Use of Mutual Support to Counteract the Effects of Socially Constructed Stigma: Gender and Drug Addiction

Abstract

This article describes the stigma women perceive as drug addicts and the strategies used to confront that stigma once they become members of a mutual support group, Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Stigma is heavily associated with being a drug addict and even more pronounced for the female drug addict. Public policy and media continue to focus on women's reproductive roles, igniting and perpetuating the stigmata associated with being female and addicted. The heavy emphasis on women's reproductive roles contributes to a double standard that women perceive it as unique to them as compared with their male counterparts. This study surveys a sample of women in NA that represents a potentially highly stigmatized group by race and class and uncovers the extent to which women perceive stigma both in their active addiction and once in recovery. Unexpectedly, women from a more socially disadvantaged background do not necessarily experience more stigma than their more privileged White, middle-class counterparts. Not surprisingly, women who have been involved in NA for longer periods of time and have completed the 12 steps perceive the least amount of stigma.

Teen Use of Marijuana Edibles: A Focus Group Study of an Emerging Issue

“…Some girls may prefer edibles. These perceptions of young women's use are congruent with other research suggesting that both substance use in general and smoking in particular pose a threat to culturally approved public images of women (Nichter et al, 2006; Sanders, 2012). For some young women, edibles may be a way to avoid publicly presenting themselves as marijuana users.…”

Developing a research agenda for reducing the stigma of addictions, part II: Lessons from the mental health stigma literature

“…A subsequent pre‐post study not included in the Livingston review showed education to have a muted effect on stigmatizing attitudes toward substance users . Table summarizes completed studies between education and contact for both public and self‐stigma using findings from Livingston et al as well as others that arose from our review …”

Custody Judgments, Ex‐offender Parents, and Best Interests of the Child

“…We originally theorized that ex-offender mothers would suffer additional stigmatization based on the additive nature of stigmatized identities, an intersectionality hypothesis. In addition to carrying a criminal record stigma, ex-offender mothers arguably carry the additional stigma of being female (Lebel, 2012;Sanders, 2012). However, a related line of research suggests that, while gender harms women more than men in many respects, men may suffer from more gender-based stigmatization in the family law setting.…”