Negotiating Stigma: Constructing and Performing a “Normal” Identity

The findings presented in this chapter are part of a larger study exploring recovery from substance dependence, based on qualitative interviews with twenty-seven respondents. The research aimed to review resources that were drawn upon by respondents during the course of their recovery, and to examine the function of identity work within this process. Identity construction has been widely recognised as fundamental to successful recovery from problematic substance use (Hanninen and Koski-Janes, 1999; McIntosh and McKeganey, 2000; McIntosh and McKeganey, 2001; Koski-Jannes, 2002; Larking and Griffiths, 2002; Taieb et al, 2008). In this study, an unanticipated issue identified by many respondents revolved around considerations of what it is to be normal, and how this interacts with stigma in the development of a new sense of self as part of the recovery process.