Role of Sexual Issues in Relapse of Substance Abuse: A Qualitative Study

Background and purpose: Sexual dysfunction due to constant use of opioid has always been a major problem for drug abusers after quitting and it increases the risk of relapse of substance abuse. Therefore, current study was conducted to determine the role of sexual function in relapse of substance abuse. Materials and methods: A qualitative method was performed in Zahedan, Iran, 2017. Cases with rich information who were willing to participate in the study were selected using purposive sampling. Sampling was done until data saturation and 22 participants were selected. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded and verbatim transcription was done. Directed content analysis was applied for data analysis. Results: In this study, 9(41%) people were single. Among the participants 13(59%) used opioids and 9 (49%) used crystals. The main themes extracted, included improvements in sexual function, lust and sexual desire, and frequency and duration of sexual intercourse. Most of the cases used substance to improve premature ejaculation and increase the frequency of sexual activity. They reported marriage and family loyalty, religious beliefs and improvements in economic conditions as the most important solutions to avoid relapse of substance abuse. Conclusion: Sexual issues play a major role in relapse of drug abuse. Educating sexual skills and appropriate management of sexual problems alongside lifestyle modifications could be effective in supporting these people.