Abstract
Although the strain that a romantic partner's alcoholism puts on a relationship is well documented, less is known about the ways in which individuals deal with a malfunctioning relationship of this kind. This qualitative study explores one way of coping with a partner's alcoholism: attending Al-Anon, a world-wide network of mutual-aid groups for alcoholics' friends and families. This paper will look at Al-Anon members' perceptions of their communication experiences at Al-Anon in relation to their communication with their alcoholic partners. The research material is composed of interviews with Finnish Al-Anon members (n=19), as well as their writings (n=128), which have been analyzed thematically. The results show that Al-Anon attendance helps individuals to change their ways of communicating with their alcoholic partners by offering informational and emotional support. Furthermore, the organization also works as an arena for practicing these interpersonal skills. As a result, the partners became more accepting, and started to draw boundaries between themselves and the alcoholic. This again shifted the focus of the relationship from the alcoholics' drinking to themselves, and thus clarified their relationship.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
47
Issue
1
First Page
4
Last Page
27
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Kuuluvainen, Venla and Isotalus, Pekka
(2015)
"Communicating to Change Communication: Alcoholics' Romantic Partners' Mutual-Aid Group Attendance in Relation to Communication with their Alcoholic Partners,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 47:
No.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol47/iss1/4
Copyright
©2015 Iowa Communication Association
