How male vloggers construct their substance use and substance use recovery on Youtube

Abstract

Maximising the opportunities engendered by the digital age this study aimed to qualitatively explore how eight men constructed their  narratives of substance use recovery on YouTube. In addition, the study aimed to explore how the men construct their individual  processes of sustaining recovery. The journey of substance use recovery is an inherently dynamic and on-going process. It is advanced  through secure social support systems. Various psychosocial and socio-economic factors further impede access to treatment or recovery  support. Thus, within communities facing SUD treatment barriers the exploration of individual lived experiences may deepen  understandings of how men experience the journey of substance use recovery. The main research question this study tried to answer  was:“How do male YouTube vloggers construct narratives of their substance use disorder recoveries?” This study employed the thematic  analysis, as per Braun and Clarke. The study identified central themes which were delineated into two overarching processes of recovery;  namely internal and external recovery. Internal recovery comprises of the process of admission of one’s addiction and the  acknowledgement of one’s powerlessness. External recovery encompasses being grounded through acts of service. The study  contributes to the knowledge generation in the growing field of cyberpsychology. Furthermore, the study identifies processes  undertaken by men in recovery. These understandings may aid in exploring experiences of men in who present for SUD treatment.