“Fixing” Mother’s who Drink: Family Narratives on Secrecy, Shame and Silence

Background: In South Africa, there is a paucity of qualitative studies giving a voice to mothers who drink, which could inform interventions to assist families to heal from repetitive alcohol use disorders. Methods: This qualitative study explored the discursive accounts of 10 mothers who are members of Alcoholic Anonymous in the context of their complex state of being-in-the-world with others (like husbands and children). The aims of this study were to explore why mothers drank excessively and to unpack their families’ responses to their drinking. Results: First-person narratives with mothers’ about their lived experience with alcohol use disorder illustrate the main themes, which emanated from these discussions. The discourses on secrecy, shame and silence related to the mother’s lived-experience with alcohol’s occurrence in the family. This paper recommends that families who always stand over and against an alcohol dependent past should consider attending free support group meetings for loved ones of Alcoholics. A popular family support group for families affected by alcohol dependency is known as Al-anon.

RICH AND ROOTLESS IN THE SUBURBS

In the past year and a half, seven Pali High students have died violently in incidents involving alcohol, drugs or cars. The school now has what may be the first Alcoholic Anonymous chapter on an American high-school campus. This is hardly your tough inner-city school. Pali High sits on a privileged plateau overlooking the Pacific Ocean in a community of mostly wealthy, welleducated parents. It is not one of those enclaves of old money, but a suburb of achievers—doctors, lawyers, entertainment figures—parents who work hard and, yes, often play hard. It is a place where students are given fast cars on their 16th birthdays and have easy access to drink and drugs. There are suburbs like this all over the nation. . . . The students I talked to said there is absolutely no school spirit, zero. They didn't have much use for Pacific Palisades either, they said, no community loyalty. They dismissed it as a bland, moneyed place where no one had roots, one of those end-of-the-rainbow Western suburbs where dreams were supposed to come true and people were angry when they didn't, a place where there was nothing to do on weekends but party, or "rage" as they call it. . . "I just don't think there were enough limits," he said. "Everybody's parents were trying to be so cool. . ."

The contributions of sex and drinking history to the CT brain scan changes in alcoholics

SynopsisConsecutive series of male and female alcoholics, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) members and controls were examined by interview and with a CT brain scan. Male controls were shown to have larger CT brain parameters than healthy females of the same age. Female alcoholics revealed equivalent CT scan abnormalities, apart from less sulcal widening, after a markedly shorter drinking history and at a lower estimated peak alcohol consumption than male alcoholics. The CT scan findings persisted after accounting for body weight and after matching for age and length of drinking history. The CT scan parameters of female AA members approached control values more completely and after briefer abstinence than did those of male AA members. Methodological problems and sex differences in selection and other processes are discussed. The findings are consistent with sex differences in the vulnerability of the brain to alcohol toxicity, and in its recovery with abstinence.

A Holistic Health Approach to an Alcoholic Treatment Program

This article reports on The New Beginning, a residential treatment facility in Northern Virginia, which implemented an innovative approach to alcoholism treatment. To an established alcohol rehabilitation program holistic health procedures were added. The holistic components consisted of: (1) a planned nutritional program; (2) a regular exercise program stressing aerobic capacity; (3) a program of stress reduction through a Hatha yoga series of stretching exercises; and (4) weekend recreational pursuits. In addition, the traditional aspects of individual and family psychological counseling combined with regular attendance at Alcoholic Anonymous meetings rounded out the rehabilitation program. A George Mason University health education intern planned and implemented the fitness, recreation, and stress reduction components along with the revision of the nutritional approach. The intern worked in cooperation with the trained staff and had resident involvement in the outdoor parcourse development. The intern was placed at the New Beginning for a six weeks, 240-hour experience.