Role of Peer Support in Building Motivation to Change Addictive Behaviour.

This article presents a qualitative multiple-case study examining how formal peer support influences motivation to change harmful drug use behavior among service users in addiction recovery programs in the Czech Republic. Using nine semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and reflexive thematic analysis, the study identifies that a well-established, authentic, and trusting relationship between peer workers (individuals with lived addiction experience) and service users is central to building motivation for change. Drawing on DiClemente’s transtheoretical model (TTM) of intentional behavior change and McClelland’s theory of motivation, the research highlights mechanisms activating needs for power, affiliation, and achievement within these relationships, which foster empowerment, belonging, and goal attainment. The findings suggest that peer workers serve as role models and mediators between professionals and service users, contributing to sustained recovery, while also noting challenges such as initial distrust and the impact of peer worker relapse on legitimacy. The study concludes with implications for integrating peer support into existing recovery services and calls for further research on gender dynamics and peer workers’ own recovery processes.