Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Rolande Murray

Abstract

Recovery from alcohol is an individualized process, therefore, effective treatment necessitates an understanding of the phenomenon from the perspective of individuals in recovery. This study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of stress of 10 individuals with alcoholism in their first year recovery journey, particularly with respect to access resources (e.g., helpfulness and availability). Pearlin et al.'s stress process theory and Bandura's social learning theory constituted the study's theoretical foundation; the key concepts of social stress and social learning informed the development of the research questions and the analysis of data. The major themes that emerged were spirituality, hitting bottom, goals, identifying progress and accomplishment, confusion, comparing the past with the present and interpersonal connections. The findings concurred with the wider literature in that they highlighted inadequacies with regard to service provision and the negative impact of exclusion and stigma. A further identified concern was the lack of social support, which was also consistent with the literature. The significance of this study resides in its insights on the potential benefits of program consolidation to treat several addictions. Organizational leaders who currently offer several programs may realize cost savings from consolidation. Such consolidation may also be of interest to academic researchers, public policy makers, healthcare professionals, and patients who have an addiction. The development of programs that are useful to individuals with different types of addiction may increase positive social change through the reach of these programs, enabling more individuals to improve their lives through recovery.

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