“Antingen får man sitta ensam och vara nykter och drogfri, och det är ju ingen som orkar det över tid. Eller så får vi skapa sammanhang där man kan göra på ett annat sätt” - En kvalitativ intervjustudie om socialsekreterares erfarenheter av sociala nätverk hos människor med missbruk

Abstract

This study examines the opinions of social workers regarding the social networks of people with a substance addiction. The intention was to get a more nuanced understanding of what characterizes a positive or negative social network, as well as which functions different types of social networks serve. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with seven social workers. More specifically the social workers were oriented towards working for social services with clients that struggle with substance abuse. The empirical material has been analyzed with a thematic analysis. Our analysis used a dyadic phenomena model to analyze the inner workings of the social networks of people with addiction. Support theory was also used to analyze the meaning of social support for people with substance abuse. The results showed that positive social networks often entail that it’s healthy and that it displays a feeling of emotional availability and well meaning. A negative social network was characterized by having their own problems, displaying a codependent behavior and blaming the addicted person. The social workers concluded that different social networks filled different roles depending on the client’s personal needs, the most important social networks were relatives and close friends, professionals, and support groups.