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Accentuating the positive: The gendered identities of male problem‐drinkers, and the questions these pose for the counselling profession
Author(s) -
Owen-Pugh Valerie,
Allen Julie
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
counselling and psychotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.38
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1746-1405
pISSN - 1473-3145
DOI - 10.1080/14733145.2012.663777
Subject(s) - narrative , psychology , distress , dependency (uml) , grounded theory , emotional distress , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , qualitative research , psychiatry , anxiety , sociology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , systems engineering , engineering
Background: Few published studies have addressed the male experience of alcohol dependency. Aim: This paper seeks to address this deficiency and to highlight aspects of the male experience relevant to the counselling and psychotherapy profession. Methods: Six men in recovery from alcohol dependency participated in semi‐structured interviews. Findings: A grounded theory analysis elicited five core categories, Beginning to Drink , Paying for Gain with Pain , Reaching Rock Bottom , Struggling to Recover and Leading a New Life . Despite the pain they had experienced, participants' narratives were matter‐of‐fact and goal‐oriented. Low self‐esteem was expressed indirectly. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with socialisation models of alcoholism. Counsellors, and the wider profession, must be alert for the male under‐reporting of emotional distress.