Discourses of behavioural addiction, normalisation and techniques of governmentality in inpatient substance abuse treatment

Abstract

The concept of addiction has expanded in recent decades to include diverse behaviours in addition to addiction to specific substances. Hence, the understanding of what constitutes normal behaviour and what constitutes addiction has been constantly changing. Substanceabusing clients are typically seen as having additional behavioural addictions, which manifest during their substance abuse treatment. In this article, we study the constructions of normality, deviance and the techniques of governmentality, produced by the discourses of behavioural addiction found in interviews with workers in an inpatient substance abuse treatment unit. Five identified discourses -psychological, disease, sociocultural, family and normalizing -differ from each other as regards to what is understood as addictive behaviour as opposed to normality and how it is explained; normality can be construed, for example, as the balance between internal emotions, health and adequate parenting, which may be beyond the reach of those addicted. What is considered a behavioural addiction is questioned in the normalizing discourse. Discourses also differ as regards to the techniques of governmentality and in the ways individual responsibility is understood.

Digital tools to support the implementation of self-care among people with problematic substance use: An integrative literature review

“…People with problematic substance use have varying service needs ranging from self-care to peer support and need for special support [21,22]. In recent years the advantages of client segmentation, that is identifying the severity of the client's problem and the amount of their resources, have been acknowledged in improving the efficacy of social and health care services [23][24][25].…”

Web-based Evidence on the Treatment of Behavioral Addictions in United States Model Treatment Centers

“…Concurrent behavioral addiction prevalence rates fare as high as 54% in persons seeking alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use treatment (Keen et al, 2015). Concurrent or substitute addictions have been shown to decrease the length of abstinence, increase the risk of ATOD use disorder relapse, and result in the development of a replacement (substitute) addiction that may lead to continued negative functional impairments and lower the quality of one’s life (Blume, 1994; Carnes et al, 2005; Cowlishaw et al, 2014; Chiauzzi, 1991; Freimuth et al, 2008; Grant & Chamberlain, 2020; Kim & Hodgins, 2018, 2021; Konkolÿ Thege et al, 2016; Kuusisto et al, 2021; Leavens et al, 2014; Najavits et al, 2014; Peters & Hughes, 2010; Sinclair, Sussman, De Schryver et al, 2021; Sinclair, Sussman, Savahl et al, 2021; Sinclair, Vanderplasschen et al, 2021; Sussman, 2020; Sussman & Black, 2008). Behavioral addictions could be assessed, identified, and treated when ATOD use treatment is sought (Rodriguez-Monguio et al, 2017).…”