An individual with a history of substance use/substance use disorder (we recommend that you interview a person in recovery).

An individual with a history of substance use/substance use disorder (we recommend that you interview a person in recovery).

 B. Interview Guide:

First, thank the interviewee for participation and indicate that the information they provide is confidential.

Use the following key questions to conduct your interview:

1) To start, please tell me a little bit about yourself. 

        a) If interviewing a person with a history of substance use/substance use disorder, ask about their  experiences with drug use and addiction and their attempts accessing services for treatment. Probing questions for  individuals with history of substance use/substance use disorder:

            1.a_1: Tell me about your drug use history, how you started using different types of drugs and how your use changed over time?

            1.a_2: What are your experiences accessing substance use treatment services? What types of treatment did you attend, if any? What were your

                   experiences like? 

            1.a_3: Tell me about your attempts to quit your drug use/recover from substance use disorder. What challenges did you face, and what helped you?

        b) If interviewing a professional /service provider,  ask about their professional background and experiences working  in the field of substance use prevention/treatment and/or law enforcement. Probing questions for professionals:

     1.b_1:  How long have you been working in this field (with persons who use substances)?

     1.b_2: What type of clients do you serve/see? What types of substance use and other health issues do they face?

     1.b_3: What types of services do you provide?

2) What are some of the primary reasons that lead individuals to engage in drug use behaviors and develop addiction? Why? 

3) What do you consider to be the most significant drug problems in your region/city/area? Why?

4) If you had to select three psychoactive drugs that you consider to be the most problematic and harmful, what would they be and why? 

5) What are the most important factors that help people recover from addiction?

6) What policies, services and prevention/intervention programs are needed to help reduce drug use problems in your region/city/area or state?

You may add a few additional questions as needed to clarify and follow-up on participant responses.