006).
Aside from knowing the influences of gender, it is also important to explore other factors that
could affect relapse. In this study by Narimani & Sadeghieh (2008), the goal is to identify the magnitude
of addiction relapse while taking into consideration factors found in the areas of social, familial, as well
as personality. What is identified are familial factors such as conflict with the family member or neighbor
and insufficient support from family and community. Giving in to temptation when addictive substance is
present is also one of the factors. The personality factors on the other hand include, high levels of anxiety
and depression, self-control, lowered self-esteem, and learned helplessness. This is why the centers
should take the period of treatment seriously and utilize various cognitive theories in order to address the
anxiety and depression. They should also include group therapies to better the persons self-control and
assertiveness (Narimani & Sadeghieh, 2008). If they would not be able to deal with these factors, then the
tendency for relapse would only increase and could thereby undermine whatever progress has been made,
if there are.
What could be seen here then is the need for a broader approach where in the focus is not only on
the treatment of relapse but also on the other aspects that could influence the rate of relapsing. So in the
research of Wang & Wang (2007), they were able to identify direct causes of relapse, the first being the
temptation to use alone or with the people they used to do drugs with. The second is for the pleasure or
ecstasy that is experienced when under the influence of the substance. Third is a relatively well off living.
Fourth is the mental stress that the person experiences. Fifth, irritation while sixth is demoralization.
Seventh then is all about family conflicts and after that is unemployment. The ninth cause is the feeling of
distrust from the family. Next, is the lack of care and love from the members of the family. Eleventh and
last is the discrimination felt by the recovering addicts that comes from the people surrounding them.
Over all, environmental factors are determined to be the direct causes of relapse (Wang & Wang, 2017).
Aside from identifying the eleven causes as environmental factors, it could also be observed that most of
the reasons for relapse is also due to the need to cope with varying, unpleasant experiences. In addition,
relapse seems to occur when the person needs an escape from the struggles in life or if there is a need to
somehow feel good. Moreover, the causes of relapse that involve families provide further support on what
Schfer (2011) said about the familys impact on the individual.
Another matter that should also be taken into consideration is social support. Three hypotheses
arose from a study done by Kim et al. (2008) in social support. The first is that in Asian cultures, the
people survive interdependently and so would not need to ask for help outright because it is already
expected to come to the individual. The second hypothesis is that Asians firmly believe that problems
should be kept to themselves and solved on their own. Third and last pertained to the fear of Asians in the
probable negative impact of seeking help in the relationship with other people (Kim, Sherman, & Taylor,
2008).
In connection, Tuliao and Liwag (2011) claimed that these hypotheses appeared to be supported
by the Filipino culture, specifically in the concept of hiya (shame). The great concern of Filipinos in
taking care of the familys reputation and keeping their dignity intact led them to be more careful in their
actions. This then is said to be the reason why it might have been quite shameful to seek help from other
people (Tuliao & Liwag, 2011).
To conclude, Tuliao and Liwags (2011) study focused on the cross-cultural validation of the
predictors on relapse. It also looked into the experiences of people who relapsed in abusing shabu and
those who were able to keep themselves from relapsing. It compared and contrasted these two groups in
order to arrive at the present findings. Besides that, there was a call for further exploration on the
influenceor lack thereofof social support in the recovery of Filipinos.
II. Recovery
Turning Point
There would come a time for people to realize or reflect upon their life and after which, along
with the aid of a certain event, this could spur an individual to change, to reach a certain turning point.
The study of Wethington (2003) looked at turning points which is defined by Clausen as an instance
when a person undergoes a major transformation in views about the self, identity, or the meaning of
life (as cited in Wethington, 2003).
There are three things associated with turning points. First, events and situations symbolizing
suitable portrayals of adult social roles where in an unexpected or expected major change could be its
cause. There could be positive or negative events that could trigger a positive psychological turning point
or a negative one, respectively. An example of the positive event that could lead to a turning point is
success and recognition in the supposed role of the adult. Examples of a negative occurrences on the other
hand could be marital stress or problems regarding children. Second, personality characteristics, recent
psychological disturbance, and the beliefs on coping with stressful events could also lead to psychological
turning points. Third, stressors and challenges are associated with positive and negative turning points.
People may claim that they have experienced a positive turning point since they felt that they did an
excellent job in dealing with a certain situation that was perceived to be really challenging (Wethington,
2003). So basically, major events could be viewed as positive or negative turning points depending on
how the person sees these events or how they are able to deal with them.
Finally, qualitative data from the study suggested that positive turning points are highly
associated with the ability to master challenging situations (Wethington, 2003).
Recovery
If addiction is seen as a downward spiral, recovery is then seen to spiral upwards (Covington,
2002). In contrast to what happens in relapse, instead of the drug constricting a woman, Covington (2002)
said that the drug slowly loosens its grip on the woman and the spiral continuously turns into ever
widening circles. The focus of which is less and less on the drug. A womans perspective widens and she
regains control of her life (Covington, 2002). It would probably come to a point where in the circle
becomes too wide to even see an association with the drug. At that point then, finally, it is she who directs
her life again.
Recovery is viewed as something that is multi-phasic. Even the word recovery, according to el-
Guebaly (2012), is used in various ways. It is relative to the experiences as well as to the people who use
them. There is still no universal theoretical framework that was agreed upon however, there seems to be
advances in recovery. Included in recovery now is the process of healing and growth that could go on for
years instead of just the typical weeks or at most, months of designated recovery time. The fundamentals
of attaining a sort of change in recovery involve a stabilization of the biophysics, building of essential
skills, prevention of relapse, then there is the journey that is focused on discovering a purpose or meaning
to ones life. Also considered as a form of recovery is abstinence. Recovery and abstinence are even used
quite interchangeably before however, abstinence is now seen as a significant means to an end but not
the end itself (el-Guebaly, 2012).
The concept of recovery is still quite complex and more researches should be performed. In spite
of this though, it had already started transforming the goal of addiction management; the treatment
acting as a building block to recovery as well as all the resources which are essential to its sustenance. (el-
Guebaly, 2012).
In spite of its complexity, however, the concept of recovery is found to be widespread. Laudet
(2007) pointed out that even if this was the case, it remained poorly understood as well as ill-defined. In
her study, she is able to gather that both the persons who considered themselves in recovery and those that
did not have the same definition in mind of what recovery is. According to them, recovery is the
abstinence from addictive substances. The findings of the research suggested that recovery required
abstinence from all substances that could alter the mood and that it reaches beyond substance abuse and
into other areas of functioning. It was also said that recovery is a process of continually improving oneself
that there is no endpoint or graduation (Laudet, 2007), there is only betterment ahead that is why in
Laudet's (2007) study, she considered recovery as an opportunity to start anew and to attain a higher
quality of life (Laudet, 2007), which is consistent with what el-Guebaly (2012) said: recovery is seen as
inclusive of a persons change in character (el-Guebaly, 2012).
In continuation, Laudet (2007) also mentioned that what sets recovery apart from abstinence is
the work of change and that abstinence then is treated as a requisite in the continuous process of
recovery (Laudet, 2007). About abstinence being necessary however, el-Guebaly (2012) quite disagrees
with that. In el-Guebalys (2012) study, it was stated that recovery is not just about abstinence from drugs
but it is also about the creation of a better version of oneself. Also, it was stated as an act of reclaiming the
self where in the person gets the control back over their life (el-Guebaly, 2012). So what the latter
emphasizes is to better oneself instead of merely being sober.
As for the former, it is supported by the definition provided by The Betty Ford Institute
Consensus Panel. For them, recovery is a lifestyle that is characterized by voluntary abstinence from
drugs and other substances, personal health, and citizenship. Citizenship has been described as working
towards the betterment of the community and to improve the lives of others. In addition, Betty Ford also
identified stages of recovery, which are early sobriety, sustained sobriety, and stable sobriety. The
differences between each stage are the number of years the person has been able to maintain the lifestyle
prescribed by Betty Ford. In the same order, the length of time needed per stage is listed: a year, one to
five years, and more than five years (The Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel, 2007).
There is this small-scale study on some drug-dependents that was done over a 9-year period that
employed sobriety. The research was also able to provide an insight on the process of recovery. So
according to this research, the first stage included the sole concentration to abstaining from substance use
and this would take approximately a year or so. The next phase would be less focused on abstinence since
it is already perfected from the previous stage. This is where one could lead a normal life and then it
progresses and then it enters a the late recovery which involved the search for purpose or meaning to
life as well as growth (Margolis, Kilpatrick, & Mooney, 2000). This, probably, is getting closer to well-
being since there seems to be a more wholistic approach employed in later recovery.
In addition, Wethington (2003) recommended future paths for the application of coping. It was
said that it would be better developed if coping is redirected to focus on more concrete outcomes like
attaining goals or compensating for loss, and exiting the situation. Stress research is also included in the
suggestions and also, it was mentioned that effort that is done by the self could reduce the negative effects
of the difficulties of life while the positive happenings may reverse the effects of earlier negative
situations (Wethington, 2003).
On the other hand, the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission, also had their own version of
what recovery is. According to them, the process of recovery from problematic substance use is
characterized by voluntarily-sustained control over substance use which maximizes health and well-being
and participation in the rights, roles and responsibilities of society. It was also stated that this definition
of recovery encompasses both the abstinence and maintenance approaches to recovery since it highlights
control over substance use (United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission, 2008).
With these definitions provided, it could be seen that what they have in common is that they view
recovery as voluntary, which means it really demands the commitment of the person. Moreover, what
could also be gleaned out of these definitions is that recovery is indeed relative and since it should involve
the person, the choice of whether the path to recovery is that of a total abstinence or maintained control of
use should perhaps be given to the individual. It means that since there are different types of people with
different experiences, along with a variety of intervening variables that could not be discounted, the
freedom to determine the recovery track the individuals would take should perhaps be given to each of
them. That should be how it is instead of forcing them to undertake a certain approach at all times and
after all, what could work for some may have a different effector maybe no effecton others. Although
a word of caution is also needed here since there might be cases that may benefit more from prescribed
approaches.
Sustaining Recovery
A qualitative case study was used in order to look at the experiences of three residents of the
Davao City Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents. The participants, two of which are minors,
previously abused drugs before they were brought to the center. In the study, the three participants shared
stories on their journey to recovery inside the rehab agency. They gained an insight as to what their vision
in life is and according to them, they were also able to acquire values that are applicable to their welfare
and development (Guabong et al., 2015).
Based on the findings, it was therefore concluded that the path to recovery is no easy feat. Before
getting rehabilitated, people addicted to drugs had to convince themselves that they could make it, that
they could get out of their addiction. In order for them to start their journey, however, they have to
sincerely decide to cooperate with the staff. The internal is decisive while the external can only facilitate
and hasten change that they want in their lives. The residents are said to be the internal while the staffed
are considered to be the external factors (Guabong et al., 2015).
Also according to Guabong et al., the therapeutic community approach was able to help the
participants in changing their perspectives and they were also able to develop positive values. The
experiences identified by the participants to be their best ones are essential motivators and these also
acted as reminders for them that life could still be beautiful. The said experiences were memorable for
them since they were not able to experience these things outside the agency and that was one factor that
pushed these people to cling to drugs. They use drugs as a way to compensate for something that they feel
they lack. However, at present time, they were able to see that a happy and meaning-filled life could also
be attained without the use of drugs (Guabong et al., 2015).
Besides, a life filled with drugs could get weary at some point, in a study, some people in the
process of recovery often state that their reason for quitting is due to how much they are sick and tired
of living a drug-filled life. Recovery is deemed to be the path to a better life, however, it is full of
challenges as well as stress. Most researches have focused on the consequences of substance abuse
instead of other domains which have more applications. The study is about the role of the recovery
capital which are social support, spirituality, religiousness, meaning of life, and the 12-step affiliation on
the enhancements on the ability to cope with stress and life satisfaction. The study also hypothesized that
the higher the recovery capital of the person, the more they could sustain recovery and the individual
would also have a higher quality of life with low stress levels for the upcoming year. It also looked at the
different effects of recovery capital across the stages of recovery. The multiple regression result was
found to be of support to the hypothesis as well as in the salience of recovery capital on the various
phases of recovery (Laudet & White, 2008).
In connection, White (2005) stated that advocates of recovery as well as professionals working in
the field of treatment and research called for a shift in the focus of the studies. What they want is to move
beyond the current focal pointalcohol and other drug (AOD) problems and possible treatmentsto a
more developed recovery paradigm. The paradigm they suggested revolves around the assumption that
long-lasting solutions to the AOD problems already exist and that they could be seen in the lives of the
individuals and families families, and communities that were able to recover and by developing a greater
understanding of all these, will yield more alternatives and global solutions to the AOD problem (White,
2005).
Wang & Wang (2007) states that the needs of a former addict in order to stay sober and to be
properly reintegrated into the society are to receive care, support, and understanding from the family and
society, assistance in employment, changes in the environment where the person lives, and to stay away
from drugs and other substances (Wang & Wang, 2007).
It is said that probably, the most significant contribution of addiction treatments that integrates
spirituality, like the one that is employed in the study, lies in how it is able to develop in individuals a
strong sense of meaning that acts as a sturdy foundation upon which they could begin and eventually
establish their lives (Piedmont, 2004).
An important matter should be done however, before being able to start building this new lifeto
forgive. Forgiving was always claimed to have a connection with substance abuse however, there is a lack
of evidence in order to support this. This is why this particular study is conducted. It is a longitudinal
research that looked at the relationship between the variables Religiousness and Spirituality (RS) and
alcohol abuse. The researchers of the study looked at three aspects of forgiveness: of self (ForSelf), of
others (ForOthers), and by God (ByGod). It was found that ForOthers is the first to change and is said to
be the easiest to attain. Meanwhile, ForSelf appeared to be hardest to reach and is then concluded to be
the most important in recovering. It is also said to hinder the attainment of full recovery and on the other
hand, could increase the tendency for relapse (Webb, Robinson, Brower, & Zucker, 2006).
A research on the predictors of relapse on Filipino methamphetamine abusers was also done by
Tuliao and Liwag. Aside from identifying the factors that could possibly predict relapse, the study also
aimed to have an in-depth understanding of the relapse experiences of Filipino shabu users. Found in the
results are the predictors of relapse: a) self-efficacy, b) negative affect, c) motivation to change, d) coping
behavior and skills, and f) craving; all of which are consistent with the literature gathered prior to the
conduct of the study. Additionally, based on the data, vigilance towards recovery as well as spirituality are
also considered as predictors of relapse. These two could be supported by the studies on addiction relapse.
Functional social support on the other hand, is not found to have that capacity. Instead, there are a lot of
inconsistencies that were found in the study and in the literature. However this problem was addressed
through seeking out more literature (Tuliao & Liwag, 2011).
Perhaps resilience, a trait that is commonly observed in Filipinos, could also play a part in
sustaining recovery since despite all the obstacles the Filipinos face, their resilience most often prevails.
This research by Bautista (2000) is said to be a confirmation of the realities the abused Filipino children
have. It is also mentioned that the non resilient could not be spoken of because what is there are only
more resilient or less resilient ones. Based on the study, resilience was found to be a process where in it
sometimes pauses and then continues to progress. There are also high points as well as low points
(Bautista, 2000).
Going further, resilience was displayed by the children through the coping techniques that were
utilized. These are acceptance of lifes difficulties, adapting to whatever the current situation demands,
functioning competently in the face of major problems in life, learning from hardships, trusting oneself to
be a teacher as well as a source of valuation, pagtitiis which pertains to patience or forbearance, and not
making every problem a big deal. Added characteristics of the resilient are having the ability to: find
happiness amidst adversity, maintain sanity in spite of traumatic experiences, preserve character that is
wholesome even through deprivation, adopt a mind set that is ethical, recover from the scars of the past,
craft a therapeutic construction of reality, be other-centered, and see situations as temporary states
(Bautista, 2000). Resilience then plays a part in sustaining recovery since it enables people to perhaps
bend instead of break.
Something that also aids in resilience is positivity. There exists in the field of psychology an area
that deals specifically with positivity and its consequences. Before that however, years and years of
research in psychology mostly revolved around pathology. As a result, the concluding model of a person
is one that presented them with no such positive features which could aid in building a life that has
meaning or even one that is worth living. Things such as hope, wisdom, creativity, future-mindedness,
courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance are considered to be altered forms of what is
deemed to be the fundamental emotions: the negative ones (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Going further, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi stated that this ideology might be explained by the
perceived evolutionary purpose of negative emotions which rests on how they indicate the presence of
urgent problems or possible dangers. Since it is instinctual for humans to immediately act on these threats,
the effect of positive emotions on the lives of individuals seems to be quite insignificant and so oftentimes
disregarded, seen as having minor impacts if they are even acknowledged. However, the value of positive
emotions is aptly illustrated in this manner: Like the fish who is unaware of the water in which it swims,
people take for granted a certain amount of hope, love, enjoyment, and trust because these are the very
conditions that allow them to go on living (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
In addition, the science of positivity in personal experiences, individual characteristics, and even
in institutions appear to be promising in order to help a person better cope with a life that is empty and
devoid of meaning. It also showed a potential to lessen the vulnerability of an individual to pathologies
brought by an unfruitful life (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Also, the proponents of positive psychology have written that they might not be the first ones to
have come up with this concept (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) however, what was different in
their research was that it provided empirical support through fifteen different articles that acted as the
foundation of positive psychology. These articles that were included looked at factors that enabled
happiness alongside autonomys effects, the regulation of oneself, the effects of hope and optimism on
health, the meaning of wisdom, and the manifestation of talent and creativity (Seligman &
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi said that they predict that in the near future, positive psychology
will act as an enabler for psychologists to better understand and further the factors that would allow
individuals, communities, and societies to not only survive but ultimately, to thrive (Seligman &
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Likewise, it should be noted that based on the definition given by OBrien and McLellan (1996)
earlier, that addiction is a chronic and relapsing condition (OBrien & McLellan, 1996), it could then be
said that simply abstaining from drug use could not be considered as having recovered from the addiction
rather, the abstinence could be considered as a part or a necessary step for some but not all, in recovery.
Cessation from drug use is seemingly portrayed in here as something optional.
Lastly, Laudet (2007) also mentioned that there seemed to be no cure for addiction, rather one just
have to continue going on with the process of recovery (Laudet, 2007). This might be quite negative if
one chooses to take it that way. However, if the way one is being treatedthe process of recoveryis
taken into account, then it would be seen, just like in Covingtons (2002) spiral model of recovery, that
the individual will feel the freedom from addiction as they move forward. Additionally, there is the
supposed goal or direction of recovery where in it points to growth and self-improvement. So it might be
better if an individual focused more on the positive points of the situation rather that seeking out the
possible faults. After all, people are the ones who craft their own realities, according to social psychology.
They see what they want to see and believe in what they choose to believe in.
III. Some Notes for Methodology

A descriptive research is one that aims to know what is going on. Many see this type of research
as something that is not quite important since it is primarily done to give description. What is not
acknowledged however, is how important the role of the descriptive research truly is. Over the years, the
products of these researches that are deemed to be good descriptions are considered to be pivotal to the
research field and have greatly contributed to our knowledge of the form as well as the very nature of
society (What is research design, n.d.). In addition, it can be said that this type of research is the one that
provides the foundation in which other researches could spring from since without a clearly defined
concept, one would have a hard time on studying the reason behind it, which is the purpose of this
researchs counterpart: explanatory research. Also, according to the text, descriptions may be abstract or
concrete and that good descriptions are defined as those that can provoke explanatory researches (What is
research design, n.d.).
Phenomenology, on the other hand, aims to describe experiences of individuals on a certain
phenomenon in the absence of assumptions made before hand on the objective reality of those said
experiences. It is also mentioned that phenomenology is the exploration of the true meaning of a
phenomenon through the description of the peoples own experiences. It is also an inductive, descriptive
research method which aims to look at certain phenomena in the way human experiences appear. In short,
the main objective of a phenomenology is to describe experiences as they are lived and what it
examines is how a certain occurrence is perceived to be (Vilakati, 2009).
Theoretical Framework
This study aims to look at and understand the process by which individuals recover from drug
abuse. It is also centered on the potential human beings hold and since this is the focus of the research,
self-determination theory, which also highlights human potential, in how studies that are done under it are
explorations on the inherent growth tendencies of humans as well as their corresponding psychological
needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000). It could be seen here then how similar this theory and those assumptions in
the research are but in order to get the bigger picture, self-determination theory shall be discussed further
below. This will be done in order to understand why the theory will be used as the blueprint or point of
reference all throughout the research process.
Basically, what this theory suggests is that humans have the capacity to attain their goals or
purpose, grow and eventually thrive, as well as improve their well-being when they are placed in
environments that promote the fulfillment of their basic needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000). By means of an
extensive empirical research, these basic needs were then identified, according to Mancini (2008). These
are the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness to others. In addition, he also specified that the
theory also proposed that it is part of human nature to do whatever is necessary to fulfill these needs
(Mancini, 2008).
However, since life could not be as smooth sailing in all aspects, Ryan & Deci (2000) also
mentioned that the settings where in humans find themselves in may not always be conducive enough in
order to support the attainment of their needs. (Ryan & Deci, 2000). To put it simply, some environments
might allow it while others may not.
In terms of the basic needs, Mancini (2008) suggested that emphasis should be placed on
autonomy since the feeling of autonomy is something that is considered to be a fundamental condition in
order to perform self-motivated behaviors which is a critical part in recovery and well-being. This view of
autonomy is backed up by an extensive amount of research that display the positive outcomes of having
autonomy-supportive environments. An example of this would be when people in nursing homes are
allowed to decide to do things on their own instead of controlling how they act, it is found that this is
highly associated with well-being. Another one is in the educational setting. Encouragement of autonomy
was seen to be associated with deeper processing, better test performance, more persistence, and more
autonomous learning processes. Meanwhile, in alcohol abuse, those who have entered treatment in their
own volition or with higher autonomous motivation was associated with these people taking on more
active roles as well as remaining in treatment. All these then have shown how important the role of the
environment is in motivating individuals to work towards their desired outcomes or goals (Mancini,
2008). This, in a way, was also able to show how a persons sense of autonomy could influence
competence through motivation.
As for the needs of relatedness, its importance is seen in how great emphasis is given to
community integration as well as to providing social support in recovery (cited in Mancini, 2008). In
addition, it is also stated that the self-determination theory and recovery-oriented practices are parallels
with each other and that since the theory had a solid foundation in empiricism, this could suggest that
programs that were derived or drawn out from this theory are more likely to yield better results, to a
certain extent (Mancini, 2008).
All of those then are the reasons why the self-determination theory was found to be an
appropriate framework for the study. Perhaps aside from the similarities in focus, another factor for
employing it is that of its high potential for transferability in recovery experiences.
Conceptual Diagram
Figure 1. Conceptual Diagram
Addiction is a condition where people are stuck in a cycle of drug abuse. Within its confines, all
they seem to care about is how they would be able to acquire their drugs of choice and to sustain their
usage. So basically, their lives revolve around the drug they are addicted to until there comes a time when
something suddenly breaks the monotony, which is the turning point. Experiencing turning points do not
necessarily guarantee the beginning of recovery since it could possibly lead to two directions. These
events could either help addicts take the first step towards recovery or it could take them deeper into their
addiction. This outcome then, depends on how the individual would process and respond to what has
happened. First, considering that the person did not take it that well and he/she responded quite negatively
like taking more drugs, which could lead to greater repercussions. This then could be one of the examples
as to how someone could be pushed further into the addiction. As for the other outcome of the experience
of turning points, it could lead to the opposite direction, which is the path towards recovery.
Recovery is when a person is no longer dependent on any type of drug or substance. This is when
the people who were once captives of addiction were finally able to break free from that world of drugs, a
life that only allows them the option to use drugs. As these various individuals then walk along the path of
recovery, they embark in a journey that help them move farther from their addictions one step at a time.
These journeys of recovery could vary per person and time is a valuable element, which helps in an
individuals progress. Furthermore, in recovery, the person has the autonomy or that he or she has the
power to decide how things will go, in general. Also, it should also be noted that the attainment or
sustenance of an individuals recovery is also dependent on the capacity of the environment to support the
persons need in order to recover and if the social context is not able to do so, eventually, relapse could
occur.
This means that the people who are in the journey to recovery become dependent on substances
or drugs again. This then leads them back to where they were. Basically, a person could walk the paths of
recovery and relapse multiple times within the course of their lives since in someway, this might also be
considered as a cycle however, what is probably different this time around is that the person holds his/her
freedom to choose the path to take unlike in the cycle of addiction, the individual can no longer control
what happens and so the only thing that person could do is to depend on the drug.
Finally, the line that represents recovery is continuous and angled slightly upward. This means
that recovery is a process that could be influenced and affected by a lot of factors, filled with challenges,
and that as one continues to move along his/her recovery, the person experiences various things that
learning could be derived from hence, the line gradually rises. The knowledge that the people who are in
their journeys of recovery acquire, aid them in order to move forward.
Chapter 3
Methodology
Research Design
Since the purpose of the study is to learn about and understand the individual experiences of the
people who have gone through substance abuse as well as their respective transformational processes, a
descriptive phenomenological design was used. This design is appropriate since it is focused on
describing a particular phenomenon through the lens or perspective of the persons who have experienced
it and from the analysis of these experiences, certain themes could be derivedthemes that could answer
the objectives of the study. Furthermore, as Vilkati (2009) mentioned in her paper, phenomenologies are
for exploring the perception of a phenomenon through the lived experiences of people ( Vilakati, 2009).
Participants
In order to find participants, purposive sampling was used since the researcher is looking for
individuals who previously abused drugs but are now in recovery. A referral method was also used so as
to locate the participants. Most of these were from the family and friends of the researcher while some
were from the participants themselves.
There were 10 people who participated in the study; seven of them are male while the three are
female. Morris (1990) stated that at least ten participants is an acceptable number for studies such as this
(Morris, 1990). To add, Lachica (2014) also said that the purpose of qualitative studies is not to form
generalizations rather, it is done so as to explore and document a phenomenon (Lachica, 2014).
Most of the participants drug of choice was shabu, aside from that though there was also a
participant who was addicted to oxycodeine, a pharmaceutical drug that is derived from heroin and
another participant who was once dependent on marijuana furthermore, some of them also abused alcohol
alongside drugs.
In addition, the ages of the participants ranged from 31 to 56 years old and with regard to the
places where they live, all of them are from Pampanga although the majority came from Angeles City.
From the remaining, two are residents of the Municipality of Mabalacat, one is from Magalang, and one is
from Mexico City. Moreover, since the researcher aims to look at a variety of recovery stories, the length
of time in recovery was not specified before the data gathering was conducted. The range in the length of
time in recovery of the participants are three months to twenty-two years.
Also, it should be noted that a certain participant in this study, though in recovery, occasionally
used marijuana. It will be discussed later on why this individual is still considered as in recovery and not
marked as someone who relapsed.
Inclusion Criteria
1. History of Addiction
The person was dependent on the drug before rehabilitation.
He/she was placed in a treatment or rehabilitation center because the person is
already a danger to himself/herself and to others.
Withdrawal effects were experienced following the termination of drug use.
2. Mark of Recovery
Dependence on the drug is no longer there.
Due to the cessation of drug abuse, the person is no longer a danger to self or to
others.
Withdrawal effects have already stopped.
There was no occurrence of a relapse during the period considered to be in recovery.

* Relapse means being dependent on the drug again.
Data Collection Method

Procedure. The researcher asked family and friends if they knew anyone who is currently in
recovery from substance abuse. When a probable participant was referred to the researcher, she first
contacted them via the telephone or her mobile to ask if the person was willing to participate in the study.
During that initial contact, a brief overview of the study was also given to the individual and once he/she
agreed, a face-to-face meeting was then scheduled.
Before the formal data collection could begin, the participant was asked to sign an informed
consent form (See Appendix A) which included details about the purposes of the study; what to expect
during the pakikipagkwentuhan, the method chosen for the study; and also about the rights and
confidentiality guarantees in participating in the study. Everything that was on the informed consent was
explained to the participant and the researcher reiterates, before the participant could sign, the voluntary
nature of his/her participation and that the participant also has the right to withdraw at any point of the
study and for whatever reason. After all that was the pakikipagkwentuhan where in the participants were
asked to share their experiences during drug abuse and the process of recovery as well as some details in
their lives at present.
Instrument. In order to ensure that all the necessary data will be gathered, the researcher made
use of an interview guide (See Appendix B) during the pakikipagkwentuhan. Another reason for using
such an instrument is to make sure that the conversations cover the same bases or aspects in the lives of
the participants.
Data Analysis
The first thing the researcher did was to derive categories from the objectives of the study. After
doing that, the transcripts of the participants were each analyzed where in all pertinent phrases, sentences,
or paragraphs were placed into corresponding categories. The next step of the researcher was to look at
the data under each category and try to find a pattern in order to group them further. The themes were
then derived from these clusters formed.
Ethical Considerations
The first measure taken by the researcher was to give the participants informed consents to
ascertain that they understand what they were agreeing to. The participants were also told before and after
the pakikipagkwentuhan session that the data gathered shall only be used for academic purposes. Names
of the participants were also changed in order to preserve the confidentiality of the information they had
given. Also, during the pakikipagkwentuhan, the researcher confirmed what the participants were trying to
say by asking them to elaborate and she also summarized and reiterated what she heard so as to validate
the data with the participants. Lastly, the researcher shall communicate the findings of the study to the
participants as well as to other people who contributed to the study.
Chapter 4
Results
The study was conceived in order to understand the experiences of individuals who have gone
through drug abuse. For this very reason, the recovery of 10 different Filipinos were examined. The way
in which their recoveries were analyzed was by performing a thematic content analysis on each of the
transcripts from the pakikipagkwentuhan with them. This method was used in order to determine the
variety of factors that could contribute to recovery and relapse prevention as well as to identify the
experiences that were pivotal to the growth and transformation of the said persons. The outcome of the
analyses as well as other pertinent information are hereby presented in the chapter.
Table 1
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Participants
Name Gender Age Religion Address
Jay Male 24 - Angeles City

Facenda Male 46 Roman Catholic Angeles City
Bryan Male 36 Roman Catholic Angeles City
Calvin Male 41 Roman Catholic Municipality of Magalang
Mariah Female 35 Roman Catholic Angeles City
Lou Female 48 Roman Catholic Angeles City
Paul Male 47 Roman Catholic Mabalacat City
Allen Male 56 Roman Catholic Angeles City
Rick Male 31 Roman Catholic Municipality of Mexico
Marie Female 40 Roman Catholic Mabalacat City
Table 1 Continued
Sociodemographic Characteristics Continued
Name Occupation Civil Status Educational Attainment
Jay Student Single College Undergraduate
Facenda Collector Single College Undergraduate
Bryan Student Single College Undergraduate
Calvin Self-Employed Separated College Undergraduate
Mariah Rehab Worker Separated College Undergraduate
Lou Unemployed Single High School Level
Paul Self-Employed Married College Undergraduate
Allen Self-Employed Married College Undergraduate
Rick Rehab Worker Single High School Level
Marie Zumba Instructor Married High School Graduate
As it could be seen, Table 1 gives the information on who the participants were. There were a
total of ten participants in the study where in seven are male and three are female. One was in his mid-
twenties while three were in their thirties. Five on the other hand, were in their forties and one other
participant is in his fifties. With regard to religion, all of them except one mentioned that they were
Roman Catholics. One out of the nine who declared they were Catholics also said that their family was
really religious, meaning that they devoutly go to masses and uphold traditions of Catholicism. On the
other hand however, there was one other participant who stated that he did not practice his religion and he
was leaning more on spirituality at present. As for the participant who did not state his religious
affiliation, he did mention that he believes in a God.
When it comes to where the participants live, all of them are currently residing in Pampanga. Six
of which are from Angeles City while the two were from Mabalacat City. As for the other two, one was
from the Municipality of Magalang, while the other was from the Municipality of Mexico. With regard to
their respective occupations, there were two who are trying to complete their degrees so they are students
at the moment meanwhile, three of the participants managed their own businesses, which made them self-
employed. Another two currently worked in rehab centers, which happened to be the first jobs of both
after being rehabilitated. As for the three participants, one was a collector, another was a zumba instructor,
while the other person was unemployed. This person that was classified under unemployed voluntarily
chose to forego working since she said that she would rather focus on her recovery at the moment.
Separated
Married
Single
20%
50%
30%
Figure 2. Civil Status
Looking at the civil status of the participants Figure 2 shows that two participants were
separated, three reported that they were married, while half of the participants were single.
High School Graduate

High School Level
College Undergraduate
10%
20%
70%
Figure 3. Educational Attainments
Figure 3 on the other hand, represented the ratio of the educational attainments of the participants.
It could be seen that one out of the ten graduated from high school while two were in high school level.
Likewise, seven of them were undergraduates of college. The participants also mentioned that they used
to study courses like business management or administration and other science-related courses. Moreover,
as mentioned earlier, two of these undergraduates are currently continuing their study in college. Their
courses are Civil Engineering and Mass Communications.
Going further, in order to augment the information collected from the participants so far, the
socioeconomic status or SES was also identified.
Among all the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, determining the
socioeconomic status or SES would probably be considered the most perplexing since there is no direct
way to identify an individual or a familys SES. Perhaps the most commonly used measure is the income,
though it may prove to be a good measure, it probably does not capture the totality of what the SES is. So
for this study, income as well as the perception of the social class shall be used. Tables 2 and 3
summarized the factors considered in obtaining the SES.
Table 2
Gross Monthly Income
Household Individual
Jay - 16, 000

Facenda - -
Bryan Not able to state Still supported by family
Calvin - -
Mariah - -
Lou 100, 000 Not applicable since currently
not employed
Paul 200, 000 200, 000
Allen 80, 000 - 100, 000 80,000 - 100, 000
Rick 30, 000 - 45, 000 18, 000
Marie 120, 000 50, 000
It could be noted as well that there were some blanks or gaps in Table 2 which presented the gross
monthly incomes of the participants. It appears that way since some of the participants were not that
comfortable in disclosing how much they earned or in other cases, some of them did not know the actual
numbers.
So in order to classify what is considered to be upper, middle, or lower in terms of income, the
poverty line in the Philippines was used as a reference point. According to the Philippine Statistics
Authority, as of 2015, the poverty threshold per individual Filipino is P 1, 813. Meanwhile, the poverty
threshold per Filipino family is at P 9, 064. This means that this is the minimum amount needed in order
to acquire the food and non-food needs. This is also known as the poverty line (Philippine Statistics
Authority, 2015) In another article by PSA, the average annual family income was separated into deciles.
The first decile represented the lowest 10% while the tenth decile was said to represent the top 10% in
terms of per capita income. The annual incomes are P 86, 000 and P 786, 000, respectively (Philippine
Statistics Authority, 2016).
In addition, in establishing a reference line in the middle of the incomes the researcher used the
aforementioned information on annual incomes. After which, she solved for the average monthly income
and afterwards, computed for the mean of these incomes. The result was P 36, 333. This then, together
with the poverty line, were used as one of the bases in determining the SES of the participants of the
study.
As mentioned earlier, to address the multi-dimensionality of SES, the perceptions of the
participants about their social class were also included. The researcher also asked why they perceived
themselves to belong to that class so as to get an insight on why they assigned themselves to a particular
class. The summary of their perceptions could be seen in Table 3.
Table 3
Perceived Social Class
Independent from Parents
Jay middle class

Facenda middle class
Bryan middle class
Calvin middle class
Mariah middle class
Lou middle class
Paul middle class
Allen middle class
Rick middle class
Marie middle class
It is quite interesting to note how all the participants perceived themselves to be in the middle
class even if that might not be the cases as seen in Table 4. The respective SES of the participants were
derived from the analyses of the two aspects presented earlier.
Table 4
Socioeconomic Status
SES
Jay Lower Middle

Facenda Middle
Bryan Upper Middle
Calvin Upper Middle
Mariah Middle Class
Lou Upper Middle
Paul Upper Middle
Allen Upper Middle
Rick Middle
Marie Upper Middle
Aside from the socioeconomic status, another factor that was also considered was the family
history. The addiction history was traced by making individual genograms (See Appendix C) where in
these diagrams are representations of the nuclear family of the participants as well as relatives who have a
history of addiction.
There were only seven genograms presented because some of the participants were quite busy
and so they were not able to provide further information regarding their family histories. Nevertheless, the
rest of the participants family addiction history were reported so they were the ones that were examined.
Also, it should be noted that individuals that were identified in each genogram were those who abused
either drugs (color green) or alcohol (color blue). Those that only tried the substances or perhaps who
used occasionally were not included. Additionally, those who smoked cigarettes or tobacco were not
reflected in the diagram. Furthermore, since only the history is being examined here, the status of the
individual in terms of addiction or recovery was not specified so some of these people could be in
recovery as well or are still abusing particular substances at present.
Moreover, from the genograms, it could be seen that all of the seven participants had even just a
single relative with addiction. Both alcohol and drug abuse seem to be common within the families of the
participants since five out of seven reported that they have a family member addicted to those substances,
as seen above. Three out of seven have at least a sibling who is also addicted to drugs. To add to this, all
the participants as well as their respective siblings who were addicted to drugs were only able to finish
high school or perhaps were not even high school graduates, and most of them were college
undergraduates.
Aside from those, four out of seven were the eldest children in the family. It could be seen in
Maries genogram that she was the second child of her father however, she was considered as the eldest in
the family because she did not live or grew up with her half sister who was born earlier than her. On the
other hand, two from the participants were the youngest and it could also be seen that Lous youngest
sibling is also addicted to not only drugs, but also alcohol. With regard to the uncles and aunts, it was
determined that four out of seven participants had uncles who were alcoholics and only one participant
had an aunt who was addicted to drugs. Before proceeding down to the cousins however, it is interesting
to note that some participants were even able to trace addiction up to their grandparents. These two
participants identified their grandfathers as alcoholics.
Moreover, there were also incidences of deaths within the families that were associated to
addiction. The participants reported that these relatives of theirs died due to alcohol-related
complications. These were mostly uncles of some of the participants.
As for the cousins, four participants reported that they have cousins who abused drugs. Three out
of the four identified them as their first cousins while the other one had a second cousin who was
involved in drugs. That participant was Facenda who stated that he was not close with that cousin. In fact,
he said that, di ko nga kilala eh. Nakwento lang sa akin. Furthermore, still looking at the cousins, there
were two out of the seven participants who shared that they have cousins who were alcoholic.
Additionally, with regard to the genders of the cousins that had either alcohol or drug addiction, they were
a mix of males and females however, what was dominant is of the male gender.
Moreover, it should be noted as well how three individuals had more than one addiction. Two of
which were participants of the study and the other one was a sibling of a participant. Aside from having
two or more addictions, there was a new element presented here: gambling (color orange). It seemed that
cross-addictions may also occur and it could be seen that Allen and Bryan became addicted also to
gambling at some point. However, they also said that the only time they gambled was when they were
under the influence of drugs.
Finally, even though the target of the study is to identify those with the history of drug abuse,
alcohol abuse from other family members became evident as well and so it was presented on the
genograms. Furthermore, what perhaps appeared to be quite surprising was how gambling turned out to
be an addiction within the families of the participants as well. Three out of the seven have relatives who
gambled excessively.
In addition, the length of time the participants were in recovery (See Appendix D for the profiles)
varied from three months to 22 years. These were measured from the day the rehab or institutions
declared the participants to be sober until the day of the pakikipagkwentuhan with them. The variety in
the lengths of recovery of the participants were instrumental in order to see what differences might arise
from them. This however, would be discussed later on.
Moreover, since all the demographic information have already been presented, the succeeding
parts of this chapter shall now report the findings from the analysis. In the thematic content analysis done,
the statements were grouped into five categories which were later on subdivided into themes. Table 5, 6,
7, 8, 9 displays the frequency of the said themes.
Table 5
Abstracted themes for Process of Recovery
Themes Frequency
Relapse 10
In need of Help 8
Realization 33
Willingness 5
Acceptance 20
Beginning 13
As seen in Table 5, there are six themes that were classified under the category, Process of
Recovery. It also appears that Realization is the most frequent theme that was observed followed by
Acceptance. Although Table 5 displayed the frequency of the themes, it still merely provides a superficial
description of the themes. So, the succeeding paragraphs shall then be dedicated to giving more detail on
the identified themes.
Relapse
The first theme mentioned was Relapse. The participants reported that they experienced a series
of relapsing. They thought that they were finally able to attain recovery but it so happened to not be the
case. Paul described the experience of continuous relapses in these words: Maraming bottom yung
buhay ko eh. Kase marami akong realizations na akala ko yun na, pero hindi pa pala, inulit nanaman.
Akala mo yun na pero hindi pa pala. Maraming pala ng pala ng palala ng palala. Meanwhile, Rick
experienced it in this way, he recounted, sasabihin ko sa sarili ko, tama na, ayaw ko na. Hindi na ko
gagamit. Pag bibigyan mo ako ng pera o kaya pagsangla ko, o kaya basta may nakita akong gamit, yun
nanaman. Doon nanaman magiistart." There was also Mariah. She tried to turn her life back around by
discontinuing drug use and going to school however as she said, nag-aral sana ako ulit kanya lang yung
pagpasok ko na ulit na yon, na, nabalik na naman ako sa barkada. Nabalik na naman ako sa paggamit
ko, hindi rin natuloy. Kumbaga nasira din ulit dahil gumagamit nga ako and yung boyfriend ko na
nagdala sakin sa recovery, naghiwalay din kami kasi yun nga kaya nakapag asawa ako ulit ng drugging
buddy ko.
Looking at their statements, it seemed as if these three at least tried to do something about their
addiction. Aside from them though, there were other participants as well who had similar experiences
with them. On the other hand, there were also those participants who relapsed because they said that,
hindi pa ko willingayoko pang tumigil and so they voluntarily left recovery. These individuals were
already given a chance to go to a rehab or support group but as they stated, they were not willing to give
their addictions up yet and so they continued with it.
So whether these individuals put an effort into stopping or willingly went back to drug abuse,
what they all had in common was that they were brought to a point where in they desperately needed help,
which leads to the next theme.
In Need of Help
Some of the participants mentioned that they badly needed help and so they tried to seek help
from God. Paul and Rick cited similar experiences where in they prayed to God while under the influence
of shabu. Paul recounted this story: I remember one time I was literally using shabu, crying and then
praying to God. Tigil mo na to, ayoko na, di ko na kaya. As for Rick, his plea was for God to bring his
old life back. Lou, another participant, also pleaded God to help her since she said that she did not know
what to do anymore.
There were also participants who, although they know that they needed help, did not ask for it.
Bryan said that, Kahit na nakikita nilang nangangailangan na kong tulong pero ako di pa din humihingi
ng tulongpero sa loob ko may tumatawag na, help! ganun. Another participant also mentioned that
he did not accept help because he was in denial: ang sinabi ko sa mama ko, kaya ko naman magbago
kahit di niya ko parehab. So ako naman in denial, syempre. Alam ko naman sa sarili ko na hindi ko
naman talaga kaya.
It could be seen here that these individuals really need help. They even reached a point where in
they had a great need for help however, they simply did not know how to quit their addiction as
exemplified a while ago in praying while under the influence of shabu. It just showed how desperate they
were and how much they were grappling for a solution to their problem. Likewise, even though they
needed help, some people going through drug addiction may not openly admit it or readily accept the help
offered. These then raised the question of how people could get out of the rut they were in. The answer to
this query is yet to be unveiled but the next section could possibly give a glimpse as to how it could
begin, getting out of the rut.
Realization
Themes under Realization could be divided into three categories based on when they occurred.
The first classification is composed of things the participants realized before going to rehab. These
thoughts did not necessarily occur right before they got admitted to rehab. Calvins realization went like
this: Baka mawala yung mommy mo, di ka makitang magbago. This thought struck him while trying to
steal money from her mom in order to buy more drugs and so he revealed his thoughts after that
happened, which was quite similar to what Mariah realized: so dito nagkaroon ako ng realization na
kailangan ko ng ayusin yung sarili ko.
Some realizations also showed the participants the consequences of what they have done. Rick
said, narealize ko noong wala na, wala ng taong nagtitiwala sa akin while Jay realized this: I realized
that I had so much in the beginning but I took for granted and exploited and took advantage of. And I
chose to do wrong, I chose toyou know in the beginning I even knew what I was doing was wrong.
These showed what was lost and in Jays statement, he also admitted that he knew that he should not do it
but he did anyway. Other realizations were that of needing help and for some, it is to stop what they were
doing.
Moving forward, other participants realized a couple of things in rehab as well like Jay and Rick
who were both brought to rehab by the initiative of their mothers. In rehab, they have come to realize and
accept that their moms made the right decision. Other participants realized that indeed, they have become
drug addicts or alcoholics since before they went to rehab, they did not consider themselves as such and
so they thought that they could just shoulder on and that rehab is unnecessary. There were also
realizations about what could happen to them if they continue abusing substances. As Lou mentioned, Sa
alak pwede ka mamatay, sa drugs pwede ka maparalytiko. Ayaw ko na mangyari yun. Ayaw ko ng umabot
sa puntong yun.
In addition, Jay have realized this: I only saw the joy in life when my life was nothing but hell
and thats what it took for me. Like my dad used to tell me when I was a kid, tigas ulo ko. I had to learn
things the hard way. There were also some more realizations on how they do not know everything and
on missing their family members. Rick said, Pero noon ngang nasa loob na ko ng rehab, bigla ko
narealize na noon ngang nasa labas ako, hindi ko naman talaga sila hinahanap. Bakit namimiss ko sila
samantalang drugs yung hianahnap ko that time.
Furthermore, they have also realized some matters when they were already outside of the
rehabilitation centers. One of which was this. Paul said, I used to be confused about that. I need to rely
on myself, blah blah blah. Its very very clear: my best thinking, my best knowledge has brought me to
these rooms, brought me to the rooms of the this group, brought me to the gates of the psychiatric ward
jail and everything, dun ako dinala eh. So why will I depend on it again. Aside from that, there were also
realizations regarding the family. Some participants realized that their family will always be by their side
no matter what. As Jay said, I used to never want to spend time with the family or do anything. I just
wanna be out with my friends all the time. After 6 or 7 years of doing that, reopened my eyes on how
much my family really mean to me. How much friends and foes would come and go but your family, will
always be there.
Some realizations brought the participants to rethink their ways. One of them was Calvin. He
realized that, Hindi ko pala pwedeng kontrolin yung mga tao na they have to be nice [to] me kasi dati
tinatakot ko sa pagsasalita. So pinapahinto ko sila sa takot Hindi pala. Yung pinaka madali palang
gawin doon, let go ka lang kasi powerless ka sa kanila eh. You can only suggest sa kanila na ganito ang
gawin. There was also Jay who said, Hanggang ngayon, ganyan din ako: trial-and-error. Pero I know
my boundaries; I know my limits now. There are certain things that you shouldnt trial-and-error on.
Alongside these were other realizations that taught the participants things that they should not repeat
again or matters in which they have to give more importance to instead.
Overall, the participants had lots of realizations at different points in their recovery and even
during the time when they were still dependent on their drugs of choice. Aside from these realizations
though, there was another element that was observed in order to proceed with recovery and that is
willingness.
Willingness
Some participants said that willingness is key and that it is necessary as Jay said: Thats exactly
how it is. I didnt get help until I wanted it. There were also some participants who reiterated the role
willingness could play in recovery. Rick said, Once nawilling kang magbagoWilling akong
magbago. Kung ano man iyong mga challenge na maaring ano, iaccept ko iyon. Kasi nagkamali nga
ako. Kumbaga, hihingi ka na nga ng mga kapalit o hihingi ka nga ng tiwala eh wala ka pa ngang
napapatunayan sa kanila. Paul also stated, pwedeng-pwede magbagoKung gugustuhin mo lang, you
can do it.
Besides willingness, there appeared one more thing that is important in order to take the first step
towards recovery: acceptance.
Acceptance
Some of the participants explicitly mentioned that the first step in recovery is acceptance. As Paul
said, but if you ask me, the first step for treatment in addiction is basically acknowledging or accepting
that I am an addict. Admitting to being powerless to addiction was also one of the things other
participants had to accept: Kailangan mo muna iaccept sa sarili mo na yung addiction na pinasokyung
bisyong pinasok ko ay hindi ko na kayang pigilan. For others, they had to accept and eventually they
also understood the decisions that their loved ones made for them: Even though they planned a
kidnapping, its fine. It was for my own good, Jay said.
Aside from accepting these things, some of the participants also mentioned that they had to accept
and acknowledge that they were wrong, that they committed a mistake in order to progress: wala kang
first step na magagawa kasi di mo nga naaaccept na nagkamali ka. There were also statements from the
participants that pointed to accepting whatever happened in the past: Worst thing is you know, the past. I
need to accept the past. I can never ever change the past you know. Also, they mentioned the
consequence of acceptance as Rick puts it in these words: Syempre pag naaccept mo na na nagkamali
ka, syempre ang kapalit nun, bibigay mo yung best mo sa rehab.
The value of acceptance in recovery could be seen in the statements above and as some of the
participants directly said that the first step for treatment is addiction then the succeeding paragraphs
shall now tackle the beginnings of recovery.
Beginning
Allen described his experience in this way: Ayun, nung lumabas na nga ko, it was black and
white. Lumabas ka sa night life, it was black and white, walang kabuhay-buhay. Tapos I held on,
eventually, I started something. I started to appreciate life kasi I stared using drugs at a very young age.
He described how he felt when he was finally free from marijuana and was at the start of his recovery.
Going further, other participants described the beginning to be very difficult due to circumstances
in life. As Marie recounted: hindi ganun kadali kasi I had to give up pushing, paano ako magsusurvive,
wala namang nanay or parents na magsusupport for me. hindi kami mayaman, wala akong pera, kapag
tumigil akong pagtutulak wala akong ano any income. She uttered these words because alongside her
drug abuse was also pushing or drug dealing, which became her livelihood for so long. Paul also gave
this statement: ang masasabi ko about addiction to recovery hindi sya ganun kadali hindi naging
madali, umiiyak ako. One of the participants also mentioned that she cried to God and asked Him if that
was really how difficult changing is. In addition, Mariah mentioned that she had to be vigilant. Everyday
kailangang binabantayan ko talaga yung sarili ko, she said.
Aside from the beginning being difficult, some participants also mentioned that they had to
relearn everything. Paul said the following words:
Literally, I felt like a child, you know? Walking for the first time na walang alalay or di ba walang
walker. So there were a lot of things that I used to do while Im in drugs, na I need to do again
without drugs. Like going to work, di ba? Or kahit kakain, naliligo. Di ba kahit anong bagay, I
have to do it or do everything normally. So, medyo mahirap, di ba yung makipagkilala,
makipagkaibigan, to get along, to hang out, you know? These are new things for me in a sense na
you just hang out not doing anything or drinking coffee, or manuod lang kayo ng sine. Simple
things you know, very simple things. It was already a success for me.
So the beginnings were really difficult for them since they had to start all over again. Jay even had to
learn a new language (Filipino) because he grew up in the States but he was rehabilitated here in the
Philippines. He even mentioned that he felt that what was needed was, reprogram talaga.
All of these themes described the process of recovery. In the next portion of the paper, key
experiences of participants could be seen. Table 6 summarizes the significant experiences of the
participants.
Table 6
Abstracted Themes for Key Experience
Themes Frequency
Turning Point 19
Help Arrived 10
Worked in Rehab 5
Developed a Relationship with God 5
Found a Partner 3
Table 6 shows five themes for the Key Experience of the participants. Turning Point had the most
frequency while Help Arrived is the second in the most number of recurring statements. Further details
about each of these themes will be provided below.
Turning Point
These are the experiences of the participants that changed something for them. There were four
subthemes identified under Turning Point. First is tiredness. Some of the participants felt really tired
toward the life they were living then and so they desired to change. As one of them said, basically yun
yung turning point ng life ko. When I was too tired, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Pagod na,
pagod. There were also participants who had turning points related to their families or even with those
people that they consider as such. Paul recounted this story:
Para sakin yung pinaka turning point was really my family, yung anak ko, I have a 5-year old
daughter then who asked me one time, we were about to go to sleep. Sabi niya daddy, are you a
bad boy? Instantly I felt upset kasi I was already thinking who talked to my daughter again, who
brainwashed her, ano na naman to, and it was hard for me to say no, Im not a bad boy. I had to
ask her you know, what do you think sabi ko, sabi niya sakin, no youre not a bad boy. For me,
youre the best dad in the world and sabay umiyak siya. And I felt that she meant what she said.
She was sincere, and I felt somehow from a mouth of a 5-year old na basically the only thing that
I value in my life at that time, it meant something, and somehow, for what every reason, it stuck
on me. Na totoo yung sinasabi nung anak ko, probably theres still something good in me na
nakikita nung anak ko. And di ko alam pano ko naisip na bakit hindi nalang ako magfocus dun sa
konting good na yon, baka sakaling may chance pa.
Another example would be Mariahs experience. She said that one of her children started taking
marijuana and she did not know how to ask that child to stop using marijuana. She stated, papano ko sila
babawalin kung ako mismo hindi ko maano [matigil] di ba? Aside from that, she also mentioned that
one time, her mom told her that her mom will kill herself if Mariah does not change. In addition, for Jay
said, You know my real turning point was being that head CO out of everything When I became the
head of the family. He was referring to an experience in rehab.
Besides these family-related experiences, there were also those turning points that were described
as a spiritual awakening. One of the participants described this experience as a voice he heard in his mind
that told him to act now. He said that this voice did not sound like him and that was probably the main
reason why he listened to that voice. These were his words:
sakin kasi para siyang spiritual awakening, in a sense na for that night, for a period of time
somehow, Paul knew who Paul was. Parang dalawa na yung nag-uusap sa utak ko na bukas
nalang, pag bukas nalang magbabago nanaman yung isip mo, ngayon na, hindi, uubusin ko
muna yung drugs ko, so may nagtatalo na sa utak ko, and parang first time na nagyari yon, na
mayroong, nagkaroon ng pagtatalo, na mayroong nabuksan na conscience. Something was really
awakened inside of me, and literally I could hear his voice and somehow yun yung sinusundan ko,
not yung old self. Parang yung bagong voice yung sinundan ko.
Some participants on the other hand described it as an experience where in umiyak ka ng masakit, yun
na yun. Another participant said this about awakening: definitely, there has to be an awakening. May
clangck, mayroon kang maramdaman. Kase, yun nga yung problema, as addictsI used to run away from
responsibilities and consequences, di ba? Na hindi ko nararamdaman yung clangk in my life kasi may
taga bayad may taga sagip may taga defend. Theres always something or someone fixing it for me.
So all these things were how the participants described a spiritual awakening. Aside from that
though, there were also some participants whose turning points were because of their dissatisfaction with
their current lives. Marie stated that she was not happy anymore because she felt that, hindi ko na gusto
yung ganun. nasan na ko? ano to? hindi nako ganito. dati for fun pero ngayon hindi na maganda to. hindi
na maganda as in. She said that because she was telling the story of how she was kidnapped by her
drugging buddies. She also said that she did not like the fact that those were the kind of people she was
with. She said, yung mga nakakasama ko that time, imagine, nangcacarnap, nangkikidnap. Imagine,
kikidnapin ka bigla, kabarkada mo. wala na silang makidnap, ikaw na lang.
Basically, the sentiment of some of the other participants were similar to Maries. They also did
not like what they have become. In addition, some of them also mentioned that they know what they have
lost and that they wanted to get out of that kind of life but, di ko alam kung paano ko uumpisahan,
Rick said. This statement of his reflected the sentiments of other participants.
Help Arrived
As the previous section reflected the desire of the participants to change their lives, this part is
crucial to achieving their desire. Help Arrived basically sums up the themes of how the participants were
given help, whether directly or indirectly. First, there is the experience of help being offered directly.
Some participants recounted how one day, someone offered them help and they just accepted it. Bryan
said, nagkaroon ng intervention. Yun, dun na, dun na nag-umpisa and nung nangyari yun noong araw
na yun, sumama na ko ng maayos sa kanila. Di na ko nagresist. Meanwhile, there were those
participants who received help by being forcibly sent to rehabilitation centers. Two of these participants
experienced being framed, where in police officers came to their houses to supposedly arrest them but it
was actually to bring them to rehab. Another participant was also set-up by her children. She was asked to
go in a certain place, which turned out to be a rehab facility and so she got admitted there.
Aside from those two ways in which help was given, there is this third one that is more indirect,
so to speak. It could be described as a methodology being introduced. In here, during the time when some
of the participants were still abusing drugs, they were invited to come to support groups or rehab facilities
and so when they wanted to quit, as one of them said, alam ko kung saan ako pupunta. This kind of
scenario was still considered under Help Arrived because even though these participants did not stay in
rehab, an option was introduced to them by others.
Worked in Rehab
Another theme that emerged was Worked in Rehab. Some participants opted or were offered jobs
to work in the facilities where they were rehabilitated in. This experience helped them according to them
since as Rick said, Oo, wala talagang droga doon pero kung baga, nasasanay na ko sa haba ng
panahon na sarili ko yung desisyon na wala, walang droga. So working in the facility helped him to
practice further a life without drugs. Paul also mentioned this, parang half foot out palang ako sa
treatment facility, Im still in because the whole day, I spent with recovering people, so I feel safer, di ba?
So that in itself helped me a lot. Paul echoes the sentiments of other participants in that they want to
keep themselves safe and so they worked in rehabs. Aside from those, Paul also shared what he learned in
rehab: after some time, syempre akala mo ang galing galing mo, tumutulong ka sa iba blah blah blah
blah and then later on, I realized that basically it was me being helped because dun ko nakita na papasok
don ang pangit-pangit, magulo, pagkalabas maayos, tignan. Pwedend-pwede magbago, di ba? Kung
gugustuhin mo lang, you can do it. You can ask for help and you can change. So yun ang malaking eye
opener sa akin when I worked in the treatment facility.
Developed a Relationship with God

Apart from working in rehab, there were some participants who were able to form a relationship
with God or a Higher Power (HPP, which according to them, helped a lot in recovery. Mariah shared,
pinakaimportante talaga yung tinatawag namin na HP no, yung higher power, yung relationship ko sa
kanya no, sa totoo lang buong buhay ko hindi naman niya ko pinabayaan, ako lang pala yung lumayo sa
kanya, and ngayon kumbaga yung constant relationship ko sa higher power ko nabalik. Calvin on the
other hand, described having a relationship with God in this way: Doon ko na talaga naramdaman yung
relationship na sinasabi nila. Tapos nag let go na ko, sabi ko Kayo na po bahala.
Found a Partner
Aside from developing a relationship with God, one of the participants was able to develop a
relationship with a fellow in recovery. Marie said that having a husband who is also a recovering buddy
was very helpful since he reminded her always of the things that she should do instead of doing drugs and
that they have each other as support systems. Aside from that, she said that her husband also guided her
through her recovery. Her husband was ten years in recovery at the time they met.
Other than the experiences that helped these individuals in their recovery, there were also
techniques or strategies that they employed. The following could be seen in Table 7.
Table 7
Abstracted themes for Techniques or Strategies
Themes Frequency
Be Mentally Prepared 8
Have a Proper Mindset 26
Change Environment 10
Overcome Adversities 12
Attend Meetings 10
One Day at a Time 10
Focus on Self Recovery 6
Pray 5
Help Other People 5
Tell the People Close to You 1
From the analysis, the most prominent theme abstracted for Techniques or Strategies was to Have
a Proper Mindset. After that would be to Overcome Adversities. These ten themes would be further
discussed below.
Be Mentally Prepared
Some participants mentioned that before they went out of rehab, they readied themselves. They
thought of the things that might happen and prepared for them. Rick even mentioned that he prepared for
the way he expected the people around him would act. He recounted, hindi ko iyon hiningi sa kanila na
pagkatiwalaan ninyo ako. di, di ganoon. Kasi iniisip ko na noong nasa loob na ako ng rehab, naiisip
ko na pagkalabas ko, ito iyong daratnan ko. Itong iyong mga magiging ano sa akin, iyong hihigpitan ako,
di bibigyan ng pera, so... iyon ganoon. Meanwhile, another participant said, I told myself when I got
out of rehab, Im gonna go back into the world completelyAm I gonna go back into the real world
without taking in what Ive learned in the past years?
Other participants also did some mental preparations when they were already out of rehab. What
they did is they make a lot of decisions in their head first, or to simulate what was going to happen if they
did a certain thing. So this was one of the techniques that helped them to avoid going back to drug use,
another would be to Have a Proper Mindset.
Have a Proper Mindset

This proved to be one of the most important strategies for the participants. They showed this in
five different ways. One of the participants used optimism. When people or circumstances do not go in his
favor, he chose to look at the bright side of things instead. He stated, so think positive nga, wag mong
isiping nagddoubt sila sayo. Ang isipin mo, mahal ka nila. Some participants showed that they use some
sort of gauge in order to see if they were on the verge of relapsing. Doon pa lang sa ano, inaagapan ko
na. Sa ugali ko pa lang: sa simpleng paghuhugas ng plato na dating ginagawa ko sa rehab; sa amin, di
ako, [yung] pinagkainan ko lang. Di ko nahugas[an], sign of relapse na sa akin iyon. For another
participant, he recounted that he had this attitude of being boastful. He said, So yung nights na
nahihirapan akong lumuhod, yung yung nights na mas mayabang ako. Yun yung guage ko. I tried to keep
it simple eh. Kase its very hard to judge yourself,di ba? So I tried to see the simple things like pag di
nako nakakaluhod pagkamatutulog kase masyado na kong tamad or inaantok na ganun-ganun, lumalaki
na naman yung ulo ko di ba? So yabang, keep it simple. Yabang, ah mayabang ka na naman. He stated
this in the context of what he was like when he was abusing dugs. He also said that he tried to change his
attitude as he went along in recovery. Being mayabang was one of the things that he wanted to let go off
and so he used this gauge. Additionally, acceptance was also used as a gauge by another participant. He
said that he has a problem when he was having a hard time accepting something.
Another thing that worked for some of the participants was for them to keep certain things in
mind. As Facenda said, ang tinatak ko sa utak ko para di na ko magbalik sa pag drugs eh maddisappoint
ko na naman yung taong tumulong sa akin. Rick on the other hand did this: inayos ko yung pagrerehab
ko at inano ko sa sarili ko na this is the first and last. Meanwhile, what Paul kept in mind was that
everything should happen precisely the way they did, in his own wording: everything that happened
needed to happen precisely for it to create that recipe or that moment that is somehow became valuable
for a certain thing. Parang lilipat ulit sa kabila, tumaas nanaman. So its a series of random events in my
life, di ba? So wala, wala talagang mistake. Kailangan talaga siya mangyari. Other participants also
believed this that everything had to open in order for them to be who they are and as Allen said, Wala
din akong regrets, yun yung frame of mind ko eh.
Finally, the fifth way in having a proper mindset was through Allens menu board technique. This
is how it works: Di ba kung minsan punta ka sa fastfood. Yung isang specific item na gusto mo, kung
minsan wala na. Not available. So yung menu board, so yung menu board sa pleasure ng life ko, sa life ko
ngayon, sa menu board of pleasures, wala na yung drugs at saka alcohol. Permanently hindi na available
talaga. Iba na lang. Iba na lang. It is interesting to know that this was what he mostly relied on and that
he even stated that he also shared this to other people struggling to escape from drug addiction.
Change Environment
Another tactic the participants use, and also what some of them were taught in rehab was to
change their environment. Of course, within the bounds of what they could control like the people they
spend time with. Some of the participants mentioned that this was one of the challenges they had to face
in recovery. They had to find new friends since they cannot accompany their old friends anymore because
these were the people who used to be their drugging buddies. Rick also had this experience when he was
buying something from the store and a former drugging buddy approached him and offered him some
drugs. He recounted his response in this way: Kailangan pag ganun na yung situation, kailangang wag
mo hayaan na tumagal ka ng limang minuto na kausap mo yung taong yun. Talagang kailangang umiwas
ka na.
He also mentioned that he had no other reason to stay there because they were not really friends
to begin with. According to him, they were merely acquaintances who happen to meet before to do drugs.
So Rick said that if he stayed there longer, that meant that he was on the verge of relapsing again because
the only reason for his not leaving would be, according to him, was his desire to use. Moreover, Jay also
mentioned that when he made friends now, he had to think twice. So these participants learned to be
cautious with the people they choose to spend time with.
Aside from avoiding their circle of friends that abused drugs, Jay tried to live in a place where in
his drug of choice is not that accessible. And thats another reason why I chose to live here instead of
going back home because here, you cant find em. That is a high-class drug. Not ordinary-made. Maybe
only general hospital in Manila has that drug. I think the closest thing they have to it is a vycodein. Thats
it. And thats nothing, he said. Jay was born and raised in the US but he know opted to live here in the
Philippines.
On the other hand, some of them also tried to avoid being in situations where in they feel like
they would be in danger. This danger that they were talking about was that of a circumstance where in
they would be exposed to either drugs or alcohol. Aside from changing the environment though, there was
another strategy that the participants do in order to sustain their recovery. They try to overcome their
adversities.
Overcome Adversities
Basically, some of the participants mentioned how they had to face their problems head on and
that at present, they are able to overcome these challenges. As one of them said, kailangan mong
harapin yun to be a stronger person. Parang foundation mo yun. Pundasyon mo yan to stay sober. This
theme was considered as strategy the participants use since they have also recounted that before, they did
not face their problems. They ran from them and most of the time, they turned to drugs.
Attend Meetings
For other participants, what they considered a useful way in order to stay in recovery is to attend
the meetings on their corresponding support groups. They said that by doing these, they can draw strength
from their fellow recovering buddies. These particular participants also considered attending meetings to
be their maintenance: pagpapatibay ng recovery namin and para sakin maintenance talaga yung
meeting. While for some of the participants attending meetings helped, for others, what helped was to
adhere to this motto: One day at a time.
One Day at a Time

Some participants mentioned that at present, they choose to live life one day at a time. As one of
them said, Tama na muna yung one day at a time. Just for today buhay ako, buhay mga anak ko. Naging
maayos ako. Aside from that, some of them also said that, Karamihan sa amin kami nagrerecover
karamihan sa amin one day at a time. Importante itong araw na ito; wag mo munang bukas. Another
participant also stated, Success na one day at a time. Kung ano lagi iyong araw na to. Ang importante,
hindi ako gagamit. This became one of the primary strategies that some participants used in order to
help them in their recovery. They took things one day at a time. Aside from that, another thing participants
did was to focus on their own recoveries.
Focus on Self Recovery

Some participants thought that the most important thing that they had to do when they came out
of rehab was to put themselves first. As Mariah said, ako muna bago yung lahat kasi kung di maayos
ako, di rin magiging maayos yung nakapaligid sakin. Some of the participants also mentioned how they
really needed to focus on themselves most especially when they face trials for example, when people
mistrust their ability to sustain their recovery. In answer to that, this was what Rick said:
So, ako ang ano ko don, wala akong pakialam don eh. Di koiniignore ko iyon kasi kung
magpapaapekto ako sa kanila, walang mangyayari ako di ko kailangang ipagkalat sa mga tao
na nagbago ako. Basta gagawin ko kung anong yung tama na alam ko So kung ang finofocus
mo iyong kung paano mo babaguhin sarili mo, kung paano ka umasenso, paano ka makitungo sa
mga kapwa mo, kung iyon ang finofocus mo, wala. Wala kang kailangang ipag-alala. Hindi mo
kailangang ipagkalat sa mga taong na nagbago ka kung di ipakita mo o i-act mo sa sarili mo

kung paano ano iyong natutunan mo sa loob ng rehab o kung paano ka magbago. Doon pa lang,
kahit di ka magsalita, nakikita na nila eh.
Apart from focusing on self recovery, another way some of the participants used was to pray to a higher
being.
Pray
Some participants said that they prayed when they think that they cannot do anything by
themselves. As one of them stated, Wala naman akong magagawa. All I could do is pray. There were
also those participants who seemed to really rely on prayer. One of them even said, Nagppray lang ako
palagi. Sa 1 week, may 4 times ako nagppray sa church. Other participants rely on prayer during the
times when they feel mabigat ang kalooban. Another participant also mentioned that he used prayers
to put my feet back on the ground because he thought that whenever he became mayabang it seemed
as if he reverted to his old ways.
Help Other People

What proved to be effective for other participants was to help other people. One of these
individuals even remarked, para saken ang pinaka shortcut talaga is you try to help other people, try to
be selfless. The other people they mostly referred to were newcomers or the people who just entered
or graduated rehab.
Tell the People Close to You

For one of the participants, he specifically stated that what really worked for him in sustaining his
recovery was to tell a loved one because, as he said, kailagan mong sabihin dun sa mga taong malapit
sayo. Sa pinsan mo o kaya sa mga magulang mo na nagccrave ka. Kailangan namin sabihin yun kasi sila
yung mga taong mag-aantabay sa akin.
Aside from techniques or strategies, there were also factors that contribute to recovery. These
factors could be seen in Table 8.
Table 8
Abstracted themes for Factors that Contribute to Recovery
Themes Frequency
Faith 27
Motivations 28
Support 13
Being Happy with Recovery 11
Remembering Life Before 5
Being Picky 3
Change Lifestyle 1
Themes about factors that contribute to recovery were also abstracted. The two most frequently
mentioned by the participants were Motivations and Faith. First to be tackled is Faith.
Faith
Some of the participants relied heavily on their High Power/God. They mentioned things like
kayo na po bahala and I-le-let go ko lang lahat sa Kanya. They recognize that there is a God whose
power is greater than theirs and so, ngayon, sa recovery, naniniwala kami na Siya lang ang
makakapagdrive ng buhay namin. Inaallow namin Siyang magdrive ng buhay namin some of the
participants who believe in Him also trust that He could help them: Ive learned to believe in my HP and
everything will go well. and naeenforce yung faith na that there is a higher power, there is a God, and
Hes working in everyones life. And if Hes working in their lives, siguro naman Hes also working on
mine. These participants also mentioned repeatedly that what helped was yung faith ko sa higher power
ko.
Motivations
Aside from faith, there were also motivational factors that the participants were able to mention.
Mainly, their motivations for fighting and continuing in their recovery are their family, dream, purpose,
and to retain the trust that they said, bumalik ulit .
There are different ways on how the family could be a source of motivation. One, the
participants wanted to avoid disappointments from their family. Two, whenever the participants see their
loved ones happy, that is what, as one of them said, yung nagpapatatag ngayon sa akin kaya ako
nagpapatuloy sa aking recovery. Three, they are motivated to change for their family members. As one
of these participants stated: From the beginning, they broke me down. Piece by piece and I eventually
built myself back up. And the only thing I could think about was my reason to get out and my reason to
do good was to be the older brother I never was to my little brother. To be the oldest son of my mother
that was helping her all the time.
Other participants are also fueled by their dreams. These was specifically seen in some of the
participants who were single. They said that there are still things that they want to happen in their lives
like building families of their own. As one of them said, I just have a dream. I just wanna be old. I wanna
see my kids have kids. I just wanna have my family. I just wanna be able to call a family reunion,
barbecue, hang out, drink, kwentuhan, kahit once a year lang, okay lang.
For others, they found this sense of purpose. Some of these purposes are still directed to the
family for example: purpose ko sa life. mapalaki ko yung mga bata, mga anak ko ng maayos. There
were also participants who mentioned that their purpose is to do their higher powers will or to help
others. This particular participant echoes the sentiments of those who live to do their Gods will and those
who live to help other people: for me, my purpose in life is to do my high powers will. And kumbaga,
marami siyang taong ginawang doktor, lawyer, abogado, basketball player. Ako ginawa nya kong PhD,
previously high on drugs, so yun yung forte ko.
It could also be observed how some participants, especially those who are still relatively new to
recovery had this kind of purpose: para sa bukas ko na kailangan meron naman akong mga goal, one
goal at a time lang din pala dapat, di ko pwedeng pagsaba sabayin, pero ngayon sa totoo lang focus ako
sa sarili ko lang muna talaga sa recovery ko.
Finally, they are motivated to not lose the trust of others again: Sabi ko nga kanina, na
nakakatulong sa recovery ko ngayon iyong mga taong nagbigay ulit sa akin ng tiwala.
Support
Another key factor is support. It could come from different sources based on the statements of the
participants. Some feel the support from family members: Unang-una suporta ng mga mahal ko sa
buhay kasi paglabas mo tas walang suporta sa family, palagay ko wala din. Support talaga.
Meanwhile, others get support from their very own support groups. These participants acknowledge how
valuable peer support is to them. They even see them as their second family. As Lou stated: Ayun lang
kinaggrateful ko at least nabigyan ako ng second family na matatakbuhan ko.
Moreover, this particular participant specifically mentioned how important support is:
Moral support is a very very big factor in recovery. If a person who is in recovery is not shown a sense
of need and if theyre not shown trust, and if theyre not shown in other words another chance at life to be
normal again, without being judged as a drug addict, mahihirapan siya because those are the biggest
things that we fear: rejection, discriminationIts just like how a gay would feel trying to tell his father
hes gay. You know, hes his son so he should try to accept him for who he is and love him no matter
what. Ganun din yung sa drug addict. A drug addict is still a person.
Being Happy with Recovery

Another thing that emerged to be important is being happy with the life in recovery. As one of the
participants mentioned: So number one really, you have to be happy in recovery kasi yung mga unang
nawawala, yung mga may hinahanap, yung mga di contented. Pero if you feel happy with your recovery,
bakit ka pa babalik? Whats there to go back to? The participants also mentioned how grateful they are
with their lives at present. As Bryan stated: very happy sa nangyayari sa buhay ko. Another participant
also said these words: Somehow parang mas nagkaroon ng point yung buhay ko eh parang naging
simple nalang yung buhay. That its uhh, naging mas masaya kasi I wont be alone anymore; I dont have
to be alone.
Remembering Life Before

Aside from being happy with recovery, some participants also mentioned that another thing that
helped them stay in recovery is seeing the newcomers. As Calvin said. Pagnakikita ko yung new comers,
it reminds me not to go back kasi magiging ganoon ka nanaman. Ang layo na ng napuntahan mo. Na earn
mo na yung trust, yung love, at you appreciate life more, di ba? Mawawala nanaman yun. Some of
them even mentioned that if they look back on their life before, it seemed so dark and so hard. Bryan also
mentioned that: Noon parang gray. Wala akong nakikitang maganda pero sa totoo lang, nandiyan lang
yung mga magaganda di ko lang nakikita. As these participants stated, there is no reason for them to go
back because now, they appreciate life. They appreciate how simple it has become as compared to how
their life was before. Mariah recounted, dati napakakomplikado ng buhay ko na parang maliit na bagay
lang pero parang napakalaki na pero ngayon sa programa tinuruan akong maging simple.
Being Picky
A certain factor that help a participant on the other hand was his being picky. He said,
masyadong maarte ako. His drug of choice was oxycodein, a certain type of oxycodon, according to
him. As he specified, I like a certain oxycodon. Isa lang. Blue na blue siya, thats the darkest of em all.
Thats the only one I would take. It could be seen here how particular he was on his so-called taste on
drugs.
Change Lifestyle
For another participant, she mentioned how for her, there should be a change in lifestyle in order
for her to continue in recovery. She said, hindi lang sya yung pagitigil sa droga buo ako to keep me
from coming back. Kasi I belive it's my attitude na pwede ring magtrigger sakin or kung nega akong tao,
or ungrateful akong tao can push me to go back on using.
After learning about all these factors that contribute to relapse, there are also things that the
participants learned from their experiences in addiction and now in recovery. Table 9 summarizes the
themes abstracted for learnings.
Table 9
Abstracted themes for Learnings
Themes Frequency
Apologize by Making Amends 3
Appreciate Little Things 2
Be Grateful and Content 6
To Love 9
Be Responsible 4
Learn from the Past 2
The Present is Very Important 2
Nothing is Permanent 1
Move Forward 3
These are the things the participants learned as they struggled through addiction towards
recovery. The most frequent themes found were that they learned to love and to be grateful. Going further,
the first learning to be discussed is apologizing by making amends.
Apologize by Making Amends

Calvin said: The best sorry that you could give them is trying to change, not to go back. Other
participants also echoed what Calvin said and one of them specifically mentioned this: making amends
with the family. ako, making amendsnot by saying sorry, it's an action. like sa mga anak ko, during the
time na nagdodroga ako, wala akong time for them, never akong nag-attend ng PTA meeting. ngayon ang
step 9 ko, by doing amends, I make it a point na andun ako for them. Nagaattend ako ng PTA meeting,
minsan nga late lang andun ako for them. Lagi ako sa school, so ayun yung pambawi ko.
Appreciate Little Things

According to Jay, what he learned was to appreciate all the little things. He also said that he had
to really appreciate and not take for granted the little things like Spending time with my family, enjoying
good food.
Be Grateful and Content

Some of the participants mentioned that being grateful and contented is important. According to
them, they learned to be thankful just by being alive and that the source of enjoyment is gratefulness.
Also, as one of them mentioned: dapat may gratitude saka contentment, kumbaga tinuruan din ako ng
programa na maging grateful sa kahit anong maliit na bagay kase dati wala akong gratitude, meron
nakong ganito di pa din ako kuntento. In support, another participant said this:
Matatakot na rin ako siguro. Masaya na ko ngayon eh. Pag iniba ko pa kase to baka iba pa
yung mangyari ehLike what I said kung failure siya noon tapos ngayon naging gold, if I try to
make it gold, baka maging failure siya ngayon eh, di ba? So, I try not to think about those things
anymore because its beyond my control. It would just give me thoughts of regretting things, but
the truth is, I dont really know what would really happen if I change this to that, di ba? It doesnt
mean na kapag binago ko yun eh magiging ganito ako or magbabago din yung buhay ko in a
good way. I dont know. The truth is, hindi ko talaga alam. So I just have to be contented in what
happened to me and be grateful that it happened.
To Love
A big lesson for some of the participants is to love. They said that they had a hard time relearning
how to love other and themselves since before recovery, they were selfish. Additionally, one of the said
that: unang una pala, natutunan kong mahalin yung sarili ko. tanggapin kung sino ako and that
according to other participants, this learning how to love oneself led to learning how to love other people
as well, especially those outside the family.
Be Responsible
Some participants said that they were taught responsibility. These participants said the following:
First of all you take responsibility para maiwasan yung justification, yung defending, talking about
other peopleyou own up for your thoughts, for your feelings. Use the I statement. You talk about
yourself and not about the other people and I told myself, if I ever do a mistake or a wrong, inaamin ko.
Im not gonna blame it on anybody. Im not gonna lie to myself and say nah, its their fault. I just take
responsibility now for everything that I do.
Learn from the Past

Some of them also learned to learn from the past. As one of them put it: You wont shut the door
of your past, you really have to learn from it. Dont forget it. Another participant said this: tapos yung
pinaka importante yung kahapon ko, history na saken, kailangan maging learning experience ko
kailangan mayroon akong natutunan kumbaga pwede ko siyang gamiting strength ko no na hindi ko na
kailangang balikan yung kahapon.
The Present is Very Important

Aside from learning from the past, a certain participants also learned about the significance of the
present. He said:
sa lahat ng napagdaanan ko ang natutunan ko Tama pala sila. Na kung ano man yung tinanim ko, yun
yung aking aanihin. So if I start planting while Im youngplant good thingswhen I get older, Ill be
reaping or sowing something thats good as well. whatever decisions I make today, it will always [affect]
the life I live tomorrow. So whats important is right here, right now, at this moment, in my decisions at
this moment, hindi yung kanina, hindi yung kahapon, or last week or last month. Hindi yung bukas, yung
next week, or yung next month. Its basically now. So a present is a gift. The present is a gift. So, its a
matter of how I will take advantage of this gift, how I will use it, di ba? Sa maganda ba, o sasayangin ko
ba, o hindi ko siyababalewalain ko na lang? Its up to me. So now, my life is full of choices.
Nothing is Permanent
Another lesson that was learned by one of the participants is that nothing is permanent. This
participant said the following words: everything is subject to change. Nothing is permanent. Places
change. People change. So kahit gaano pa kasama na yung isang tao, pwede siyang magbago. Its
possible.
Move Forward
Finally, a participant also learned that he has to move forward. He realized the importance of
forgiving and forgetting as he said: And the best thing I learned in rehab is to forgive and forget Just
forgive and forget and thats what just gets me through the day. Everyday, basta forgive and forget. He
also mentioned that aside from forgiving and forgetting, one also has to learn to look forward to the
future.
In summary, the data is organized within five categories. They are: Process of Recovery, Key
Experiences, Techniques or Strategies, Factors that Contribute to Recovery, and Learnings. Under each
are the various themes abstracted from the pakikipagkwentuhan.
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APPENDIX A
Informed Consent
Research: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study on the Recovery from Substance Abuse
Researcher: Isabela Katrina Malonzo
Purpose of the Study
The study aims to understand the transformational process an individual underwent in order to
escape from the clutches of addiction. It also aims to identify what factors contributed to their
recovery and to determine those that continue to help them up until the present.
What would be expected of you?
If you agree to participate in the study, you will be invited to take part in a pakikipagkwentuhan
session where in you can share your experiences and stories of what it was like to go through
substance abuse and to be able to triumph over it. Aside from that, you will be able to share your
transformational story as well as the tale about the life you have created after.
What will happen during the pakikipagkwentuhan?
The pakikipagkwentuhan session shall be recorded in order to preserve the essence of the
thoughts or ideas of participants to ensure the accuracy of the data gathered
You can ask the researcher to turn off the recorder at any point in the pakikipagkwentuhan
Only the researchers would have access to the recorded data
During the pakikipagkwentuhan, the researcher shall ask some questions should there be some
things to be clarified or that could probably be elaborated upon
You have the choice not to answer or not to elaborate on something if you do not want to do so
Your confidentiality shall be honored at all times
If you would like someone to accompany you during the pakikipagkwentuhan session, then, we
could arrange this prior to the meeting
All the information will be used for academic purposes alone
Contact Information of Researcher
If you have any questions about the project, you may reach the researcher on her mobile number or via
email:
Isabela Katrina Malonzo
0906 880 2497
isabelakatrina@gmail.com
APPENDIX A
Informed Consent
I _____________________ hereby agree to participate in the study to be conducted by Isabela Katrina

Malonzo, a student from the University of the Philippines Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga, and I
understand that by signing this, I allow my thoughts, experiences and feelings on addiction, recovery, and
transformation to be recorded.
I acknowledge that:
My confidentiality would be guaranteed all through out the research project
I have the right to discontinue my participation without any repercussions
My rights would be respected
All of the statements above will be observed and executed
Signature ___________________
Date _________________
APPENDIX B
Interview Guide
Experience during addiction

Turning point
Process of recovery
people involved
description of experience
challenges/hardships
way/s in which these were dealt/managed
effective in preventing relapse
Story about the life after
purpose in life
impact of recovery/transformation to the people around the individual
relationships
Motivations in recovery/sustaining recovery
Learnings/takeaways
Substance previously dependent on
Number of years in recovery
APPENDIX C
Genograms
APPENDIX C
Genograms
APPENDIX C
Genograms
APPENDIX C
Genograms
APPENDIX D
Profiles
Format:
Name
- Drug/Substance previously dependent to
- Length of time addicted to the substance
- Length of time in recovery
- Approach used by rehab or facility they were last admitted to
Facenda
- Shabu
- 17 years
- 3 months
- Faith-based Rehabilitation Center
Bryan
- Shabu and alcohol
- 18 years
- 2 years
- 12-step orientation employed by facility
Paul
- Shabu
- 14 years
- 22 years
Rick
- Shabu
- 7 years
- 5 years
- Community-based rehab
Marie
- Shabu
- 16 years
- 10 years
Lou
- Shabu
- 4 years
- 1 year and 4 months
-12-step orientation employed by facility
APPENDIX D
Profiles
Allen
- Marijuana
-
- 20 years
Mariah
- Shabu
- 19 years
- 11 months
Jay
- Oxycodein
- 4 years
- 2 years
- Community-based rehab
Calvin
- Shabu and Alcohol
- 18 years (shabu); 23 years (alcohol)
- 5 years

Phenomenology (Intro To Results)

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Recovery from Drug Abuse 1

A Phenomenological Study on the Recovery from Drug Abuse

to the Applied Psychology Program of the

University of the Philippines Diliman

Extension Program in Pampanga

of the Requirements for the

Degree of Bachelor of Arts

Major in Applied Psychology

Isabela Katrina T. Malonzo

Significance of the Study

Scope and Delimitations

Addiction and Treatment

III. Some Notes for Methodology

Figure 1. Conceptual Diagram

There was no occurrence of a relapse during the period considered to be in recovery.

Data Collection Method

Jay Male 24 - Angeles City

Figure 2. Civil Status

High School Graduate

Figure 3. Educational Attainments

Jay - 16, 000

Jay middle class

Jay Lower Middle

Developed a Relationship with God

Have a Proper Mindset

One Day at a Time

Focus on Self Recovery

kailangang ipagkalat sa mga taong na nagbago ka kung di ipakita mo o i-act mo sa sarili mo

Help Other People

Tell the People Close to You

Being Happy with Recovery

Remembering Life Before

Apologize by Making Amends

Appreciate Little Things

Be Grateful and Content

Learn from the Past

The Present is Very Important

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. Readings on the development of

Piedmont, R. L. (2004). Spiritual transcendence as a predictor of psychosocial outcome from an

What is research design?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nyu.edu/classes/bkg/methods/005847ch1.pdf

Research: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study on the Recovery from Substance Abuse

Researcher: Isabela Katrina Malonzo

Purpose of the Study

What would be expected of you?

What will happen during the pakikipagkwentuhan?

Contact Information of Researcher

I _____________________ hereby agree to participate in the study to be conducted by Isabela Katrina

Experience during addiction

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