The value of engagement with online recovery communities for structurally vulnerable women in recovery from alcohol misuse.

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The aim of this project, as applied for, is to demonstrate the value that engagement with online recovery communities generates for people in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction in terms of outcomes that include recovery capital, physical and psychological health, quality of life, abstinence, employment and housing. I propose a qualitative, netnographic approach to explore the value of engagement with such communities for structurally vulnerable women in recovery from alcohol misuse, in terms of the different domains of recovery capital, using social identity theory as a framework. The project will also explore the factors that might affect engagement with such communities including where online social support fits into the recovery pathways of individuals and different groups of women. The final part of the project will look at how the information gathered might contribute to the development of a recovery-oriented model of online support that has the potential to serve as a standalone therapeutic option or form part of the referral pathway for people leaving residential treatment.