To expand our knowledge of the domain by empathizing with with our target population, people with substance use disorders / addictions
Resources
We read/watched 114 different resources, including articles, educational videos, and a documentary.
Open Meetings
We attended 14 Open Meetings, including Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Dharma Recovery, and Al Anon
Interviews
We interviewed 31 different individuals to learn about their experiences with addiction.
From substances being used, to success with recovery methods, to the root of the addiction, everyone’s journey with substance use disorder is different.
Treating addiction alone is rarely effective if the underlying trauma isn't addressed as well. Otherwise, many individuals end up relapsing.
Addiction-related websites are often outdated and difficult to use, making finding local resources independently more challenging.
Guidance on how to maintain long-term sobriety, not just what an addiction is doing to someone’s life, is critical.
CO-DESIGNING WITH OUR CLIENT
We are working with Oasis Recovery Center, a Pittsburgh-based recovery center whose goal is to care for people going under Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) as they navigate rehabilitation, recovery, and sobriety.
In addition, Oasis Recovery Center aims to promote an empathetic and educational approach to understanding addiction with their leadership of the Coalition of Leadership, Education, and Advocacy for Recovery (CLEAR) and shape Pittsburgh as the exemplar “City of Recovery” to help others discover ways to help those, and their loved ones, who are struggling through addiction.
Biomotivate, a Pittsburgh start-up creating motivational technology to analyze behavioral risk trends, is invested in the project’s success, and its members are filling subject matter expert roles as a part of our larger team, as well.
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEX MAP OF STAKEHOLDERS
From our initial research, we discovered a wider network of stakeholders in the complex system of substance use than we anticipated. Each of the people or institutions that act within the system have their own goals and operations, but interacted with those going through SUDs at some point in their recovery process.
However, this was still a domain we didn’t know too much about; so to help us understand how our clients viewed stakeholders and get everyone moving in a design activity, we decided to prepare sticky notes of all the stakeholders we encountered in our initial research and invite our experts at Oasis Recovery Center and Biomotivate to join us in creating our stakeholder map.
What is the culture surrounding recovery communities?
What are the struggles associated with getting through recovery?
What are the boundaries for solutions to help with recovery?
What are the needs of people with SUDs?
ATTENDING OPEN MEETINGS
Throughout the week, our team broke into small groups to attend various open NA meetings across Pittsburgh. The NA meetings are creating a space for those who are in recovery from a substance abuse disorder to spend time with a supportive network of people who are also going through a rehabilitation journey. It is a space that emphasizes the “we” instead of “me” as a means to remind everyone who visits that they are not alone on their road to recovery.
Attending “open” NA meetings, which brings together those who are in recovery and their various loved ones was a powerful experience resulting in a deeper level of empathy and understanding of the space. It is one thing to read about a topic vs. to directly see and hear the stories of those going through rehabilitation. Out of respect for those sharing their stories, our team did not take notes during the meeting, but still was able to glean numerous powerful insights.
DRUG COURT
We also visited other venues to explore different types of recovery systems. Drug court is a system in place to allow people arrested with substance abuse related charges to go through treatment as a sentencing alternative.
At the end of the day, the judge seemed to have a genuine, vested interest in helping each person get through recovery. He wanted them to succeed, and clearly laid out his expectations for them to stay in the program.
However, this could only help those who had been arrested. There were still huge areas of people with addiction that weren't being served by the current system.
We wanted to interview those outside of the current system of fellowships, treatment centers, drug court, etc. To do this, we looked to Reddit.
We explored several different subreddits, from r/heroin to r/opiatesmemorial. We found rich communities that hadformed around drug abuse.
Some were heartbreaking; r/opiatesmemorial was a subreddit devoted to posting about loved ones lost to overdoses and drug-related deaths. Others were less sentimental; some would brag about their drugs or post memes poking fun at the substances.
We posted in a few subreddits to recruit people to interview. We were relatively successful, after getting our recruitment post approved by the moderators. We then carried out these interviews remotely, either using Zoom or phone.
UNDERSTANDING OUR CLIENTS
Interviews were conducted with various people in the rehabilitation space including our client contacts, Oasis and Biomotivate, other companies in the rehabilitation space, and people who are currently sponsors for those in recovery. Meetings conducted with both clients focused on further exploring their understanding of the rehabilitation space, where their organization fit in and their paint points.
DIFFERENT STYLES OF RECOVERY
To learn more about various resources for those seeking recovery, we also interviewed both those who run sober living homes who are themselves in recovery and their residents. One key learning was that an emphasis on reducing self centered thoughts and actions could greatly impact the frequency and intensity of urges to use. Numerous interviewees reported their urge to use dropped significantly when they preemptively identified strategies that would take their focus away from themselves.
The residents of the house would find ways they could do to help another resident or their larger community. Feeling an ability to contribute to something bigger than themself, such as their community, it gave each of the residents interviewed a sense of purpose for staying sober. This community aspect and support within the house played a critical role in successfully reducing urges to use.