Learning from the Lived Experience of Addicts in Recovery: How to Obtain and Retain Recovery
Graduation Date
2006
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Nursing
Department or Program Chair
Barbara Ganley, PhD
Thesis Advisor
Luanne Linnard-Palmer, EdD, RN
Abstract
The devastation of addiction and the transformation of recovery are best explained by experienced experts - the recovering addicts themselves. In this phenomenological study nine participants with over seventeen years of abstinence describe their journey from addiction to recovery. Two theories were joined by the researcher to construct a conceptual framework that highlighted certain segments of these unique journeys like points on a map. The foundational theory is the Transtheoretical Model of Change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983). When combined with Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory (2000), the process whereby participants profoundly changed their perspective from the stage of precontemplation through the stage of maintenance was explained. Three or four themes were identified during each stage that best marked the course of development for the participants within each stage. The stage of maintenance was accessed by the respondents only after they had experienced transformative learning and changed their frame of reference. Other researchers are encouraged to explore this conceptual framework and the associated themes further to assess the usefulness in addiction treatment.