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Greater freedom of choice with Internet rehabilitation

2007.04.16 by Jan Fredrik Frantzen

For several years, people who used to have problems with substance misuse have used the Internet to meet each other and to share their experiences. Does this work just as well as traditional face-to-face meetings?

The question is posed by PhD research fellow Trond Nergaard Bjerke at the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine. He has experience in using self-help groups for people with substance misuse problems himself – and he knows about the importance of follow-up for success in ending the habit.

E-mail meetings

Bjerke explains that there is only one e-mail group or Internet group of this type in Norwegian, where the members meet once a week. This group has 60 members, and Bjerke will interview 10 of them in depth to find out more about their experiences of this form of exchange.

"As a rule, these are the 'invisible misusers', or about 90% of those who misuse drugs and alcohol. Often, they are people who are rich in resources, with a family, a job, and a well-functioning social network."

"As many of them are 'successful citizens', they also have a great deal to lose if they reveal that they are struggling with substance misuse problems," he continues.

Bjerke began his Ph.D. research in 2005. At that stage, he contacted the members of the e-mail group alphamail. But they also have an "open forum" where they can post messages throughout the week.

Using the Internet gives greater freedom of choice, says Trond Nergaard Bjerke at the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine.

Easier to write

So far, the interviews that he has conducted show that it can be positive to use the Internet for meeting each other and exchanging experiences.

"Most people start with ordinary face-to-face meetings, and then some of them join the e-mail group as well. So these 'cyber-meetings' provide an important additional service for many people who have problems with substance misuse."

Several of the participants also find it easier to write than to express themselves orally. They have time to think about what they have written before they send it to the others, and they do not have to relate to the body language of the other people in the group.

This can make it easier for them to tell the group how they really feel. And those who want to can stay completely anonymous, so that they can reveal their problems – but not their identities – if they choose.

"What many of them highlight as the most positive aspect of this system is that they can choose the type of meetings that suit them best, via e-mail or in person through an association, depending on their family situation and how they work", concludes Bjerke.

The Northern Norway Regional Health Authority is funding the PhD research. Bjerke began the project in 2005, and the thesis is scheduled for completion in 2008. The work is taking place in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University in Tromsø.

Contact person at the NST

If you would like to find out more about Internet use in rehabilitation programmes for people experiencing problems with substance misuse, you can contact department leader Ernst Kloosterman at mobile telephone +47 957 43 945.

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