The "Rothschild" Group (The Third Floor): Examination of the Existential Treatment of Rehabilitating Drug Addicts According to Prof. S.G. Shoham

This study examined the treatment of drug addicts according to the Group’s existentialist theory, combined with Sutherland’s Theory. The therapy group consists of addicts, volunteer students, and therapists, and is aided by a variety of treatment methods. The question: How does the group participants’ subjective experience in a combined group affect their lives, and how does this experience facilitate former drug addicts’ integration in society?

The research was conducted using a qualitative method, analyzing 16 life stories, and semi-structured interviews with addicts, students, and therapists.

The findings indicate that the addicts undergo a deep change process, rooted in being drug-free for a length of time and being part of the Rothschild Group, which generated an experience of personal change. In the past, they had felt rejected and ostracized due to the stigma attached to them, whilst now they were socially accepted and respected by the group. During therapy they exposed to intellectual philosophical content, which encourages thought and introspection, They improved their social skills, They accepted responsibility for their actions, family matters and finding employment to social circles and integration in the community.

The contribution of this research is to present a change model for addicts. This evaluation study found that the therapy process in a combined group fashioned after the group lets the recovering addicts feel wanted, and allows their integration in normative society.

 The students experience an authentic, equal, non-judgmental encounter with a population of former drug addicts, which changes their perceptions and helps to remove the stigma associated with this population.

The conclusions demonstrate the treatment’s effectiveness, as well as the way in which these methods can be implemented in other deviant groups.