Numerous reports of the effectiveness of methadone in reducing opiate use as well as mortality, criminality, prostitution and the risk for HIV-infection have been published during the last forty years. However, poor adherence to treatment, continuing drug use and increasing rate of premature termination may lead to less than optimal outcome results or in too many cases death. The aim of this paper is to investigate which of the background variables, collected at the admission procedure, that can be used to tell which type of patient will adhere to the treatment regime and succeed or who will fail and who either need special considerations or ought not to be accepted for a methadone treatment (MMT). As much as 86 percent of the compliers in this study did benefit from the treatment and were rated as medium to very much improved according to CGI-I. The group not improved or worse had significantly more background problems such as school problems, a history of non-opioid abuse, many non-MMT treatment episodes, low age at drug debut and opioid debut than the group much or very much improved. Those moderately improved is usually situated somewhere in between the others.

Although methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been shown to be effective, poor compliance is always a threat. It has often been pointed out that one variable that inevitably reduces adherence to treatment regimes is the negative side-effects of the treatment. This study examines seventeen known side-effects in a sample of 110 former opiate addicts consecutively admitted to methadone maintenance treatment. Self-reported side-effects were collected through a questionnaire. Despite the considerable increase, from 23 to 74% of the sample, in the proportion that reported individual side-effects between the period of opiate use and that of methadone treatment, the overall result was a significant decrease in eleven symptoms, no change in four and a substantial increase in only two. In some individuals a symptom that is liable to be problematic actually does become problematic, while the same symptom becomes less frequent in the group as a whole. Weight gain is the symptom that increases most in the whole group and needs to be constantly monitored. Other side-effects that remain high and need to be kept under review in clinical practice are nervousness, decreased libido, daytime drowsiness, constipation and perspiration.

Background: In Sweden it´s estimated that 29,500 people have developed a problematic drug abuse. Drugs affect the parts of the brain that affect feelings of desire and pleasure. Drugs are addictive, harmful to health and affects the whole person. The society’s stigma against people who have substance abuse can lead to alienation, inferiority and reduced tendency to seek hospital treatment.

Aim: The aim of this literature review were to describe nurses' attitudes and their experience of meeting people who have a substance use disorder and to describe the selected articles method of data collection.

Method: A literature study with descriptive design. Eleven articles was included in the study, 4 questionnaire, 1 questionnaire with an open question and 6 interviews. The search of the articles were carried out in the databases Cinahl and Pubmed.

Findings: Nurses have different attitudes about the cause of substance use, some considered it to be because of lack of responsibility and others because of life circumstances. Nurses described people who have a substance use disorder as manipulative, violent and demanding, which was based on previous experiences. Other nurses had a more holistic approach and saw the person behind the substance use. Honesty and straightforwardness were important factors in meeting people with substance use disorder. Education and previous experience were important to the nurse's attitudes and experience.

Conclusion: Experience, humanity and education played a major part in the interaction between the nurse and the person who has a substance use disorder. Where there is lack of education and experience feelings of distrust and frustration lead to rejection. Positive attitudes were linked to the nurse's ability to have a holistic approach and openness toward people who have a substance use disorder.

The purpose of this study was to investigate life goals through an autobiographical memory perspective in people with addiction problems. They had already undergone detoxification and were drug- alcohol- free. No difference was shown in past and future life goals. Nor was there any difference in how the participants had succeeded in these goals. However, participants were shown to fail most with life goals related to close relationships. The study also showed that participants remembered more future than past life goals. Finally, it was shown that most of their autobiographical self- grounding memories were of negative valance.

Background: 2% of the Swedish population have a drug addiction and 3,8% have an alcohol addiction. Being addicted to alcohol and drugs entails several risks for both health and social problems and is very costly for society and healthcare. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to describe the nurse´s experience of caring for people with addiction problems. Method: A descriptive literature study based on ten qualitative scientific articles. The literature search was conducted on the PubMed database and the articles were analyzed using Evans´ data analysis method. Main result: The result showed that a large part of the nurse´s experience was about certain challenges in caring for people with addiction problems. However, the result also highlighted some opportunities for good care encounters, as well as nurses' feelings of frustration and hopelessness in care encounters. Conclusion: The nurse's experience of caring for people with addiction problems consisted of some of challenges, opportunities, and personal feelings. Increased knowledge can be an important part of understanding a complex patient group like this. Increased knowledge is necessary for the nurse to feel confident and secure in their role of caring for people with addiction problems. In the end, this may mean that care becomes better and safer for people with addiction problems.

This study analyzes how an individual constructs his life as a former amphetamine user. The study has a methodological purpose, providing an example of how narrative analysis and discourse analysis can be conducted and combined. First, an interview with a former amphetamine user in his 50s was analyzed by the narrative method with a focus on identity construction. Second, it was then examined from a discourse analytical perspective. The article demonstrates how discourse analysis and narrative analysis could be combined when analyzing identity constructions.

Since the 1960s, the media in Western Europe and the United States has been one important actor in the public understanding of the drug phenomenon. In Russia, however, it is only since the 1980s that illegal drugs have been discussed in the media and this discussion remains on-going today. By using narrative analysis, this article focuses on how illegal drug use among young people is constructed in the Russian press. As a result of the narrative analysis, three main discourses were identified: a foreign problem discourse, a disease discourse, and a medical discourse.