Person with a migration background who use drugs can find themselves in a vulnerable position for various reasons. First-generation migrants may carry a heavy burden due to their migration reasons and trajectory. Additionally, they may also face various stressors related to their migration background post-migration and unequal access to various forms of social, personal, and community capital. The latter is also applicable to persons with a second-generation migration background. For persons with a migration background who use drugs, this can result in unequal access to healthcare and substance use treatment due to practical or emotional barriers (e.g., lack of proper documentation, linguistic or cultural barriers). Even when they navigate their way to healthcare, many people with a migration background still drop out because healthcare is often insufficiently tailored to the diverse reality of society. However, there are various ways to increase access to recovery resources and quality care for persons with a migration background. Furthermore, alternative frames of reference compared to the current often westro-centric view on recovery and treatment, can uncover recovery capital that might otherwise be overlooked. Hence, in recent years, the research group on recovery and addiction has conducted several studies to examine substance use recovery and accessibility to quality care for persons with a migration background.

Aline Pouille defended her doctoral thesis titled "Recovery from problem substance use among persons with a migration background and ethnic minorities: an analysis of lived experiences” in September 2023. This research qualitatively explored recovery capital among individuals with a migration background (mainly 1st and 2nd generation) in Flanders, examining how it can be affected by personal, social, and community factors, as well as identifying which recovery capital can support addiction recovery and how these strengths can be better addressed in treatment. This was done through the exploration of scientific literature, the lived experiences of a diversity of persons with a migration background, and a co-creative research with an experiential expert on the continuum of care for people with an Islamic migration background.

Furthermore, the research group contributed to a European study regarding the support of first-generation migrants who use drugs and live in vulnerable situations in Europe, due to, for example, homelessness or being undocumented (SEMID-EU). Specifically, the research group supported a community-based participatory research that, with the help of local and peer researchers, examined best practices and challenges in providing assistance to these individuals in Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, and Paris. This resulted in a report titled "Beyond Borders: Experiences of Migration, Drug Use, Healthcare, and Support." Additionally, this research project produced a literature review, a series of scientifically supported statements and recommendations for EU policy, an online assessment tool for organizations working with individuals with a migration background who use drugs, a policy brief, and factsheets for each city.

Want to know more?

You can find all material from SEMID-EU here:

Migranten die drugs gebruiken in de EU - Mainline

You can purchase Aline Pouille's doctoral thesis here: : Substance Use Recovery among Persons with a Migration Background and Ethnic Minorities - Gompel&Svacina (gompel-svacina.eu)

The published articles in this thesis are: 

Pouille, A., Bellaert, L., Vander Laenen, F., & Vanderplasschen, W. (2021). Recovery Capital among Migrants and Ethnic Minorities in Recovery from Problem Substance Use: An Analysis of Lived Experiences. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13025. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413025

Pouille, A., Bouachiba, A., De Ruysscher, C., Vander Laenen, F., & Vanderplasschen, W. (2023). Tailoring the continuum of care for substance use problems to persons with an Islamic migration background: a co-creative case study [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1205362

Pouille, A., De Baets, Y., & Vanderplasschen, W. (2021). Herstel van verslaving door de lens van drie mannen met een migratieachtergrond. Verslaving & herstel 1(4), 22 - 29.

Pouille, A., De Kock, C., Vander Laenen, F., & Vanderplasschen, W. (2022). Recovery capital among migrants and ethnic minorities: A qualitative systematic review of first-person perspectives. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 21(3), 845-875. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2020.1836698

Pouille, A., De Ruysscher, C., Vander Laenen, F., & Vanderplasschen, W. (2023). “Watch out for the boogieman”: stigma and substance use recovery among migrants and ethnic minorities. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 33(3), 571-586. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2657