Illustrating the Recovery Journey: Exploring Women's Alcohol Treatment Experiences Through Participant Drawings

Background

Despite rates of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) sharply rising in women, there remains more men accessing and completing treatment. Research has identified barriers women face in accessing and engaging with services. However, there is a limited understanding about how treatment pathways and sources of support fit into women’s recovery journeys. Moreover, people in recovery often face emotional barriers and difficulties in verbal communication. Imagery-based techniques have recently emerged as a powerful tool for qualitative research. Art production can convey the intricate emotions associated with the recovery journey in a visual and symbolic manner. Thus, by employing a novel multi-modal approach, this study aimed to explore critical personal and contextual factors supporting recovery for women with AUD.

Methods

This study employed a staged qualitative design and multi-modal approach with women in AUD recovery. Participants self-identified as in recovery and were recruited from diverse support sources, including online groups, community organisations, and clinical services. The staged design encompassed three sessions. The first session involved a creative process using arts and craft materials where participants visually represented their recovery journeys. Subsequently, life story interviews explored participants’ experiences with recovery programmes, treatment pathways, and support systems. The life-story approach involved spanning from their earliest memories to the present day to explore participants’ recovery experiences within their socio-cultural contexts. The second stage of data collection involved a focus group hosted in an art gallery setting where participants’ artwork was displayed. This setting facilitated the collective reflection on initial findings and provided an opportunity for participants to discuss their artwork collaboratively.

Results

Interview and focus group transcripts were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis following an inductive approach. Patterns of meaning were identified within an essentialist framework and related codes were grouped into broader themes and sub-themes. The analysis revealed insights into women’s experiences of recovery programs, the impact of engagement, the interplay of social structures and individual agency, and the dynamics between sources of support.

Conclusions

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of personal and contextual factors within the recovery process for women with AUD. Recognising the dynamics of personal support systems across the broader treatment landscape has implications for tailoring interventions to the specific socio-cultural contexts and individual needs of women in recovery.