Being a partner in long-term recovery: stories from female partners in Norway

Abstract

This chapter details the experiences of being a partner in a long-term recovery process. The research about long-term recovery from substance use gives the impression that recovery processes are about single people. However, this is illusory, and reflects the focus of most research into substance-use difficulties. The chapter looks at romantic relationships in long-term recovery from a Norwegian perspective. This is a perspective involving the context of the Scandinavian welfare state, well-established public services, and countries with high levels of gender equality. It exemplifies, from interviews, how women talk about their lives as partners to men in long-term recovery. By doing so, the chapter provides insight into some of the complex experiences of being a partner in a long-term recovery process, and how these women's experiences are related to their social and cultural context.