Community's role in the promotion of recovery from addiction and prevention of relapse among women: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE

This exploratory study examined the community's role in the promotion of recovery from addiction and the prevention of relapse among women, and the differences in women's addiction and recovery by ethnicity. Community was defined as six institutions: home, church, workplace, school, law enforcement and medical care system.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of 39 Anglo and 24 ethnic minority women (21 African American; 3 Hispanic) between the ages of 21 and 70, living along the Gulf Coast of Texas, who had been in continuous recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs for at least six months. The study was cross-sectional, and data were collected through the use of structured interviews utilizing the Women in Recovery Questionnaire, an instrument developed by the investigative team.

RESULTS

This study found that community institutions (church, school, home, workplace and law enforcement and medical systems) were seldom involved in promoting recovery or preventing relapse in women, with the exception of the home, which supported recovery. Anglo and ethnic minority women differed by primary drug usage, number of times in treatment, religion, perception of sexism, and likelihood of citations for traffic violations.

CONCLUSION

Large, randomized studies are needed to investigate the community's role in women's recovery from alcohol and other drugs.