| This research explored the recovery journey of recovering addicts who attribute a significant part of their recovery success to the formal education they pursued in recovery. In this research the focus was on hearing the recovering addict, in their own words, share how they developed their non-addict identity as they recovered from drugs and pursued formal education. In this research, I define the term "non-addict identity" as the intentional effort, whether motivated by self or other external factors, to live a life without drugs.; This study was driven by three broad questions: (1) How did the recovering addict make meaning of his or her recovery journey, (2) How did formal education become a part of his or her recovery process, and (3) How did formal education change his or her life.; The participants for this research were a purposeful sample of African American higher education professionals who had successfully recovered from drug addiction, and pursued formal education as a part of their recovery. As the researcher and a recovering addict, I am also a participant. I asked each of the participants to write a narrative about his or her recovery journey, to include childhood experiences, choice to use, choice to abstain, and how formal education became a part of their recovery journey.; As evidenced by this study, the opportunity to use drugs happens in common places, not in some dark closet. This finding has implications for how we educate our youth in K--12 educational settings. Also, this study shows that formal education is a powerful form of knowledge that can assist recovering addicts in developing a non-addict identity, and provide them with better life choices. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this research provides success stories of addicts who overcame by education, and it challenges legislators, educators, medical and substance abuse professionals, to re-evaluate the power of formal education in recovery. |
