Addiction and recovery from whoonga : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lifeworld of youth from INK townships "in recovery” = Ukubhenywa noku simama ekubhemeni iwunga : kuhlungwa ngokuhlolisisa nge-phenomenology ehumushayo umhlaba wezimpilo zentsha yasemalokishini ase-INK “esimamayo”.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
In dealing with a rampant increase in addiction to whoonga or nyaope, a heroin variant drug that
has taken hold amongst Black youth in South African townships, the employment of addiction
treatment that includes harm reduction measures is advanced. Complementary to these
approaches, this study speaks to addictions to whoonga from an ecological perspective, a macro
level approach concerned with eliminating addictions by identifying their root causes. In seeking
solutions and intervention from the environment that begets addictions, recovery draws empirical
evidence from overcoming addiction, a science of factors prompting, sustaining, and supporting
abstinence and long-term recovery. This is a person-centred approach that begins with an
understanding of recovery from experiences of those “in recovery”, people who are in the process
of resolving their addiction issues, to advance interventions that people would identify and be
familiar with.
To make sense of addiction and recovery from whoonga from the perspective of those
who were involved, six young Black African males between the ages of 20 and 33, who had
desisted from whoonga use for an average of 3.3 years, were recruited from the communities of
Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu (INK) townships, north-west of Durban. Participants were
recruited through snowballing, and by using advertisements. Participants were interviewed indepth,
and one-on-one at their original homes, using semi-structured interviews. These interviews
were guided by an interview schedule derived from literature on addiction treatment, self-change
models, as well as recovery frameworks. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts
were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology
derived from hermeneutic phenomenology that was developed within psychology to add an
idiographic component. To understand what addiction and recovery from whoonga meant for
participants, four superordinate themes: becoming iphara, being iphara, curative confrontations
(becoming human) and nurturing potentials (approximating citizenship), guided discussions.
Results show that addiction to whoonga transformed participants in profound and
deleterious ways. Addiction was characterised by a state of being iphara, a term that describes
the embodiment of dedicated whoonga use. While whoonga addiction was initiated in pursuit of
pleasure, escaping difficult life situations, and boredom, and where the influence of friends and
peers dominated, it soon became a burden that began with the body becoming the site for pain.
The state of being a whoonga addict is described as a preoccupation with the drug and the now,
in which there is a deficiency of care for oneself, others, and other life concerns. Largely because
of crime committed in the pursuit of the next fix, whoonga addicts are marginalized and ostracised by the community and family members. Other than isolation, to be an iphara is a
perilous and precarious lifestyle, in which vigilante attacks from the community retaliating would
put addicts’ lives and the lives of those close to them in danger. Arrests presented criminal records
with huge implications for future employability. Recovery from whoonga was founded on
survival instincts and a sense of self-preservation when difficult conditions as an addict were
presented to participants’ lives. The crossroads within whoonga addiction lives jolted participants
to the correct orientation to the truth, demanding reorientation to the present, that involved the
evaluation of the past and concerns with the future. Although desistance can be coerced, an inner
resolve to end addiction lives was deemed necessary; and such bolstered courage to attempt
desistance. Desistance involved the use of Methadone: this was difficult particularly for
participants who desisted from whoonga use without recourse to medication and professional
help. Recovery marks a sense of growing and maturing; taking responsibility for oneself and
others, which are efforts of becoming umuntu/human; making amends with peers, family
members, and the community.
Participants in this study present evidence of overcoming whoonga addiction. They offer
an opportunity for the emergence of recovery support in the creation of peer recovery-support
groups. Participants would model recovery, presenting hope to those addicted and the
community, that overcoming whoonga addiction is a reality. Such should alleviate stigma and
create pressure on the unwilling. Peer-recovery groups provide communities of former whoonga
addicts with a place to go to. Such communities are best positioned to support early recovery
experiments in empathic and non-judgemental ways. To filter preventative measures,
reorientation of youth to traditional African ways that support and bolster a sense of pride in who
they are, is necessary. Instilling mechanisms of earning membership to the community, and
guidance on navigating transition to adulthood, for example, rites of passage amongst youth,
would be necessary. The message is that actions and behaviours reverberate, affecting their
communities. For youth to understand the plight of own communities, teaching individual
responsibility to the health and welfare of communities, is important for prevention. Iqoqa locwaningo
Ekuhlahleni indlela iNingizimu Afrika ezobhekana ngayo nokubhebhetheka kokusetshenziswa
kwesidakamizwa esibizwa ngewunga noma i-nyaope, nokuyisidakwamizwa se-heroin exutshiwe
esesithathe isizinda kwintsha eMnyama ehlala emalokishini, kuhlongozwa ukulandelwa
kwezinhlelo eziphakamisa ukusetshenziswa kokulashwa kwezidakamizwa umhlabawonke
nezifaka izinhlelo ezehlisa umonakalo odalwa izidakamizwa. Ekuhlangabezeni ngokulekelela
lezizindlela, lolucwaningo lubheka ukubhenywa kwalesisidakamizwa ngokusibheka
ngokwesimo semvelo, nokuyindlela ebanzana efaka ukuqedwa kokubhenywa kwezidakamizwa
ngokuthola izimbangela eziyizinzika edala ukubhenywa kwezidakamizwa. Ukuthola izixazululo
nendlela okungangenelelwa ngayo ngokwezendawo edala ukuhuqwa kwalezizidakamizwa,
ukusimama ezidakamizweni kuhlongoza ukuqhakambiswa kwezindlela abantu abasimama
ngayo ekubhemeni izidakamizwa, nokuyisayensi yokusimama efaka ukuthi yini eyenza abantu
baqalise ukusimama, bakulondoloze futhi balekeleleke ukuthi baziyeke futhi baqhubeke
bengazibhemi izidakamizwa. Lokhu kubeka phambili umuntu ombandakenyayo, okuqala
ngokuthi siqondisise kahle ukuthi abantu abasimamayo, nabaziyekile izidakamizwa benzenjani,
ukuze sikwazi ukuthola izisombululo ezizojwayeleka kubantu ngoba zisuselwa kulokho
abakwaziyo nokwenzekayo ezimpilweni zabo.
Ukuqondisisa kahle ukubhuqabhuqwa nokusimama ekubhuqwabhuqweni ukubhema
iwunga kususelwa kwizindlela abayibona ngayo labo abambandakanyekileyo, izinsizwa
eziMnyama eziyisithupha ebezineminyaka esukela kwamashumi amababili kuya kumashumi
amathathu nantathu, nababesebeyiyekile ukuyibhema iwunga isikhathi esingangeminyaka
emithathu nezinyanga ezintathu sebebonke, batholakale kumphakathi wamalokishi aseNanda,
eNtuzuma naKwaMashu, kwinyakatho ntshonalanga yeTheku. Ababambe iqhaza
kulolucwaningo batholakala ngokuthi bamemane, kwasetshenziswa nezikhangiso. Kwaxoxwa
nabo kabanzi kwizinkulumo ubuso nobuso besemakubo. Lezizingxoxo zazingakhululekile
ngokuphelele ngoba zazilandela imibuzo eyayihleliwe. Lemibuzo ehleliwe yasuselwa
kwimibhalo nezingcwaningo ezidlule kwizifundo zokulashwa kokubhuqabhuqwa izidakamizwa,
ukuziguqula kwabantu ngokwabo kanye nakwizinhlaka zokusimama ezidakamizweni.
Lezizingxoxo zaqoshwa zabhalwa phansi umcwaningi. Lemibhalo yabe isihunyushwa
kusetshenziswa i-interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), nokuyindlela yokucwaninga
e-qualitative, esuselwa kuhlobo lwe-phenomenology ehumushayo eyabe isifakwa ukuhluza iidiography
ngaphansi kwazo izimfundiso zoMoya. Ukuthi ingenziwa njani lendaba yewunga
izosuselwa kwizinhlaka zokusimama. Ukuqondisisa ukubhenywa nokusimama ekubhemeni
ADDICTION AND RECOVERY FROM WHOONGA: AN IPA
vi
iwunga, kuzosetshenziwa lezizingqikithi ezikhuluma ngo: Ukuqala ube iphara; Uma usuyiphara,
Ukunqwamana nezimo ezinzima kodwa ezilulamisayo (Usuqala uba umuntu), bese kuba
ukwenza izinto eziqhubekisela phambili impilo uzokwazi ukubuyela usebenze njengomuntu
ojwayelekile (okungukwenza izinto ezisimamisayo neziwubuntu).
Imiphumela yalolucwaningo itshengisa ukuthi ukubhuqwabhuqwa iwunga
kwabashintsha ngendlela egxilayo nenemiphumela emibi kubona siqu sabo, nokuchazwa
njengokuba iphara nokungukuba isimo sobuhambuma. Nakuba ukuqala ukubhema iwunga
kwakungukuhubha intokozo nokuthanda izinto, kubalekelwa izimo ezinzima emakhaya nesimo
sokungenzi lutho, lapho kudlange ukushomana nokuthokozisa abangani, iwunga yabe isisuka iba
umthwalo, okwaqala ngomzimba usugqamisa ukuba sezinhlungwini. Ukuba iphara kuchazwa
njengokunaka iwunga kuphela nentokozo yamanje, lapho umuntu akasenandaba naye, abanye
abantu kanye nokwenza ezinye izinto ezibalulekile empilweni. Ngenxa yobugebengu, ukuba
iphara kusho ukunyongozwa umphakathi nemindeni, bakukhiphela ngaphandle. Ngaphandle
kokunyongozeka, ukuba iphara impilo enobungozi lapho intukuthelo yomphakathi ongahlasela
ubeke impilo yakho kanye neyomndeni wakho encupheni kungenzeka. Uma beboshwa babuya
benamarekhodi obugebengu okwenza kubenzima ukuqasheka. Ukusimama ukubhema iwunga
kutholakala lapho impilo isikubhincisela nxanye sekusele ukuzisindisa wena sekufike izimo
ezinzima ezihambisana nokuphila impilo yokubhema iwunga. Lesisimo sokukhetha
sihlokolozwa ukuzibuzisisa nokubheka impilo ngendlela eyiqiniso ephoqa ukuthi umuntu abuke
isimo lapho ekhona, abuke emuva bese ecabanga ngekusasa. Nakuba ukushiya iwunga
kungaphoqwa, uma kusuka ngaphakathi kuyaye kumthwale umuntu ukuthi amelane nezinhlungu
zokuyeka. Kwasetshenziswa i-Methadone ukuyeka iwunga, kunzima kakhulu ukuyiyeka,
ikakhulukazi kulabo abavele bayeka bengasebenzisanga muthi bangaya nakwabezempilo.
Ukusimama kunokufana nokukhula, uyimele impilo ubenendaba nokuzinakekela unakekele
nalabo abaseduze kwakho, okuyimizamo yokuba umuntu, uphinde uzwane nabantu, imindeni,
abangani kanye nomphakathi
Ababambiqhaza basivezela ubufakazi bokuyekeka kwewunga. Basinika ithuba lokuqala
izindlela zokulekelela labo abafuna ukuyiyeka, kanye nalabo esebeyiyekile, bengabuyeli.
Bangahlahla indlela etshengisa abanye ukuthi iwunga iyayekeka. Bangahlanganyela ndawonye
basize laba abasandakuyiyeka ngendlela engezobanyongoza bezozwelana nabo ngosizi
abalwaziyo bonke. Ukubhenywa kwewunga emalokishini kuqeda isithunzi, lapho uma ubuntu
bufundiswa kwintsha kungaveza izindlela zokuziphatha, nokubaluleke ekuqhubekezeleni
umphakathi phambili. Lokhu kungasiza ukuthi balulame nokuthi bengayiqali nokuyiqala iwunga.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.