Addiction, recovery, and work: Surviving the daily grind.

Abstract

Employment is a predictor of sobriety for women in recovery from addiction, however, finding and maintaining employment is often a challenge. A number of interventions and a large body of research exist related to improving employment outcomes of women in recovery, but most fail to account for employment as an on-going, uneven process. This study applied a longitudinal, qualitative design to explore employment experiences of women in recovery, as well as how those experiences interact with participants' sobriety, health, and well-being. Nineteen women from two residential recovery programs were interviewed four times over the course of nine months. Data were analyzed using longitudinal coding. Women encounter on-going struggle to find and keep employment, and multiple forces exacerbate this struggle. At the same time, positive work experiences described by some participants illustrate opportunities for the creation of new workplace structures that address employment needs of women in recovery while supporting sobriety and overall well-being. Understanding employment as an on-going process that interacts with addiction and sobriety in complex and multiple ways could contribute to improved employment and health outcomes for women in recovery.