Substances, Welfare, and Social Relations: Breaking Stigma, Pursuing Hope

“In the escalating opioid crisis, Gazso offers a must-read book – for health and social practitioners, caseworkers, policymakers, and people everywhere touched by substance use and addiction – that invites us to see the immeasurable capacity and possibility of others when we apply a collective praxis of hope. Skillfully weaving together the stories of people living with addiction who are accessing social assistance benefits in Ontario today, Gazso presents rich and detailed data on research participants’ past and present experiences of gender-based violence and victimization, trauma and suffering, pain and abuse.” Tracy Smith-Carrier, Associate Professor of Humanitarian Studies and Canada Research Chair, Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Royal Roads University

“Substances, Welfare, and Social Relations makes an important contribution to scholarship in a very accessible manner, about what it is like to be labelled as having an addiction while simultaneously being on social assistance. It offers a close-up view, through the eyes of a researcher, of what it is like to be an object as well as the subject of social policy and welfare practices that attempt to control, activate, constrain, and discipline recipients. This book is a pleasure to read.” Sue-Ann MacDonald, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, Université de Montréal

“This high-quality piece of scholarship is well written, well referenced, and timely. Amber Gazso clearly knows the field and has a demonstrated commitment to advancing knowledge while evidencing a deep respect for her research participants. Her work is effectively framed in her statement of her own positionality and her methods are well and carefully articulated and epistemologically grounded.” Lea Caragata, Director and Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia