Trauma, Drug Misuse and Transforming Identities

Looking at the life stories of ex-drug misusers in their own words, this book offers insights into the nature of addiction and how it can be tackled. It examines the links between early childhood experiences and drug misuse and also shows pathways to recovery and transformation.

Kim Etherington highlights the therapeutic value of listening to drug misusers' life stories and the importance of understanding how social environments and the wider cultural influences shape people's lives. She encourages people working with drug misusers to challenge pathologising notions of 'spoiled identity', which assume that identity is fixed. By taking a step back and separating the person from the problem, it is possible to help them explore their relationship with drugs in ways that encourage a stronger sense of agency and power to change.

With compelling first-hand narratives and practical strategies to encourage drug misusers' ability to recover, this is essential reading for professionals working with drug users as well as people misusing drugs themselves.

'I welcome this study by Professor Kim Etherington because it is part of the process of understanding our drug problem and the whole chain of issues that lead to addiction. It is the stories of real people, and in doing so it holds a mirror not just to other people's lives but to our own.'
- from the foreword by Monty Don, The Monty Project, UK