Date
2-2010
Department
Counseling Department
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Chair
Fred A Milacci
Primary Subject Area
Psychology, Social
Keywords
Alcoholism, Loneliness, phenomenology, Recovery, sobriety
Recommended Citation
Evans, Timothy John, "Sober and Alone: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Loneliness Experienced by Recovering Alcoholics" (2010). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 302.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/302
Abstract
This phenomenological inquiry investigated the loneliness experienced by recovering alcoholics. Select participants responded to open-ended interview questions pertaining to their experience of loneliness as well as its impact on their lives. Moreover, participants were asked to indentify what factor or factors may have contributed to the onset or persistence of their loneliness. Phenomenological analysis of the data revealed that loneliness, as experienced by recovering alcoholics, is a recursive experience that is co-morbid with a number of debilitating affects.
Therefore, the loneliness that was experienced during recovery represented just one part of a combination of painful affective experiences. In addition, the data revealed a number of factors that contributed to the experience of loneliness for recovering alcoholics. Information obtained from this study may allow treatment providers to possess a better understanding of how the lives of recovering alcoholics can be influenced by the presence of loneliness and its accompanying affects.
