Co-Occurrence of and Recovery from Substance Abuse and Lifespan Victimization: A Qualitative Study of Female Residents in Trauma-Informed Sober Living Homes

ABSTRACT

Despite the co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs) and domestic and/or sexual violence (DSV) in the lives of women, there remains a dearth of research on how and why these phenomena intersect as well as the role that trauma-informed sober living homes (SLHs) may play in promoting recovery. Following a detailed description of a unique trauma-informed SLH (Support, Education, Empowerment, and Directions [SEEDs]), we present findings from a qualitative study that documented the perceptions and lived experiences of 28 female current or former residents of a trauma-informed SLH; all women had histories of SUDs and DSV. Results uncovered four themes (fractured foundations, points of intersection of SUDs and DSV, pervasiveness of SUDS and DSV, resiliency) and a constitutive pattern (moving away from instability and harnessing self-agency). Women noted that their engagement with SEEDs played a significant role in their recovery, specifically through fulfilling their needs for tangible resources (e.g., food, clothing, shelter) and the community’s provision of emotional support (e.g., family, love, consistency) to promote recovery. These findings provide new insights on SUDs and DSV and preliminary support for the effectiveness of a trauma-informed SLH.

KEYWORDS:

• Domestic violence
• recovery home
• sexual assault
• sober living home
• substance abuse
• victimization

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to the SEEDs staff and to the women who so graciously gave of their time and selves to us. The authors would also like to express their appreciation to the students who worked on this study in its early stages: Dani Blevens, Tina Cannon, McKenzie Dow, Kristiana Dixon, Eleanor McKenzie, Ashley Nichols, Jennifer Turner, Kimberly Walker, and Amy Winkler. We would also like to thank the following individuals for their review and critique of our article: Drs. Nicole Capezza, Christina Dardis, Dana DeHart, Lisa Goodman, Christine Grella, Sherry Hamby, Ronald Harvey, Maria Testa, and Sarah Ullman.

Notes

1. The 2.5 hours included the LHC and HPP procedures.