Overcoming the pains of recovery: the management of negative recovery capital during addiction recovery pathways

Recovery is experienced in both positive and negative ways this paper attempts to integrate the ‘pains of desistance’ approach into a recovery capital framework. Pains as result are often thought stimulate motivations for behavioral change, usually through ‘rock bottom’ type moment. Whilst barriers have been explored literature, conceptualizing these push pull factors, exploring their dynamic interaction, especially at distinct phases has not. Toward filling gaps, we use life-narratives 30 people explore how pains (push factors) alongside different forms (pull impact upon managed differentially journey. Findings indicate rarely led changes. Rather, range factors created promoted However, life narratives reveal that cannot be accrued or sustained without managing (eliminating reducing) recovery. Overall, work highlights need policy practice help reduce recovery, during early accelerate transition more stable As neither linear pathway nor journey residual challenges many people, there much learned about effective ongoing management strategies preventing return problematic utilize