"I Feel Like I'm Swallowing Stones": Qualitative Research in the Field of Addiction as Emotionally Challenging Work

Conducting qualitative research in the field of addiction is a demanding process that requires researchers to engage in emotional labor. In this article, we discuss this issue by presenting the findings of an exploratory qualitative study we carried out in Greece with addiction researchers. As revealed by the analysis of the data from focus groups we held with those who took part in our study, emotion management was identified at all stages of an investigative project: During the attempt to gain access to the field, the fieldwork, the data analysis and in the dissemination of the results. Emotional labor is required, in particular, to manage researcher–interviewee boundaries, the risk of retraumatizing the narrator through the recall of traumatic memories, and the disclosure of information that the investigator is not prepared to hear. The latter's fear of misinterpreting the interviewees' meaning during data analysis can also generate intense emotional charge. Participants in our study reported techniques that mitigated the above-mentioned challenges. By highlighting these issues, we aim to promote emotional awareness as an integral component of wider researcher reflexivity.