Recovery from alcohol and the relationship with the self: Insights from long-term counselling clients

Christodoulakis, Manos

Abstract

The present study explores the experience of recovering from alcohol dependence from the perspectives of people who have received long-term therapeutic work. Diverting from the existing literature that focuses solely on the perspective of AA members, the study is interested in how counselling clients make sense of themselves throughout their efforts to recover from problematic alcohol use. The research design was developed through the prism of critical realism and follows the qualitative methodology of IPA. Semi-structured interviews were employed as the instrument for data collection, and five participants were interviewed. For all participants the engagement with counselling was a big part of their journey, while for three of them recovery also entailed their engagement with the AA fellowship.

The interpretative-phenomenological analysis yielded three superordinate themes. The first draws from participants’ narratives of conceptualising alcohol as an abusive partner that was initially relied on for soothing of pre-existing struggles with anxiety and low-self worth, only to eventually exacerbate those issues further. The second pertained to the participants’ differential response to the alcoholic label. The third and final superordinate theme explores the shift towards self-compassion that emerged as a key process that promoted recovery and reflects on the distinct yet complimentary ways in which counselling and AA have facilitated that shift.

The study’s findings could have useful implications in the way that we conceptualise and treat alcohol dependence. Most prominent among them is the conceptualisation of alcohol dependence as the symptom of underlying causes that might necessitate a paradigm shift towards longer-term therapy as opposed to short-term, outcome-focused interventions. It is further proposed that insights from this study could inform future qualitative research to explore the potential of integrative synergies between counselling and AA whereby the two approaches can be seen complementary rather than oppositional. A critical evaluation of the study offers an account of the author’s reflective process and the challenges and rewards of utilising an IPA methodology.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 10, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 28, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9852208
• Award Date: Apr 28, 2023