Street prostitution is deeply intertwined with substance use. Women who attempt to exit both prostitution and substance use often lack sufficient resources to do so, and they end up returning to substance use, prostitution, or both. Such a relapse into drugs or a return to prostitution is still often viewed as a personal failure. Low recovery capital has been used to explain relapse among certain marginalized populations. Recovery capital is a recent framework which refers to the individual’s sum of all internal and external assets that may assist in their recovery process. It includes four categories: physical, human, social, and cultural capital. However, this framework does not relate to the role of actual relapses in the recovery process, despite their common occurrence. In-depth interviews with 29 women formerly engaged in street prostitution and substance use in a large urban area were used to probe women about their relapse and recovery experiences. This study demonstrates the value of repeat recovery setbacks, what the presenter terms “cumulative attempt capital”: lessons learned from previous recovery attempts. The presenter argues that previous attempts improve women’s social and professional networks, help them learn from past mistakes, improve and maintain their health, and provide them with a sense of self-efficacy. This research expands our understanding of the positive role failed attempts play in one’s recovery. Such reframing by service providers can alleviate a sense of shame and low self-worth for women in street prostitution and substance use and has implications for policy and program development.
Nili Gesser is a research fellow at Drexel University. After receiving her PhD in criminal justice from Temple University, she completed a psychology postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Dakota. She is a former prosecutor and a victim advocate. Her research interests focus on prostitution, substance use, and victimology.