Identity and Recovery from Dependent Drug Use: the addict's perspective

Whilst the process of recovery from dependent drug use has been widely studied, most of the research in this area has been carried out from a clinical or psychological perspective. There have been relatively few attempts by sociologists to look in depth at the processes associated with de-addiction. One of the notable exceptions to this is the work of Biernacki and colleagues who have provided a more ethnographic account of the process of recovery as seen from the drug user's own perspective. Based upon a set of semi-structured interviews with 70 recovering addicts, this paper attempts to build upon Biernacki's work by providing a similar analysis of the decision to give up drugs within the Scottish context. The paper argues that the need which many addicts experience to repair a spoiled identity may be central to the recovery process. The influence which rock bottom experiences, 'trigger' events and circumstances, and addicts' perceptions of the future exert upon the decision to stop is also explored. The paper concludes by examining some of the policy implications of the analysis. These include: the need for drug workers to receive training in the area of identity formation and change; the importance of helping addicts to develop alternative, non-drug-related activities; and the fact that, where addicts are not giving up 'for themselves', the effectiveness of drug courts may be considerably reduced.