Paul Boshears | European Graduate School (EGS)

Suicide is painless: Naphta, Settembrini, and Jaspers

published in OtherWise: Journal of Philosophy. (2009)

A discussion of Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain and Jasper's Philosophy of Existenz.

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The social aspects of recovery: an exploration of routes to recovery among former methamphetamine users

Gibson, David; Miriam Boeri, PAUL BOSHEARS

Drug abuse is viewed as an individual medical problem, while the shackling effects of the social connections drug abusers make throughout their drug career are often ignored. Given this individualistic etiology, frequently the focus of recovery is thus on changing the individual (Graham, Young, Valach & Wood, 2007; Hammersley & Reid, 2002). Residential, outpatient, and formalized insurance-paid treatment are common routes to recovery for those who can afford these options (Hser et al., 2005), and for the marginalized there are public-funded or non-profit treatment facilities of arguable success (Necas & Foley, 1994). Treatment initiatives within the justice system include new programs such as drug courts (Gottfredson, Najaka & Kearney, 2003) and in-prison treatment programs (Stallwitz, Stover & Grobe, 2007; Weatherburn, 2007). The common thread in treatment is a focus on individual causal issues, and an array of medical and psychological resources emerges to aid most drug abusers in their recovery efforts (Bischof et al., 2007; Dole & Nyswander, 1965; Kaufman & Poulin, 1996). Many treatment programs tend to incorporate social interventions almost as an after-thought, such as the use of aftercare self-help groups. Self-help groups, known as 12-step fellowships (Alcoholic Anonymous, [1952] 1981), embrace the disease model but capitalize on sociological insights into substance use; yet these groups are found to be under-utilized (Laudet, 2008). A less discussed path to remission of drug use or abuse is natural recovery (Biernacki, 1986; Cloud & Granfield, 2001) also called self-change (Sobell 2007; Sobell, Ellingstad, & Sobell, 2000). While current treatment options may work for some, studies on relapse among recovered substance abusers show that different options may be needed for others (Barrick & Conners 2002; Hubbard et al., 2001; Norman, 1994; Scott, Foss & Dennis 2005; Sexton et al. 2008). In this paper we explore the recovery careers of methamphetamine users to increase our understanding of diverse routes out of problematic drug use. In so doing we add to the growing literature on the social aspects of recovery (Adams, 2008; Boeri, Harbry & Gibson, 2009; Graham et al., 2008; Granfield & Cloud, 2001; Matto, Miller & Spera, 2007; Pilkington, 2007). Specifically, we employ the concepts of “recovery capital” (Cloud & Granfield, 2001; Laudet & White, 2008) and “identity migration” (Hughes 2007) to underscore the importance of sociological insights for treatment research, practice and policy.

Keywords: recovery capital, natural recovery, migrating identities, qualitative methods, methamphetamine use

Funding provided by NIDA Award Number R21DA025298

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Addiction Discourse and Sociality: Perspectives from Methamphetamine Users in Suburban U.S.

Harbry, Liam; Miriam Boeri, PAUL BOSHEARS, & David Gibson

This paper contributes to a growing body of literature that emphasizes the social nature of drug use and addiction, specifically the central role of sociality in drug use. We start with a discussion of the minor role of sociality in contemporary addiction discourse. Based on findings from our qualitative and ethnographic study on 100 current and former methamphetamine users in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, we present the users’ stories of their initiation into, continuation, cessation and relapse of methamphetamine use to provide greater insights into the social experience of addiction. Findings show the entire drug trajectory is more dependent on social relations and environment than any other factor alone for the majority of drug users in our sample. We add to the call for a greater endorsement of the sociological insights to the nature of addiction and further investigation of addiction discourse using the addicts’ own accounts (Bailey 2005).

Keywords: methamphetamine, addiction discourse, sociality, qualitative research

Funding provided by NIDA Award Number R21DA025298

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