Seen and Heard: Women and Mother's Experiences of Navigating a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Community

Women Who Use Drugs (WWUD) are amongst the most stigmatised groups in society and are subject to stigma as they engage with services and within their own recovery communities. WWUD who are also mothers have been found to experience increased stigma and disproportionate surveillance by professionals when accessing services, leading to a constant fear of child removal and apprehension to accessing, engaging and seeking support. In this study, we report findings from a community asset mapping project conducted with drug and alcohol recovery services in the North-East of England. The aim of this study is to examine the gender-specific and recovery-related experiences of WWUD when accessing services and women-only spaces. Semi-structured interviews (n = 13) and focus groups (n = 4) were carried out with professionals working in the recovery community and women in recovery from substance use. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data, resulting in three themes being identified: (1) The role of peer support in empowering women in recovery; (2) Navigating recovery as a mother; and (3) Working with women in recovery. Findings revealed that gender-specific groups provide a sense of safety, connection, identification, and empowerment for WWUD. This study further highlights the gender-based stigma WWUD experience when accessing services, and the challenges they experience where appropriate spaces are limited in the recovery community. We conclude by recognising the importance of sisterhood for WWUD and recommending the promotion of gender-specific peer support groups and for practitioners working with WWUD to reflect on their own stigmatising behaviour and how this can manifest in the increased monitoring of women and mothers in recovery.