IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i5p2208-d504706.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Exploration of the Psycho-Social Benefits of Providing Sponsorship and Supporting Others in Traditional 12 Step, Self-Help Groups

Author

Listed:
  • William McGovern

    (Department of Social Work Education and Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and the Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK)

  • Michelle Addison

    (Criminology Department, Faculty of Arts Design and Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK)

  • Ruth McGovern

    (Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK)

Abstract

Sponsorship is a key feature of traditional drug and alcohol self-help groups. It is a source of interpersonal support provided by an individual who is in a more advanced stage of recovery to an individual at an earlier stage of recovery. Whilst it is widely recognised that sponsorship is beneficial to the person receiving it, little is known about the psychological and social benefits that sponsors derive from providing sponsorship to others. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 36 long-term self-help users (6 months−10 years) with experience of sponsoring the recovery of others, recruited from three traditional types of self-help groups in the North of England. Interviews examined sponsors’ experiences of providing sponsorship within their own recovery process. Sponsors reported that providing sponsorship to others increased their own self-awareness, social skills, and social competence when it came to engaging with others. In addition, sponsors derived an increased sense of psychological wellbeing and positive social approval from helping others. Over the longer term, sponsorship becomes a meaningful and purposeful activity as it allows those providing it to be productive, make meaning and maintain a non-addicted identity. Additionally, sponsorship is a process which is beneficial for those who have little access to wider social networks.

Suggested Citation

  • William McGovern & Michelle Addison & Ruth McGovern, 2021. "An Exploration of the Psycho-Social Benefits of Providing Sponsorship and Supporting Others in Traditional 12 Step, Self-Help Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2208-:d:504706
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2208/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2208/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McIntosh, James & McKeganey, Neil, 2000. "Addicts' narratives of recovery from drug use: constructing a non-addict identity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(10), pages 1501-1510, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rhodes, Tim, 2018. "The becoming of methadone in Kenya: How an intervention's implementation constitutes recovery potential," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 71-79.
    2. Hennessy, Emily A. & Tanner-Smith, Emily E. & Nichols, Lindsey M. & Brown, Tiffany B. & Mcculloch, Bryce J., 2021. "A multi-site study of emerging adults in collegiate recovery programs at public institutions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    3. Rhodes, Tim & Bernays, Sarah & Houmoller, Kathrin, 2010. "Parents who use drugs: Accounting for damage and its limitation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(8), pages 1489-1497, October.
    4. Jonas, Adam B. & Young, April M. & Oser, Carrie B. & Leukefeld, Carl G. & Havens, Jennifer R., 2012. "OxyContin® as currency: OxyContin® use and increased social capital among rural Appalachian drug users," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1602-1609.
    5. Gueta, Keren, 2017. "A qualitative study of barriers and facilitators in treating drug use among Israeli mothers: An intersectional perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 155-163.
    6. Beard, Renée L. & Fox, Patrick J., 2008. "Resisting social disenfranchisement: Negotiating collective identities and everyday life with memory loss," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(7), pages 1509-1520, April.
    7. Järvinen, Margaretha, 2017. "From wanting to willing – controlled drug use as a treatment goal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 69-76.
    8. Nettleton, Sarah & Neale, Joanne & Pickering, Lucy, 2011. "Techniques and transitions: A sociological analysis of sleeping practices amongst recovering heroin users," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(8), pages 1367-1373, April.
    9. Hennessy, Emily A. & Nichols, Lindsey M. & Brown, Tiffany B. & Tanner-Smith, Emily E., 2022. "Advancing the science of evaluating Collegiate Recovery Program processes and outcomes: A recovery capital perspective," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    10. Gloria H. Y. Chan & T. Wing Lo & Cherry H. L. Tam & Gabriel K. W. Lee, 2019. "Intrinsic Motivation and Psychological Connectedness to Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation: The Perspective of Self-Determination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Radcliffe, Polly & Stevens, Alex, 2008. "Are drug treatment services only for 'thieving junkie scumbags'? Drug users and the management of stigmatised identities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1065-1073, October.
    12. Radcliffe, Polly, 2011. "Motherhood, pregnancy, and the negotiation of identity: The moral career of drug treatment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(6), pages 984-991, March.
    13. Alison Scott & Ashton Anderson & Kristen Harper & Moya L. Alfonso, 2016. "Experiences of Students in Recovery on a Rural College Campus," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(4), pages 21582440166, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2208-:d:504706. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.