Choose who’s in your circle: how women’s relationship actions during and following residential treatment help create recovery-oriented networks

The role of social mechanisms of change in women’s addiction recovery trajectories

“…People or groups perceived by research participants as being important have also been acknowledged as a trigger for recovery (Dingle et al, 2015), demonstrating the capacity for positive relationships to encourage positive recovery-orientated change. For women, although research has demonstrated the importance of healthy and supportive relationships: substance use can cause fragility to networks, and network members can both provide vital support and pose potential relapse triggers simultaneously (Francis et al, 2020). Peer relations can also perpetuate stigma through intragroup tension, developed when comparative judgements are made by women whose sense of self is constrained by societal expectations of their gender role (Gunn & Canada, 2015).…”

“…It is important to consider the potential identity-related barriers gender may create however: layers of disadvantage can also reduce women's access to positive social networks (Francis et al, 2020;Gunn & Canada, 2015). Patriarchal social constructions around women and their roles can also create barriers-the 'good mother' is the term used to describe the socially idealised identity for women (Gunn & Canada, 2015;Peterson, 2018) which may in fact further restrict women in their recovery (Radcliffe, 2011), particularly in early recovery.…”

A realist review of residential treatment for adults with substance use disorder

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When clients with high needs (e.g., detoxifying, poor mental health) [C] received a lot of encouragement and support from staff and other clients [M‐resources] , that led them to believe they are safe and valued [M‐reasoning] and so remained in treatment [O] .

When a client's and their peers' recovery goals were aligned [C] and they all exhibited a shared motivation to change [M‐resources], they believed they could trust the others [M‐reasoning] which strengthened group bonds [O] leading to improvement in treatment participation [O] .

Male and female residents in residential, TC, and Indigenous programs accessed resources of support from others [46, 47, 49, 56–58]. The resource ‘support’, was linked to reasoning that it validated residents learning [47, 57] improved confidence or agency [46, 58] or meant that residents felt safe and valued [56].…”

“…Fellowship was also important in a therapeutic community (TC) setting where it was identified as an outcome of a mechanism where residents perceived alignment between their own goals and those of other residents, leading to the development of trust [55]. Male and female residents in residential, TC, and Indigenous programs accessed resources of support from others [46,47,49,[56][57][58]. The resource 'support', was linked to reasoning that it validated residents learning [47,57] improved confidence or agency [46,58] or meant that residents felt safe and valued [56].…”

“I Grew Up Amidst Alcohol and Drugs:” a Qualitative Study on the Lived Experiences of Parental Substance Use Among Adults Who Developed Substance Use Disorders Themselves

“…Activating non-substance using family and friends has shown to provide potential pathways to help persons with SUDs access and benefit from community support (154,155). Moreover, given that early recovery stages are sensitive periods for experiencing loneliness and social isolation (138), which has been associated with SUDs (156)(157)(158), adult offspring with SUDs may benefit from strategies to build and sustain prosocial connections and recovery-supportive networks (159), that prepare them for "normal everyday living" (137) and "outside living" in a way that promotes positive relational enactment.…”