‘Berrypicking’ in the formation of ideas about problem drinking amongst users of alcohol online support groups

Beliefs held by individuals about the illnesses or problems that affect them have been shown to impact upon the health and other outcomes that they achieve. Online support groups (OSGs) are one source of information used by those with health problems which may influence or determine what they think about their particular issue and how to resolve it. Problem drinking remains a major source of significant costs to society. This article explores whether the discussion forums of alcohol OSGs that do not follow the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous influence the formation of these beliefs, reporting on the outcome of thematic analysis of interviews with 25 users from five groups. It argues that Bates’ ‘Berrypicking’ model of information searching is helpful in illuminating group members’ information seeking activities. It looks at the four key aspects of berrypicking identified by Bates – the nature of the search query, the information ‘domains’ drawn on, the information retrieved and the search techniques used. The study finds that users are typically berrypickers, selecting information from different sources and forming their own interpretations

'It is just habitual' :an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of long-term recovery from addiction

This study explores experiences and understandings of people who have engaged with the process of recovery from alcohol or drug problems over a long period of time. Although there is a large body of research studies on recovery, few have examined long-term recovery from a qualitative perspective. The participants in this study were women who have not used alcohol or drugs for 15 years or longer and who described themselves as ‘in recovery’. They have been involved with AA throughout this time. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews in conjunction with participants’ drawings. Participants’ accounts suggest that their involvement with AA activities and processes over a long period evolved into habitual actions which became interwoven into their ordinary daily activities. It is suggested that the qualitative approach of IPA can be seen as complementing and illuminating quantitative studies. This study can provide a basis for future studies using larger samples or different groups and move towards making more general claims