Exploring the influence of social relationships on identity, drug use and recovery among older drug using females

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of social relationships on identity, drug use and recovery among older drug using females. This is an important area of research given the increasing proportions of older drug users entering treatment services and recovery communities. This is a qualitative study with eight older women (average age 44.5 years) self-identified as in recovery. This study is framed within a feminist perspective and utilises a narrative approach and object elicitation methods in the collection of data. Analysis of the data shows that self-acceptance was crucial to the women's successful recovery and helped them to develop healthy relationships as well as distance themselves from their previous identities as drug users.
The study findings confirm previous studies in the recovery literature that suggest recovery communities are important in developing the social learning tools that help former drug users integrate back into conventional social spheres. The findings also provide a unique contribution to UK research in this field by pointing to further areas of interests that are currently unexplored in the literature, including how older women’s changing roles and responsibilities contribute to changing relationships within the family, particularly in terms of their relationships with their mothers, adult children and intimate partners. The findings from this small, strategic case study suggests further work with a broader range of women’s voices from diverse backgrounds and recovery experiences is needed to inform the development of policy and practice among the growing cohort of ageing female drug users.