Abstract
The purpose of this ethnographic research study was to discover care dimensions for substance-dependent African American women in an inner city transitional home focused on the women's treatment and recovery. As residents of a transitional home, all of the women were required to participate in the 12-step program. Diversity in meanings and experiences with the 12-step program was discovered to influence the women's involvement in the 12-step program and ultimately their recovery for substance abuse. Ethnographic techniques of observation, participation, and focused in-depth interviews were used to collect data in the research context of an inner city transitional home for substance abuse. With many treatment programs based on a Euro-American 12-step philosophy, it is important for nurses and other health care providers working with an increasingly multicultural diverse client population to understand the cultural implications of the 12-step program.