Jordanian University Students' Lived Experience of Misusing Amphetamine (Captagon): A Qualitative Study

Background Substance misuse is a growing problem among Jordanian university students. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of university students who misuse Captagon (amphetamines). Methods The interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was used. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 Jordanian university students, aged 17-22 years, who were using Captagon (amphetamines) for the last 6 months. Results Three major themes detailed participants' experiences with Captagon: (a) causes for use, (b) effects of taking amphetamines, and (c) seeking help behaviors and support. Participants who experienced academic and personal stress sought help from friends, who provided them with Captagon pills as a way to overcome their life challenges. Initially, taking Captagon provided participants with a sense of control, but it did not solve their problems. Later or as the days passed by, they experienced increased level of stress, felt disorganized in a way that they missed classes, and were being socially isolated. Participants finally sought community help for their problem, but this was difficult because of stigmatizing attitudes in their community toward substance misuse. Conclusions Increasing university students' knowledge about the negative consequences of substance misuse and raising awareness of strategies to address the problem will help young people to make more informed choices, because today's young generation are tomorrow's citizens.