A utilização das redes sociais como ferramenta de apoio no combate ao consumo abusivo de drogas psicoativas

Abstract

In Brazil, the use of psychoactive drugs is growing, in particular, the use of crack cocaine. The Brazilian Association for Studies of Alcohol and Other Drugs (ABEAD) (2004) states that psychoactive drugs most widely and frequently used are: marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, amphetamines, alcohol, tobacco, benzodiazepines and other tranquilizers. A large increase can also be noted in the number of people using the internet worldwide, increasing the flow of information on a global scale. Economic and interpersonal relations, which in the past required personal contact, have continually undergone reformulations and changes, and may often occur today in the virtual environment. Currently, many drug users have difficulty in accessing units of CAPS-ad (Psycho-Social Services Center – Drugs & Alcohol) of the Unified Health System (SUS) to start their treatment and get free from addiction. The objectives of this study were to create the page in the online social network called "Getting Free from Drugs" (FLD) to provide outreach to drug users to undergo treatment; to evaluate the success of outreach to users of psychoactive drugs via social networking sites; to describe the profile of drug users seeking support in social networks; and to identify and analyze the difficulties encountered by users of psychoactive drugs when starting treatment at the CAPS-ad. Exploratory study using a quantitative and qualitative approach was developed to assess the importance of social networks (via the internet), as a support mechanism to combat the abuse of psychoactive drugs. Facebook was the social network of choice for the study. It is hoped that the results of this study may contribute to improve outreach to drug users through online social networks to minimize drug abuse.