An ongoing process: A qualitative study of how the alcohol-dependent free themselves of addiction through progressive abstinence

Abstract (provisional)

Background Most people being treated for alcoholism are unable to successfully quit drinking within their treatment programs.

In few cases do we know the full picture of how abstinence is achieved in Taiwan.

We tracked processes of abstinence in alcohol-dependency disorders, based on study evidence and results.

This research explores the process of recovery from the viewpoint of the alcohol-dependent.

Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two different settings, using purpose sampling, during 2003-2004.

The data were analyzed using content analysis.

Participants were 32 adults (men and women) , purposefully selected from Alcoholics Anonymous group and a psychiatric hospital in North Taiwan.

Results We found that the abstinence process is an ongoing process, in which the alcohol-dependent free themselves of addiction progressively. This process never ends or resolves in complete recovery.

We have identified three stages of change in the struggle against alcoholism:

1. the Indulgence, Ambivalence and Attempt (IAA) cycle, in which the sufferer is trapped in a cycle of attempting to give up and failing;
2. the Turning Point, in which a Personal Nadir is reached, and
3. the Ongoing Process of abstinence, in which a constant effort is made to remain sober through willpower and with the help of support groups.

We also discuss Influencing Factors that can derail abstinence attempts, pushing the sufferer back into the IAA cycle.

Conclusion This study provides important points of reference for alcohol and drug service workers and community healthcare professionals, casting light on the abstinence process and providing a basis for intervention or rehabilitation services.

An ongoing process: A qualitative study of how the alcohol-dependent free themselves of addiction through progressive abstinence Mei-Yu Yeh, Hui-Lian Che and Shu-Mei Wu BMC Psychiatry 2009, 9:76doi:10.1186/1471-244X-9-76.

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The concept of spirituality in relation to addiction recovery and general psychiatry.

This chapter is directed at defining the nature of spirituality and its relationship to empirical research and clinical practice.

A preliminary understanding of the spiritual experience can be achieved on the basis of diverse theoretical and empirically grounded sources, which will be delineated: namely, physiology, psychology, and cross-cultural sources.

Furthermore, the impact of spirituality on mental health and addiction in different cultural and clinical settings is explicated regarding both beneficial and compromising outcomes.

Illustrations of its application in addiction and general psychiatry are given: in meditative practices, Alcoholics Anonymous, and treatment programs for addiction singly and comorbid with major mental illness.

Given its prominence in Alcoholics Anonymous and related Twelve-Step groups, spirituality plays an important role in the rehabilitation of many substance-dependent people.

The issue of spirituality, however, is prominent within contemporary culture as well in the form of theistic orientation, as evidenced in a probability sampling of American adults, among whom 95% of respondents reply positively when asked if they believe in “God or a universal spirit.”

Responses to a follow-up on this question suggest that this belief affects the daily lives of the majority (51%) of those sampled, as they indicated that they had talked to someone about God or some aspect of their faith or spirituality within the previous 24 h.

Research report; Galanter M. The concept of spirituality in relation to addiction recovery and general psychiatry. Recent Dev Alcohol. 2008;18:125-40.

See also;

• AA Offers Recovery Not Religion
• ABC’s of Recovery
• Alcohol intervention may help.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality