| Summary: | The aim of this study is to research the effect stigmatization has on alcohol and drug abusers. Furthermore the purpose is to understand if stigmatization prevents people from seeking professional treatment in order to overcome their addiction. This is done using a qualitative approach, seeking knowledge on one of Sweden’s biggest online forums, Flashback. In order to gain knowledge from people who themselves suffer from addiction this study is based on several discussions in forum threads where addiction treatment is discussed. To analyse the data and research how stigmatization affects individuals with an addiction Goffman’s theory of stigma is used. To further analyse the result Scheff’s notion of shame and Cooley’s looking-glass self is used. The most prominent way to become free from addiction that was discussed was to strengthen your character or in other ways retake control of your own life. People often thought the reason a person was stuck in addiction was because of weak character or other character flaws. Drug and alcohol abusers was often portrayed as unsuccessful individuals. This shows how stigmatization of drug and alcohol abuse is reproduced. Professional treatment was in some cases discussed as a helpful method to help battle addiction, though not as often as the “strengthen your character” alternative. The result also shows that people stuck in addiction is not a homogeneous group where there is a consensus on how to best battle addiction. In contrast the result shows that everyone seems to carry their own opinion on how to best overcome addiction.
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