Abstract

COWIE, Kiefer  and  DIAMOND, Emily. Disclosure Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors in Recovery from Problematic Alcohol Use: A US Sample. Psocial [online]. 2021, vol.7, n.1, pp.33-43. ISSN 2422-619X.

Social support has been found to positively assist in recovery from problematic alcohol use. This project examined the relationship between disclosure of alcohol recovery status to social connections, and longest period of alcohol abstinence. This cross-sectional study had (N=154) adult participants from the US who were in recovery from problematic alcohol use. Beyond demographic data, participants reported on a variety of things including medical, psychiatric and recovery history. Longest period of alcohol abstinence was associated with participant’s level of openness to disclosure, belief in the efficacy of disclosing, number of social connections disclosed to and categories of people one disclosed to. The most common social connections disclosed to were close friends, support groups, and healthcare providers. Disclosing to one’s parents, grandparents and children corresponded to the longest periods of alcohol abstinence. Our findings suggest that disclosing recovery status to social connections may support longer periods of alcohol abstinence.

Keywords : social support; alcohol use; social psychology; addictive behavior; disclosure.

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