Recovery pathways

How can you find your way back into society after an intense period of drug use? How does it affect your relationships with friends and family? Why do so many succeed at it, while others remain stuck in their situation? And why do women experience more mental health problems than men during recovery?

This book is the result of a participatory photovoice project with eight women. It provides intimate insight into their personal recovery pathways: ‘(re-)building me’, ‘untangling what’s life and addiction’, ‘becoming (re-)connected’, and ‘enacting perspectives’. There is particular attention to questions about womanhood, motherhood, beauty, and self-care. As such, Recovery Pathways deepens our understanding of what it means to be a woman in recovery in present-day society.

Simultaneously, the book engages with cutting-edge debate in illegal drug use research. While recovery is about creating

and finding a meaningful place in society, it is often framed as an individual endeavor. Recovery Pathways sheds light on the interactive dynamics of the individual, societal and relational aspects that shape recovery – something which has long been ignored in treatment and recovery research.