Helpful or hurtful? Social support from friends during recovery from alcohol use disorder

Abstract

This exploratory research examines what features of social support from friends that individuals in recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) identify as being helpful or unhelpful. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture in-depth qualitative data that centers participants' lived experiences. Four themes emerged to be features of helpful support from friends: encouraging vulnerability, supporting sober identity, and companionship and assistance. Helpful support facilitates positive outcomes such as increased psychological well-being, progress for recovery, and increased friendship closeness. Four themes were identified for features of unhelpful support: discouraging vulnerability, encouraging substance use, mismatches between desired and received support, and exclusion. Unhelpful support often leads to negative outcomes including relational distress, negative emotions, and decreased confidence in maintaining sobriety. Taken together, the findings from this study demonstrate the differential effects that social support communication from friends has on people during recovery from AUD. It builds on support communication theories such as the optimal matching model, verbal person-centeredness, and support provider identity. It also offers practical implications to individuals recovering from AUD, their friends providing support, and support organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous.