View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Liberty University Digital Commons SOBER AND ALONE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE LONELINESS EXPERIENCED BY RECOVERING ALCOHOLICS by Timothy J. Evans Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Liberty University February 2010 © Timothy J. Evans, February, 2010 All Rights Reserved ii SOBER AND ALONE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE LONELINESS EXPERIENCED BY RECOVERING ALCOHOLICS A Dissertation Proposal Submitted to the Faculty of Liberty University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Timothy J. Evans Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia February, 2010 Dissertation Committee Approval: _________________________________________ FRED MILACCI, D.Ed., Chair date _________________________________________ KENNETH REEVES, Ed.D., Reader date _________________________________________ ROBERT LEHMAN, Ph.D., Reader date _________________________________________ LISA SOSIN. Ph.D., Reader date iii ABSTRACT SOBER AND ALONE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE LONELINESS EXPERIENCED BY RECOVERING ALCOHOLICS By Timothy J. Evans Center for Counseling and Family Studies Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling 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. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I will forever be grateful for the ceaseless dedication, encouragement, and willingness of the four visionary members of my dissertation committee. To my committee chair Dr. Fred Milacci, your enduring fortitude and insight played a pivotal role in leading me through this process. To the three readers of the committee; Dr.’s Robert Lehman, Kenneth Reeves, and Lisa Sosin, your guidance and wisdom were greatly appreciated. Moreover, I express gratitude to the four of you for your patience as this study was certainly a long journey. Special thanks to David Beach for your exceptional peer review and Rebecca Kary for your professional editing assistance. This study would have not been possible without the courageous discourse of the eight research participants who disclosed personal accounts of the struggles they encountered while attempting to recover from alcoholism. You are some of the bravest individuals I have ever met. Although I was a stranger, you opened your hearts as you led me on a remarkable journey of your recovery experience. This study would have never come to fruition had it not been for the patience and understanding of my wife, Jennifer, who sacrificed much during my dissertation effort. Thank you for your motivation, support, and enduring love during this process. To my two young children Alyssa and Matthew; the two sabbaticals I took from this study to welcome you into this world will forever rank among my greatest joys. Although you did not understand why your father spent so some much time on his computer, you and your mother will certainly see more of me in the future. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 Background of the Problem .................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................3 Research Questions ..............................................................................................................4 Definitions............................................................................................................................4 Locating Myself as a Researcher .........................................................................................5 Summary ..............................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...........................................................10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................10 Loneliness ..........................................................................................................................12 Characterizations of Loneliness .........................................................................................12 The Impact of Extended Loneliness ..................................................................................18 Summary on Loneliness .....................................................................................................20 Loneliness and its Relationship to Alcoholism.... ..............................................................21 Recovering from Alcoholism .............................................................................................24 Loneliness as it pertains Recovering Alcoholics ...............................................................28 vi Summary ............................................................................................................................32 CHAPTER III: METHOD .................................................................................................33 Overview ............................................................................................................................33 Designing a Qualitative Study ...........................................................................................34 Research Design .................................................................................................................34 Selection of Participants ....................................................................................................36 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................38 Ethical Procedures .............................................................................................................40 Data Processing and Analysis ............................................................................................41 Ensuring the Trustworthiness of the Findings ...................................................................42 Summary ............................................................................................................................43 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ...............................................................................................45 Overview ............................................................................................................................45 Portraits of the Participants ................................................................................................46 General Characteristics of the Participants ........................................................................47 Individual Portraits of the Participants ..............................................................................48 An Expanded view of Loneliness for Recovering Alcoholics ...........................................59 Contributing Factors to the Experience of Loneliness for Recovering Alcoholics ...........74 Summary ............................................................................................................................85 vii CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................87 Overview ............................................................................................................................87 Findings Pertaining to Loneliness and Recovering Alcoholics .........................................87 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................90 Clinical Implications from this study .................................................................................92 Recommendations for Further Research ............................................................................95 Locating the Researcher in Reference to this Study ..........................................................98 Summary ..........................................................................................................................100