Empirical Pathways and Drivers of Substance Abuse in Osun State, Nigeria: Insights from Survivors in a Rehabilitation Home

Even though there is an increase in policy and programmatic interventions to address substance abuse in Nigeria, empirical studies have failed to address the experiences of survivors, especially those who are found in the rehabilitation facilities. The multifaceted relations of the social, psychological, and environmental factors, which contribute to the process of substance initiation, persistence, and, at the same time, dependence, make it possible to investigate the phenomenon through the prism of the worldviews of its survivors. To this end, this paper examines the trajectories and predispositions of using substances by those being treated in a rehabilitation facility in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The study employed an exploratory qualitative model that was informed by the Social Learning Theory put forward by Bandura. The sample was 13 substance abuse survivors and two health officials in the treatment programme of the centre. In-depth interviews of the survivor and key-informant interviews of the health professional were used to gather the data supported by the pertinent empirical literature, policy documents and public-health records. The learning mechanisms that were focused on in thematic analysis included the observational, imitative, reinforcement, and normalisation of substance use through social networks. Analytic results of the research showed that peer influence, family instability, socioeconomic deprivation, psychological distress, and accessibility of psychoactive substances significantly influence substance- use behaviours among survivors. The peer groups became the most significant channel to substance use, and the familial backgrounds either sustained further consumption or discouraged it. Underlying systemic aspects such as unemployment, lack of well-built social support mechanisms, emotional tensions, and lack of effective regulatory frameworks in place continued to increase vulnerability and perpetuated use. Therefore, this paper has found that substance use amongst survivors is a socially acquired and practised behaviour. It consequently supports comprehensive intervention measures involving the incorporation of the strategies of survivor-based rehabilitation, empowering family and peer support, and implementing more extensive structural changes.