The Role of Spirituality in the Recovery Process of the Alcoholic Who is Attending a Twelve Step Program

Abstract

Pupose: The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of spirituality on the recovery process of the alcoholic who is participating in the twelve step program. The type of information sought for this study were the spiritual experiences of individuals who are recovering alcoholics in a twelve step program for at least one year. Method: The research is qualitative, based on the tradition of phenomenology. In order to obtain the most comprehensive amount of information, a semi-structured interview was used. The sample size consisted of six participants, two females and four males. Their ages ranged from twenty-five to sixty-six. The participants were obtained through convenience and snowball sampling. The first participants were selected after responding to a posted advertisement. The rest of the participants were referred by friends. The data was obtained from the participants in audio taped interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an editing analysis style. The unit of measurement was the paragraph. This holistic approach offered the opportunity to collect data about the participants' personal spiritual experiences in a thorough manner. Analysis resulted in identification of several themes and patterns among the lived experiences of six individuals in recovery from alcoholism. Results: There is little formal research on exactly what role spirituality plays in recovery from alcoholism. This study revealed that spirituality is the most essential theme in the recovery process. For these participants, there would be no recovery without spirituality. Another possible theory which was uncovered by this study is that as one becomes more spiritually evolved, one becomes more concerned about others as opposed to focusing on one's self. Implications for advanced practice nursing include assessment of spirituality when treating alcoholics and their families, increasing the acceptance of spirituality in a holistic approach to care by including spirituality in the curriculums of nursing programs at all levels, as well as facilitating the practitioner's self awareness regarding spirituality. Limitations: Two limitations of the study were a small sample size (n=6), as well as limited time. Conclusion: This study indicates that the role of spirituality in recovery is vital. Given that element, it would seem reasonable to continue research of spirituality in the recovery process and increase acceptance of that role within the medical, psychiatric, and nursing practice communities.