The Lived Experience of Male Alcohol Dependence
The Lived Experience of Male Alcohol Dependence
Why do some people become dependent on alcohol while others do not? Why do individuals become dependent on alcohol, despite daily experiencing multiple negative consequences of such dependence? Why do they carry on drinking if, after the last binging episode, they swear they will never drink again? Why do some people rely on alcohol to help solve their problems? In order to understand why I ask these questions it is important to provide an overview of the experience with alcoholism and the reason it set the stage for this study. Alcohol dependence is a chronic condition with disastrous effects. It can lead to heart attacks, cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, premature aging and stomach ulcers. It is a large factor in disruptions of family patterns and can lead to divorce, and it can also manifest in suicide attempts, car and industrial accidents, as well as crimes such as rape, murder, assault and spousal abuse.Most people enjoy drinking at times. However, knowledge of the disastrous effects that alcohol dependence can have on an individual, makes it difficult to understand why some individuals drink more than they can handle. Looking back at the 19th century, we can see that alcohol dependence as an ailment came into its own more than 200 years ago. During the Industrial Revolution alcohol dependence grew to epidemic proportions, especially among the working class. In contemporary society alcohol dependence remains an extremely common disorder.
In general, this study provides a rich interpretation of the lived experience of male alcohol dependence within the male alcohol dependents‟ and my own contexts. In order to achieve these aims, and to study male alcohol dependence as a complex and contextual phenomenon, this study worked within the hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate, understand and interpret the lived experience of female alcohol dependence. As the emphasis
Why do some people become dependent on alcohol while others do not? Why do individuals become dependent on alcohol, despite daily experiencing multiple negative consequences of such dependence? Why do they carry on drinking if, after the last binging episode, they swear they will never drink again? Why do some people rely on alcohol to help solve their problems? In order to understand why I ask these questions it is important to provide an overview of the experience with alcoholism and the reason it set the stage for this study. Alcohol dependence is a chronic condition with disastrous effects. It can lead to heart attacks, cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, premature aging and stomach ulcers. It is a large factor in disruptions of family patterns and can lead to divorce, and it can also manifest in suicide attempts, car and industrial accidents, as well as crimes such as rape, murder, assault and spousal abuse.Most people enjoy drinking at times. However, knowledge of the disastrous effects that alcohol dependence can have on an individual, makes it difficult to understand why some individuals drink more than they can handle. Looking back at the 19th century, we can see that alcohol dependence as an ailment came into its own more than 200 years ago. During the Industrial Revolution alcohol dependence grew to epidemic proportions, especially among the working class. In contemporary society alcohol dependence remains an extremely common disorder.
In general, this study provides a rich interpretation of the lived experience of male alcohol dependence within the male alcohol dependents‟ and my own contexts. In order to achieve these aims, and to study male alcohol dependence as a complex and contextual phenomenon, this study worked within the hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate, understand and interpret the lived experience of female alcohol dependence. As the emphasis