The samples in this research represent an extremely hard to reach population under normal circumstances. Exploitation and dissemination include a number of peer reviewed academic publications, as well as a full monograph to be published by Routledge in 2022. Importantly, a special targeted report for services and organisations, both statutory and voluntary / community, who provide recovery and desistance support was prepared. This report provides key service provision recommendations for services and policy makers. Project results were disseminated at conferences on an ongoing basis throughout the life of the project, with a special focus brought to the on-the-ground services for the research target population.
The foremost finding from the research is that periods of unrelenting stress are important for understanding relapse amongst those who had achieved long term recovery from addiction and desistance form crime. While various reasons for, and causes of, these protracted periods of personal difficulties are elaborated upon, common themes include 1) a very difficult personal problem that persists over time, 2) isolating from support groups and networks, and 3) a diminishment of recovery capital and coping skills. Project findings detail how many participants lived through prolonged and extremely difficult periods of personal pain and despair, and eventually turned to drugs to ease their discomfort.
One prominent theme in the lives of those who did relapse is the presence of behavioural addictions during periods of chemical sobriety and desistance for crime. While these men and women were able to maintain recovery from chemical use for long periods, they continued to struggle with addiction to gambling, food, and especially sex. Such behavioural addictions had a profoundly negative effect on participants, it greatly reduced the joy of recovery, made personal relationships difficult, impacted parenting, and created ongoing feelings of personal failure, despair, and toxic shame.
Becoming distanced from peer recovery communities whether 12 step or other, can lead to a (re) corruption of personal values conducive to recovery. Prioritisation of non-recovery or non-spiritual values, such as consumerism and materialism, can encourage participation in acquisitive criminality. The cognitive, emotional, and indeed moral, maturity that can result from dedication to the 12 Step program cannot be short cut by those entering recovery. For some participants in this research, even though they achieved years in abstinence and desistance, the demands of such a program commitment were more than they were willing to countenance.
A key trend that differentiates some of those who relapsed is involvement in acquisitive or organised crime during abstinence. Those who maintained recovery from addiction were most likely to apply themselves to a recovery program of living where honesty in personal and social affairs is important. Some of those who lost their chemical abstinence, however, while initially being committed to 12 step values, became involved in various type of enterprise crime. Participants detailed how their values became corrupted as they chased wealth through crime, became increasingly materialistic, and indeed some thrived in serious and organised crime.
