Voices of Serenity: Experiencing Serenity in Recovery from Drug/Alcohol Addiction in 12-Step Programs

Addiction is a widespread individual and social problem, but few studies bring the voice of the person who is hurting with addiction to be heard personally; many addicts themselves seem to be invisible. The personal suffering of those enmeshed in addiction who are working hard to rebuild a life of sobriety and serenity is hard to describe empirically. Using a Unitary Appreciative Inquiry (UAI) case study methodology, several persons who were in recovery from addiction participated in a research project to give personal expression to their experiences of serenity and healing during their recovery process. This presentation will give a brief description and overview of the study and one of those participants’ story will be shared in an aesthetic format.