"BIO SAM NAVUČEN" – TRANSFORMATIVNO ISKUSTVO BIVŠIH ZAVISNIKA: ULOGA NARATIVNOG IDENTITETA, RELIGIJSKE KONVERZIJE I SOCIJALNE PODRŠKE U PROCESU REHABILITACIJE
"I WAS HOOKED ON IT" - TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE OF RECOVERED DRUG ADDICTS: THE ROLE OF NARRATIVE IDENTITY, RELIGIOUS CONVERSION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS

Summary/Abstract: The theme of the article is the narrative reconstruction of identity among former heroin addicts in which it is necessary to replace an old, stigmatized identity with a new one. Furthermore, religious conversion and social support are seen as key aspects of this process. The authors do not claim that a narrative reconstruction of identity is the sole or most important factor in the cure of addicts, but is certainly an unavoidable aspect of successful recovery. The authors base this claim on 10 interviews undertaken with former addicts. Moreover, the authors emphasize that a narrative method makes possible an adequate approach to the analysis of testimonies of conversion and in this way helps researchers to more easily understand the psychological and spiritual transformation of former addicts, as well as a better comprehension of the role of spirituality in their narratives. In this work the authors understand conversion as an adaptive mechanism which helps a former addict to get rid of psychological conflicts and to in this way create a new self-narrative. Furthermore, the authors consider that on the occasion of telling a story, addicts are given the opportunity for reinterpreting and reconstructing their past, as well as planning their future in the context of newly-adopted religious (canonical) language. Therefore, former addicts construct their life story as a typical story of conversion.

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