ERIC Number: EJ1394182
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0306-9885
EISSN: EISSN-1469-3534
Healing Wounds: Exploring the Hyphen in Son-Father Relations as an Adult Child of an Alcoholic
Clarke, Daniel Wade
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, v51 n3 p407-424 2023
In this autoethnography I explore the impact of my father's alcohol dependency on my relationship with him and implications for my own recovery from alcohol-related harm. Sketching, layering and poetic interludes help to move around the hyphenated space of son-father relations showing the wounds associated with his alcohol ab/use. The writing shows how I internalised and embodied other family members' shame, compounding my detachment and father hunger. It also shows how "energy of the wound" fuelled positive adaptations, learning to be "with" my adult-child-of-an-alcoholic-"ness." I hope the writing helps both writer and readers make things better by offering new vistas on hardship, loss, adapting and healing. Connecting with clinical audiences, potential implications for effective counselling are discussed.
Descriptors: Adults, Fathers, Sons, Alcoholism, Parent Child Relationship, Addictive Behavior, Psychological Patterns, Attachment Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, Personal Narratives, Emotional Experience
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A