An Examination of How Students in Recovery for a Substance Use Disorder Manage Uncertainty

ABSTRACT

Interviews of college students in recovery framed by Uncertainty Management Theory uncovered that students experienced personal and social uncertainty when deciding whether to enter into and how to sustain their recovery. Most participants sought to reduce uncertainty by seeking social support and disclosing their recovery to stay accountable, help others, and combat stigma. Some increased uncertainty by seeking out reassurance or friends with more severe habits to become more uncertain about whether they needed recovery. Others maintained uncertainty by not disclosing their recovery status, fearing openness would result in stigma and negatively affect their future careers. Findings inform practical applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Uncertainty management
• collegiate recovery
• substance use disorder
• stigma
• alcohol
• drugs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.