Resumo

ROCHA, Mary Lança Alves da; GUIMARAES, Maria Beatriz Lisboa  e  CUNHA, Marize Bastos da. The process of recovery from drug misuse in the Assembly of God Pentecostal church. Interface (Botucatu) [online]. 2012, vol.16, n.40, pp. 177-190.  Epub 12-Abr-2012. ISSN 1414-3283.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1414-32832012005000012.

A variety of drug misuse-related problems in Brazilian society have been described in the literature. Religious institutions have emerged as a place for recovery, within this context. This paper presents the results from a study that aimed to understand the process of recovery from drug misuse experienced by believers at the Assembly of God Pentecostal church, in a low-income community in Rio de Janeiro. The qualitative method was applied, including semi-structured interviews and participative observation. Ten Assembly of God believers, who sought the church due to drug misuse-related problems, were interviewed. Content analysis was performed, to seek linked meanings in their discourse. The results showed the church's motivations in taking an interest in drug- user rehabilitation, and the users' interest in seeking out the church, thus indicating that the recovery process involves both totalizing and individualizing elements.

Palavras-chave : Religion; Drug-related disorders; Poverty areas; Social support.