When Choice is No Longer Choice: USU Social Work Scholar Investigates Addiction Recovery

Substance abuse resulting in addiction, says Utah State University social work scholar Kaitlyn Walker Line, is a downward, hard-to-escape spiral.

“People initially make a choice to try alcohol or illegal drugs, or to abuse a prescription medication,” Line says. “But over time, the substance rewires a person’s brain structure and function. Addiction leads to compulsive, uncontrollable behavior, where a person lies and steals to get their next ‘fix,’ while damaging relationships with loved ones, losing employment and destroying financial stability.”

Line, who was named Scholar of the Year for the College of Arts and Sciences, will present her research on addiction and recovery April 13-15 at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Richmond, Virginia.

People with substance use disorders, she says, can lose everything: spouses and partners, custody of children, jobs and homes.

“At that point, it’s very difficult to recover,” says Line, who was inspired to study the phenomenon during an elective course. “A person is not only up against formidable physical and psychological challenges; they’re struggling to find treatment options while rebuilding their lives and relationships.”

Complicating these struggles, she says, are barriers to recovery, including the stigma of addiction.

“My research and internship efforts have included exploring what these barriers are — specifically here in Cache Valley, Utah,” she says. “The road to recovery is arduous.”

Line became interested in studying addiction after taking “Social Work and Substance Abuse” taught by Dorothy Wallis, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work.

“I found the course so fascinating and found my passion for research that year, as well, so I approached Dr. Wallis about potentially doing something for USU’s 2025 Peak Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship,” she says. “Initially, we discussed doing a study specific to local harm reduction programs.”

Line was awarded a Peak fellowship, but cuts to the federally funded harm reduction programs, including Utah Harm Reduction Coalition’s syringe exchange and disease-testing services, caused her and Wallis to restructure her research project focus.

“Dr. Wallis introduced me to Tim Keady, a professional practice extension assistant professor with USU Extension’s HEART — Health Extension: Advocacy, Research and Teaching — initiative,” Line says. “He’s heavily involved with inpatient substance abuse groups in Cache and Box Elder counties. He was able to connect us with those programs, and helped me develop a project to investigate how those programs are impacting people seeking treatment and how effectively potential patients and clients are able to access those services.”

Line’s research questions included identifying what inpatient and outpatient services are available, including the availability of sober support groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and how people are able to afford treatment, along with housing, food and other basic living needs while seeking treatment.

“It’s a struggle,” she says. “Treatment is often a full-time pursuit, which makes employment difficult. How can you work while you’re working to get well? And how can you afford treatment when you can’t work?”

Compounding the challenge, Line says, is the social stigma of addiction.

“Relatives, friends and employers aren’t always supportive,” she says. “And communities, as a whole, aren’t always receptive to funding programs, such as sober-living communities, that would boost someone’s progress and efforts toward recovery. The stigma here in Cache Valley is huge and a real obstacle to people seeking help with addiction.”

Line says the Peak Fellowship was instrumental in providing the financial support to enable her to conduct an effective study.

“Substance abuse treatment is intense,” she says. “People are in sessions all day long. To be able to interview people, I needed to be available at varied times of day and night. The Peak Fellowship financially supported me so I could adapt to people’s schedules and really focus on the research over the summer with just a part-time job on the side.”

After completing the summer fellowship, Line received additional research support through USU’s Transforming Communities Institute.

“I interned with the institute, which generously agreed to help me extend my research project,” she says.

Reflecting on her research, Line says she hopes to build awareness of how hard it is for individuals to overcome addiction.

“Many people are working hard at recovery, and the community could help to remove obstacles, such as homelessness and lack of access to care, that make it easy to upend someone’s progress,” Line says. “Community is everything when someone is struggling.”

Line, who is set to graduate from USU with a bachelor’s degree in social work this spring, has been accepted into the master’s of social work program at Utah State. She will begin her master’s coursework this summer and plans to pursue a doctorate to further her research.

“Learning to do research can be intimidating, but my faculty mentors have been extremely helpful at each step of the process,” she says. “Dr. Wallis is a great example of doing research in an ethical way and making sure we’re not going in and leaving these people vulnerable. She teaches us how to approach difficult topics in an empathetic way. Dr. Cris Meier has been an amazing mentor in quantitative research and how to accurately analyze data.”

Utah State, Line says, provides excellent support to students.

“I’ve been able to pursue opportunities beyond anything I ever expected,” she says.