Fighting the Battle of Recovery Together: A Content Analysis of Anonymous Posts in an Online Substance Use Forum.

Background

The rates of use of substance have increased dramatically worldwide in the past several years. Approximately 10% of people who use illicit substances will develop a substance use disorder (SUD), which is a major health problem internationally. Recovery is a period of time when someone with an SUD is in remission or is not using substances. Little research has been done to examine views of patients with SUDs on recovery, particularly when that information is being shared anonymously.

Objective

The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of the experience of recovery from anonymous online postings in recovery support forums.

Design

The study was conducted using a qualitative, descriptive, thematic content analysis approach to analyze 1,230 anonymous posts made to an International online recovery forum.

Results

Themes identified from the online postings were that the experience of recovery included (a) the agony of withdrawal and screaming cravings, (b) a psychological roller coaster during withdrawal and recovery, and (c) use of coping skills and other strategies that help in recovery.

Conclusions

These findings support current recommendations being given by healthcare providers on the use of coping skills and other recovery strategies. They also suggest that people with SUDs endure physical and psychological suffering and show a level of sophistication in managing their symptoms during recovery. Findings reveal that hope and feelings of self-satisfaction exist as a positive experience of recovery. Finally, we can interpret that there are clear benefits to online recovery communities and that healthcare providers have an important role to play as allies in the recovery experience.