Leaving homelessness and addiction: Narratives of an occupational transition

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory study was to gain an understanding of occupational aspects of homelessness and of the transition from homelessness. Data were collected through narrative interviews of two formerly homeless women recovering from drug addiction. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method followed by a narrative analysis. The findings first identified homelessness as a life of high intensity lived within a limited time perspective. Further, for these women homelessness was related to drug addiction, which was experienced at first as a solution to life situations that seemed impossible to handle. Second, the analysis showed how social relationships can strengthen or change the lived plots of the participants. Third, the transition out of homelessness was accomplished through the development and enactment of new lived plots. Finally the analysis showed that life as formerly homeless women was experienced as less intense and as a life that can only partly be controlled. This new life includes a broader time perspective. In the discussion, the relationship between time use and the meaning-making process and possible practical implications of this study are presented.

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Homelessness and the right to occupation and inclusion: an Australian perspective

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Exploring the Daily Lives of People on Methadone Maintenance Treatment: An Occupational Perspective

“…They found that supervised methadone consumption was seen as hindering progress to the desired 'normal' life of conventional employment. Heuchemer and Josephsson [10] argued that occupational imbalance is related to the narrowing repertoire of daily occupations that typifies addiction-related behavior. They explain that "an unhealthy balance of daily occupations may lead to an internal conflict between what people should do and what they want to do" [10] (p. 161).…”

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