VHA Emergency Management Evaluation Center, Veterans Health Administration, Sepulveda, CA 91343, USA.
Sociol Health Illn. 2012 Mar;34(3):379-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01376.x. Epub 2011 Jun 24.
Sober living homes for people attempting to maintain abstinence from alcohol and drugs can act as a buffer against the high rates of substance misuse that are endemic to many urban environments. Sober living homes and other group homes for people with disabilities have faced persistent opposition from neighbourhood associations, which raises the question of stigma. This article describes the responses of sober living home residents and operators to the threat of stigma across a diverse set of neighbourhoods. Ten focus groups were conducted with 68 residents and operators of 35 sober living homes in Los Angeles County, California, between January 2009 and March 2010. Results showed that few residents reported experiences of blatant stigmatisation by neighbours; however, they were well aware of the stereotypes that could be ascribed to them. Despite this potential stigma, residents developed valued identities as helpers in their communities, providing advice to neighbours whose family or friends had substance use problems, and organising community service activities to improve the appearance of their neighbourhoods. With their attention to local context, sober living home residents and operators challenge the personal tragedy approach of much traditional advocacy on health-related stigma.
对于试图戒除酒精和毒品的人来说，清醒生活之家可以作为抵御许多城市环境中普遍存在的高物质滥用率的缓冲。清醒生活之家和其他残疾人士群体之家一直面临着邻里协会的持续反对，这引发了污名化的问题。本文描述了清醒生活之家居民和经营者在不同社区对污名化威胁的反应。2009 年 1 月至 2010 年 3 月，在加利福尼亚州洛杉矶县进行了 10 次焦点小组讨论，共有 68 名居民和 35 个清醒生活之家的经营者参加。结果表明，很少有居民报告说邻居公然对他们进行污名化；然而，他们非常清楚可能归咎于他们的刻板印象。尽管存在这种潜在的污名化，但居民还是形成了有价值的身份，成为他们社区的帮助者，为有药物使用问题的朋友或家人提供建议，并组织社区服务活动，改善他们社区的面貌。清醒生活之家的居民和经营者关注当地环境，这对许多与健康相关的污名化传统倡导中的个人悲剧方法提出了挑战。
