he research conducted by the book ‘Alcohol, Izzat and Me’ highlights that South Asian women experience many barriers to accessing support in recovery from substance use. The book explores the lived experiences of South Asian women in recovery and, through discussions with a focus group, finds that culturally specific features of specialist services are considered responsible for attracting people from those communities.
As part of this year’s Recoverist Month PORe, in partnership with Manchester Museum’s South Asian Gallery, will co-host an event that which will comprise of guest speaker presentations and discussion with researcher Dr Sarah Fox, recovery advocates Aunee Bhogaita and SAFIR* (South Asian Females in Recovery) on this subject followed by a tour of South Asian Gallery by Lead Curator Nusrat Ahmed. This event will begin a conversation on South Asian women, substance use and recovery that will develop into a project that will be showcased as part of Recoverist Month September 2025.
Dr Sarah Fox, Research Associate with the Substance Use and Associated Behaviours (SUAB) based in the department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University
Aunee Bhogaita is the founder of Brown Girl in a Bottle has utilised her lived experience of substance misuse to educate on the issue of addiction within South Asian communities
SAFIR* (South Asian Females in Recovery) is a safe, culturally sensitive & non-judgmental space that supports & uplifts South Asian women defining their recovery from Drug/Alcohol Addiction.
Nusrat Ahmed is Lead Curator of South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. This contemporary take on South Asian and British Asian culture is the first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora. This multilingual gallery has been designed and built with the South Asia Gallery Collective, an inspiring group of community leaders, educators, artists, historians, journalists, scientists, musicians, students and others from South Asian diaspora with a unique spirit of collaboration and co-production.
