Women in Narcotics Anonymous: Overcoming Stigma and Shame

135 Pages·2014·0.73 MB·English

by  Jolene M. Sanders (auth.)

Women in Narcotics Anonymous
DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0001
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0001
Women in Narcotics
Anonymous:
Overcoming Stigma
and Shame
Jolene M. Sanders
Associate Professor of Sociology, Hood College, USA
DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0001
Women in Narcotics Anonymous
Copyright © Jolene M. Sanders, 2014.
Soffftcoverr eprint off thehardcover 1stedition2014 978–1–137–44069–3
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fift h Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–1–137–43049–6 PDF
ISBN: 978–1–349–49456–9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from
the Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
First edition: 2014
www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137430496
I would like to thank all those women who participated
in the survey that made this research possible. Their candor
and honesty are reflected throughout this work, shedding
light on the recovery process and spreading hope to other
women who may be suffering from drug addiction.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0001
Contents
List of Tables vii
Personal Acknowledgments viii
1 Introduction: Women, Addiction, and
the Double Standard 1
2 Women and Their Drugs 15
3 Uncovering Stigma 28
4 Internalizing Shame 47
5 Women’s Rap 62
6 Working the Twelve Steps 77
7 Conclusion: Recovery as Feminism of
the Everyday 95
Bibliography 109
Index 125
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0001
List of Tables
2.1 NA sample demographics and drug of choice 18
3.1 Perceived stigma, treatment, and understanding 35
4.1 Causes and continued experience of shame 50
4.2 Problems that cause shame and embarrassment 54
4.3 Other causes of shame or embarrassment 58
6.1 Length of time in NA 79
6.2 Effect of shame and working the steps 92
DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0002 vii
Personal Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband, John Thomas Sanders,
for all of his help on this manuscript. He remained patient
with my absence from the home during the data-collection
phase, pardoned my inattentiveness while writing up the
summary of findings and, most importantly, offered clarity
and a fresh pair of eyes toward the final edit of this work.
Without all of his support, emotional and editorial, this
manuscript could not have been completed.
I would also like to thank my research assistant, Sabrina
Wade, as she worked tirelessly with me to attend Narcotic’s
Anonymous meetings and to pass out questionnaires.
She helped me navigate the urban communities that were
more familiar to her, easing access to potential survey
respondents. Sabrina was patient and showed enthusiasm
toward the project. Her contributions to the project added
value and perspective to this work.
Finally, my two children Brooke and Joseph are my
inspiration for conducting research that has the potential
to improve lives. They both work hard to live a healthy
lifestyle and understand the need to curb addiction and
the suffering it causes. It is my hope that this manuscript
will serve as both an educational as well as an inspirational
resource for anyone concerned about substance abuse and
addiction.
viii DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0003
1
Introduction: Women,
Addiction, and the
Double Standard
Abstract: Women in Narcotics Anonymous (NA) bring
to recovery the stigma they have perceived and the shame
they have felt as female drug addicts. The gendered double
standard that women experience based primarily on their
reproductive capacity makes confronting their addiction
even more problematic in recovery as compared to their
male counterparts. Social policy and treatment options,
too, unwittingly add to the stigma and shame that women
experience as addicts. NA, however, offers an opportunity
through its Twelve Steps for female addicts to work through
both stigma and shame once in recovery.
Keywords: drug addiction; Narcotics Anonymous;
women
Sanders, Jolene M. Women in Narcotics Anonymous:
Overcoming Stigma and Shame. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2014. DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0004.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137430496.0004 