Substances, Welfare, and Social Relations uses intimate, complex portraits to tell the stories of people who have lived some part of their life course while using or recovering from using substances (such as alcohol or illicit or prescription drugs) while being part of a family and experiencing poverty. Through these multifaceted stories, layered with a critical analysis of welfare policy, the book probes the deeply entrenched stigma of living with addiction and with low income. Amber Gazso argues that (1) addiction is part of everyday life; (2) if we believe that people are not their...

Substances, Welfare, and Social Relations uses intimate, complex portraits to tell the stories of people who have lived some part of their life course while using or recovering from using substances (such as alcohol or illicit or prescription drugs) and also being part of a family and experiencing poverties. Through these multifaceted stories, layered with a critical analysis of welfare policy, the book probes the deeply entrenched stigma of living with addiction and in low income. Amber Gazso’s work revolves around the three-principles idea that (1) addiction is part of everyday life;...