Heroin addiction vs cancer support groups

Comparison and contrast between support groups for Heroin Addiction and Cancer: Introduction: The technological boom has benefited the society in many potential ways. People in the contemporary society have become more and more health, safety and ethics conscious in almost every walk of life. Their curiosity has given rise to a culture where people strive to help one another in any way they can. Social dealing and networking is one of the most fundamental ways in which people gain knowledge and awareness about common issues and learn how to deal with them. One such form of social networking is a support group. Support groups are such organizations or agencies that help people suffering from a common condition (usually disease) deal with their condition (Hunter, 2011). Support groups offer help to the needy both personally through appointments, and generally on-line. Preference of forum: There is considerable difference between the preference of forum for the support group between the Cancer patients and the Heroin addicts. Cancer is a disease that may be acquired because of any reason without the personal involvement or fault of the patient in his/her condition. There is generally, a lot of respect for Cancer patients in the society and they are looked at with sympathy and affection. The case is not alike for Heroin addicts. Heroin addicts are visualized as useless members of society and are looked at with hatred. They are known as the cause of frustration and various social upsets in the society. People tend to keep their children away from the company of Heroine addicts. Many Heroin addicts are socially excluded. The society does not accept them. Owing to the great difference in the society’s attitude towards Cancer patients and Heroin addicts in general, the type of forum that either of the two groups would like to avail for support group is different. Cancer patients tend to seek help through face-to-face discussion with helpers in the focus group whereas Heroin addicts tend to keep their anonymity while seeking help. In online forums, Heroin addicts openly share their experiences with one another that they can not verbally in social circles. Therefore, the best forum for Heroine addicts is online support group. Nature of treatment: Treatment required by a Cancer patient is more pertinent to physical health. The patient needs advice about what tests to undertake, where to go for the treatment, how to modify the diet, what place offers the best treatment and what is the cost of treatment, how long it takes to recover from their existing condition and what is the likelihood of success from the operation. Although same factors are equally, and some times even more pertinent to the Heroin addicts, yet their psychological counseling is an equally important factor that the focus groups need to concentrate upon in order to improve the social life of a Heroin addict. Attitude of a Heroin addict gets very unfavorable for a healthy social life. He/she is largely insulted and rejected by the society. The society puts the addicted person into social exclusion. Most Heroin addicts are quite desperate when they want help (Heroin Awareness Foundation, 2002). Therefore, psychological counseling is a major concern in the Heroin addiction support group. Just like the nature of treatment, there is also much variation in the results of treatment between Heroin addicts and Cancer patients. Most Heroin addicts go through the same psychological counseling and dosage, whereas for Cancer patients, it is said that “ No two people will travel the same journey during and after cancer treatment” (Fayed, 2009). General information: Both Heroin addiction and Cancer support groups are similar in that both offer comprehensive information about how to come out of the problem. The focus groups not only tell the right course of action that needs to be adopted, but also, they explain in the biological language how a certain treatment or medicine leads to the ultimate relief. There are success stories that serve as a huge source of encouragement and psychological relief for all Cancer patients and Heroin victims in general. Many online support groups like iMedix (2011) enable the patients to share their experiences with others so that others may benefit from their experience with a certain treatment or doctor. Many online focus groups like the Macmillan Cancer Support (2011) allow the patients free guidance and support through call facility. Support groups are increasingly being employed as a means to relieve the tensions and anxiety of people suffering from serious health issues. They are forums where the troubled people can share their experiences and learn how to tackle the problem, the best way. References: Fayed, L (2009). Cancer Support Groups. Retrieved from http://cancer. about. com/od/howtocope/a/supportgroups. htm. Heroin Awareness Foundation. (2002). We Can Help. Retrieved from http://www. heroinhelp. net/resources. htm. Hunter, A. (2011). What Is a Support Group? Retrieved from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-a-support-group. htm. iMedix. (2011). Heroin Addiction Support Group. Retrieved from http://www. imedix. com/heroin_addiction. Macmillan Cancer Support. (2011). Living with Cancer? We’re here to help. Retrieved from http://www. macmillan. org. uk/Home. aspx.