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    What works in recovery? Alcohol and other drug professionals lived experiences of addiction, treatment and recovery in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Jowett, Rachel Victoria
    The New Zealand Government’s health surveys consistently identify that alcohol and other drug (AOD) addiction is an issue for New Zealanders. However, there is a lack of qualitative research on the lived experiences of people who have previously or currently experience AOD addiction in New Zealand. This research provides insight into the factors that contribute to, and create barriers to, successful AOD addiction recovery. The qualitative method of constructivism was the approach used to conduct the research. Eight participants took part in semistructured interviews, sharing their stories in a narrative style and recounting experiences from the time their addictions began, their entry into AOD addiction recovery and their entry into the AOD workforce. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, themes were identified that highlighted what contributed to participant’s successful AOD addiction recovery and what created barriers to AOD addiction recovery. Nine themes emerged through the data analysis process these were: stigma; defining your own recovery; reconstruction of the self; the role of social learning; opportunities for career progression; specific populations including youth, people with co-existing mental health and AOD addiction issues, women, and families; strengths and limitations of the health, social service and AOD workforce; addiction and the law; and barriers to accessing AOD support services. A consistent finding across these nine themes was that the barriers to AOD addiction recovery in New Zealand experienced by the research participants were systemic, and preventable. The recommendations of this thesis are that the barriers to recovery, and contributors to successful recovery identified in this research are addressed; in particular the themes of stigma and systemic barriers to wellbeing.
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    Sober houses : the role of the environment in aiding recovering from addiction : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Van Es, Michael James
    There is a need for a deeper understanding of the role that the environment plays in an individual’s addiction to substances and in aiding recovery from addiction. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impacts the environment has on individual attempts at recovering from substance addiction, by learning from residents of sober-houses. Sober-houses are substance-free living environments for persons attempting to abstain from alcohol or drugs. Qualitative methodologies were employed, with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, to take into account the subjective individual differences between residents. A sample of five participants was drawn from residents of a sober-house to participate in semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the most significant impacts on addiction recovery occur with the domain of the social and physical environments. Participants were shown to be able to benefit from physically distancing themselves from destructive environments, and that positive social influences play important roles in the promotion of a sober life-style.
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    Stories of addiction : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology [at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand]
    (Massey University, 2011) Ashton, Peter Robert
    This thesis examines lay understandings of addiction in the context of academic and clinical understandings and how these discourses are encapsulated in the treatment modalities available to persons experiencing addictive behaviour. It examines the tensions that exist in the treatment sector due to diverse ‘expert’ understandings of the addictive process and the very ‘construct’ of addiction. Participants’ narratives exposed the mutually constitutive nature of lay and professional discourses but also suggested that such use of narratives in clinical settings may have utility in the alleviation of addictive behaviours. However, the predominance of the medical model of addiction within the New Zealand treatment sector, and an increasing focus on highly manualised brief treatment modalities, may not be conducive to solutions that are deemed ‘creative’ rather than ‘corrective’ and give ‘voice’ and credence to the understandings of clients.