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A life course approach recognizes the role of turning points in adding twists and turns in individuals' addiction recovery processes. The notion of certain key life events that trigger turning point experiences offers a valuable theoretical construct for understanding processes of change. The current study aimed to identify turning points and assess the role of contextual dynamics in generating long-term changes, based on lived experiences of persons in drug addiction recovery. A qualitative research design was applied using a Lifeline Interview Method (LIM), allowing a retrospective lens to elicit recovery narratives. Purposive sampling was utilized to compose a heterogeneous group of thirty persons in self-defined drug addiction recovery in Flanders (Belgium). An interpretative phenomenological approach was adopted during a thematic analysis, grounding the research claims in respondents' lived experiences. Key moments of change that were reported by participants are: (1) adverse drug-induced experiences; (2) becoming a parent; (3) 'hitting rock bottom'; (4) (dis)engagement of social networks and environments; and (5) addiction treatment. The findings illustrate the role of contextual dynamics that can facilitate (or hamper) experiencing these life events as turning points toward change. This study contradicts the notion of a single event or turning point causing abrupt changes in individuals' addiction trajectories. Contextual dynamics and meaning-making processes simultaneously influence whether specific life events can facilitate change. Treatment providers, researchers, and policymakers should take into account the process-based, situational, and relational nature of recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. 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. 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. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing body of evidence shows that informal mutual aid groups benefit those in addiction recovery. However, attention for mutual aid groups in practice and policy varies internationally and is only recently emerging in continental Europe. Existing evidence is mostly limited to studies of Alcoholics Anonymous groups in the United States. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to examine the relationship between membership of a variety of mutual aid groups and recovery capital, participation in social networks, and commitment to sobriety for individuals in drug addiction recovery (N = 367), living in the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. A convenience sample of participants completed an extensive assessment about their recovery experiences. Sixty-nine percent of participants reported lifetime (ever) membership of different mutual aid groups. Analyses reveal that membership of mutual aid groups is strongly associated with more participation and (self-reported) changes in social networks, greater levels of recovery capital, and a stronger commitment to sobriety. The findings suggest that participation in mutual aid groups may support addiction recovery through multiple mechanisms of change in favor of recovery. These findings highlight how mutual aid support may complement formal addiction treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concept of recovery has expanded, and become embedded in drug and alcohol policy, so too has the proliferation of online recovery support. This article explores data from the UK Life in Recovery survey, focusing on online recovery methods categorized as online groups, websites, and smartphone applications. Although 301 people (39.30%) reported involvement with at least one online recovery method, chi-squared tests reveal significant associations between people in stable recovery (5 years or more) and the use of recovery applications (Cramer’s V = .114), as well as between people in full-time employment and the use of online recovery websites or recovery applications. Having dependent children was not associated with use of any online recovery method, yet gender was (Cramer’s V = .088). This study extends the relatively limited literature and knowledge base of online recovery methods. Although the evidence points to higher engagement of recovery websites and apps for people in stable recovery, encouraging online recovery methods for individuals in early recovery may support recovery efforts when the risk of returning to substance misuse and active using social networks remains high. Further research should investigate the mechanisms of recovery change, with a focus on gender differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although recovery has gained considerable momentum in recent years, pathways into recovery programs are less understood. “You do the MAFS” is a 6-session, peer-led group that educates service users about abstinence-based recovery and provides a gateway into mutual aid. Through a mixed methodological approach, this study found that attendance at “You do the MAFS” improved participant health and social functioning, increased mutual aid attendance and reduced substance use. An intervention such as this would be a useful addition to the substance misuse treatment sector as provision to make links to and increase support for those in recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recovery group participation is relevant to both clinical and research activity. Its measurement with the Recovery Group Participation Scale (RGPS) is an attempt to have a measurement of participation across a range of recovery groups. The factor structure, among other psychometric properties of the scale, is however, undefined. The present study examined the factor structure of the RGPS in alcohol and drug recovery populations in Birmingham and Glasgow, United Kingdom. Participants from the Birmingham (n = 219) and Glasgow (n = 205) recovery studies who had a completed form of the RGPS formed the basis for the factor structure examination. Principal component analysis extracted one factor, which accounted for 39.3% and 67.4% in the Birmingham and the Glasgow samples, respectively. Overall scores on the RGPS were associated with higher quality-of-life scores and with greater self-esteem and social networks of nonusers in recovery. The key question that remains to be addressed is the evolving role of recovery group participation in prospective studies of growth of recovery capital and sustained recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]