The Role of Medical Knowledge and Intervention in Shaping the Course and Experience of Addiction Recovery
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Authors
Schau, Dana
Issue Date
2020-11-01
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
In this paper, I analyze the ways medical knowledge and intervention influence one’s experience in addiction recovery. Addiction engages in the political, social, economic, and scientific spheres, thus offering a significant and relevant area of anthropological study. Knowledge on addiction, and the way it transfers into different institutions, is continuously growing and altering, enabling new developments in treatment strategies. Furthermore, the expansion of bioscientific knowledge on addiction has led to new types of medical treatments and therapeutics. Thus, addressing the ways individuals experience this knowledge and intervention helps uncover their impact and role. Examining the lived experiences of those in addiction recovery uncovers the ways individuals accept, utilize, and/or challenge the role of the medical field. I conducted interviews with people living in Kalamazoo, Michigan, who identify as in addiction recovery. Participants discussed the ways medical treatment shaped the course of their recovery through interactions with medical professionals and different types of therapeutics. This study highlights how conflicting discourse and understandings of addiction within and between treatment modalities shapes one’s recovery. The findings also demonstrate how individuals feel toward medication, and the ways medication can create new forms of control and discipline over one’s body and self. Furthermore, participants disclosed several instances of demonstrating agency in navigating the medical system, and highlighted the ways they utilized their own knowledge. In general, medical treatment led individuals to develop new meanings of recovery that informed them on how to best achieve their desired outcomes. It is important to address the lived experiences of those in addiction recovery, as it is a crucial, yet often overlooked, factor to recognize in developing and improving treatment strategies.
Description
iv, 65 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.