‘It’s not 9 to 5 recovery’: the role of a recovery community in producing social bonds that support recovery

Abstract

Aim: To understand how the social networks of a new recovery community can help sustain recovery, focusing on processes of social identity change, in the context of the wider UK recovery movement. Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods social network analysis (SNA) of ego-network sociograms to map network transitions, using retrospective measures. Ten men were recruited from a peer-worker programme, in the South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP), West of Scotland. Network measures were compared between two timepoints, just prior to current recovery and the present time. Measures included size and density, closeness of members, and their positive or negative influence, proportion of alcohol and other drug (AOD) using and recovery peers, and extent of separate subgroups. These were complemented with qualitative interview data. Findings: There was a significant transition in network composition, with the replacing of AOD-using peers with recovery peers and a broader transformation from relationships being framed as negative to positive. However, there was no significant transition in network structure, with AOD-using and recovery networks both consisting of strong ties and a similar density of connections between people in the networks. Conclusions: The transition in network composition between pre-recovery and the present indicates a different set of social influences, while the similarities in network structure indicate that the recovery network replaced the role of the using network in providing close bonds. This helped reduce social isolation experienced in early-recovery and provided a pathway into more structured opportunities for volunteering and employment.

“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

“…Although families have been identified as a primary context of care for young adults' substance use treatment processes (129), this study showed that the family context among adult children of parents with SUDs is often not facilitative for their treatment and recovery processes. In line with evidence on the importance of relationships and social resources needed for initiation and maintenance of addiction recovery (130)(131)(132)(133)(134)(135)(136)(137), this study confirms the importance of interpersonal relationships and social resources in readiness to change and early stages of recovery (131,(138)(139)(140)(141)(142)(143). Although the importance of social networks in improving early and more sustained recovery outcomes has been established (144), this study provides insight in how family, parent and peer support systems can both inhibit and encourage recovery in offspring of parents with SUDs.…”

“…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.…”

Mechanisms and mediators of addiction recovery

“…All other papers in this special issue (Anderson et al, 2021;Dekkers et al, 2021;Frings et al, 2021;Gueta et al, 2020;Jason et al, 2021) focus on diverse recovery mediators and mechanisms and their role in individuals' recovery trajectories, reflecting the primary objective of the REC-PATH study.…”

“…Overall, this special issue on addiction recovery mechanisms and mediators contributes to the growing evidencebase for providing recovery-oriented support in treatment and community settings (Ashford et al, 2020;Best, 2019) and disseminates knowledge and insights from recent research. First, several papers demonstrate that participation in selfhelp groups is crucial for initiating and maintaining recovery, not only through involvement in new, cohesive prosocial networks, but also through a strong commitment to sobriety (Anderson et al, 2021;Frings et al, 2021;Kougiali et al, 2021;. Developing 'the self' and a 'post-addiction' identity as well as social identification appear to be crucial elements in early recovery (Frings et al, 2021;Kougiali et al, 2021;Van Steenberghe et al, 2021).…”

“…Third, Cloud and Granfield's notion of recovery capital (Cloud and Granfield 2008) emerged in several papers, illustrating the importance of personal, social and community resources for promoting recovery and avoiding relapse. Frequently mentioned resources were supportive social and family environments (Anderson et al, 2021;Dekkers et al, 2021;, recovery-supportive housing facilities (Jason et al, 2021), and personalised and holistic support services (Bellaert et al, 2021;Jouet et al, 2021;Van Steenberghe et al, 2021). Finally, several papers show that women face different challenges compared with men in recovery, as they experience more mental health and family needs (Andersson et al, 2020) and are more often confronted with adverse childhood experiences and multiple stigma (Kougiali et al, 2021), indicating the need for gender-sensitive recovery services (Collinson & Hall, 2021).…”