The lived experience of growing up in a family where a parent abuses alcohol : a retrospective study

Abstract

The research question pertaining to this study is 'The lived experience of growing up in a family where a parent abuses alcohol. - A retrospective study'. The aim of this study was to faithfully and holistically explore what it means to be a child of an alcoholic both in one's childhood and adult life. The methodology used in this study was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1990). Five participants were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were used to allow the true essence of the experience to emerge. The experiences of the participants were portrayed through the three superordinate themes of 'Memories of Childhood and Early Adulthood', 'Coping' and finally 'Life after the Experience'. It is my hope that this study may serve to inspire future, local research on the topic as well as give a voice to this long suffering population.