The Role of Leisure in Prevention and Treatment of Addiction

Leisure time plays an outstanding role in prevention and addiction therapy. The Drogcentrum (Drug Center) in Szeged provides integrated medical and social care for its clients based on the Prochaska–DiClemente stages of change model. According to our experiences, recreation and structured leisure time are an inevitable element in the healing process and in relapse prevention. In this chapter we wish to show the recreational modules in four different stages which we use in our everyday practice. We work with both individuals and groups basically using two methods: on the one hand, in a direct way—we provide programs for our clients to experience a different kind of recreational possibility; on the other hand, indirectly—we facilitate our clients’ self-organizing their leisure time in order to develop the ability to structure useful leisure time.