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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Hayley AldersonORCiD, Professor Ruth McGovernORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 by the authors.People Who Use Substances (PWUS) are among the most stigmatised groups in society. Stigma associated with substance use is known to be detrimental to the individual’s wellbeing, and substance use is often used as a mechanism by policy makers and services to legitimise exclusion. PWUS often do not benefit from the drug and alcohol services that are available to them. Community Asset Mapping (CAM) is a strengths-based approach involving the re-engagement of communities through active involvement in research. There are criticisms and concerns about equity and the burden on participants involved in CAM projects; however, the broad aim of CAM is to identify and document the strengths and pre-existing resources that exist within a community. In the following study, we utilised CAM processes and principles in a large city in the Northeast of England to enable people with lived experience of substance use and practitioners working in drug treatment services to come together and identify resources in the form of services and groups that support recovery. In the process, we were concerned with identifying, engaging with, and involving groups that were known to the recovery community but also were not part of an existing recovery network. Qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews (n = 13) and focus groups (n = 2). A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the transcriptions, and from this we generated four themes: (1) community visibility, (2) ownership of the recovery agenda, (3) the impact of stigma and shame, and (4) the benefits of involvement. Our findings revealed a partly fragmented but also well-established, connectedand resourced local recovery community in the city. We were also able to identify a number of recovery groups and services that had previously not been known to the existing recovery community. Additionally, we identified that public and societal substance-related stigma continued to be a barrier that inhibited individuals and recovery groups from making themselves more visible and available to others.
Author(s): McGovern W, Shrimpton L, Alderson H, Hall K, Lhussier M, Sattar Z, Watson P, McGovern R
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year: 2025
Volume: 22
Issue: 10
Print publication date: 01/10/2025
Online publication date: 28/09/2025
Acceptance date: 26/09/2025
Date deposited: 11/11/2025
ISSN (print): 1661-7827
ISSN (electronic): 1660-4601
Publisher: MDPI
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22101498
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph22101498
Data Access Statement: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request
PubMed id: 41154902
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