Comparison of Recovery Capital in Patients with Alcohol and Opioid Dependence – An Exploratory Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Psychiatry and NDDTC, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

10.22122/AHJ.2022.196722.1314

Abstract

Background: Recovery capital helps in the assessment of the personal strengths and challenges that exist in 
an individual with substance use which may have an impact on recovery process. This study aims at finding 
out the factors which help such individuals to sustain their recovery and how these factors differ across the 
two groups of people suffering from Alcohol Dependence Syndrome and Opioid Dependence Syndrome.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational was designed where sociodemographic and clinical variables, the 
recovery capital ARC (Assessment of Recovery Capital) Scale and Severity of substance use SDS (Severity of 
Dependence) Scale of patients diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS group) and those with 
Opioid Dependence Syndrome (ODS group) were assessed among patients not reporting withdrawal 
symptoms.

Findings: A total of 49 subjects in the ODS group and 30 subjects in the ADS group were enrolled. The 
majority of the subjects in both groups were married, belonged to urban areas, practiced Hinduism, and were 
living in nuclear families. There was a significant difference between the educational status (p<0.001), 
religion practiced (p<0.001), age of onset of dependence (p<0.001), severity of dependence (p=0.11), and 
duration of abstinence (p<0.001) between the ADS and ODS groups. The mean scores on ARC Scale were 
45.9 (S.D. =3.5) in the ODS group and 47.4 (S.D. =4.3) in the ADS group. ADS group had higher scores in 
Social Support Domain (p=0.034) and Housing and Safety domain (p=0.025). Other domains like global 
health, citizenship, meaningful activities, risk-taking, coping, and recovery experience did not significantly 
differ between the groups.

Conclusion: This study aims at comparing the recovery capital of ADS patients with ODS patients. It also 
suggests that tailored treatment plans for people with ADS and ODS especially in housing and social support 
and common treatment approach in other domains of recovery will help them sustain the state for a longer 
term.

Keywords

Addiction & Health
Volume 14, Issue 2
April 2022
Pages 105-14

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