The health issues returned and at that time it became clear that something more drastic had to be made. The subject eventually stopped to go out with the same people. This, together with the pressure coming from other friends and the family contributed to slowly changing his mind about drug abuse. The main person who helped the subject greatly was represented by the girlfriend. She was an occasional user of the same drug and when the situation worsened visibly she stopped using the drug and offered the interviewed person a lot of emotional support. She also tried to make him analyze the situation in objective terms. I believe that the fact that she left him when he started reusing drugs after the first period of recovery was an important factor which contributed to the development of the situation " She just left. And this is how I realized how big my problem was. I loved a drug more than a woman. When I realized this I also saw that I had neglected my studies, that I did not care about my future and that I was doing nothing but hurting...
Addiction is not an easy thing. I still liked the drug more than anything else, but I just could not stand the idea of being more affectionate of a thing like that than of a human being. It crossed my mind that what I was doing was nothing but a big mistake and I started taking things more seriously."
The part that I found most difficult was to ask such intimate questions. The interviewed person must have felt exposed. I sensed a slight negative emotional reaction when I tried to underline the importance of the subject belonging to a certain ethnic group. The most difficult part of the interview was that when he assumed responsibility for his actions. He felt guilty and weak. The most compelling thing I learned was the extremely powerful influence that the group of friends have upon the individual. I learned that it is very challenging to control my own emotions during the interview while still empathizing with the interviewed person. Both cover terms and descriptors were identified and interpreted.
