Self-Resolution of Drug and Alcohol Problems: A Synthesis of Qualitative Findings

The primary purpose of this project was to better clarify how individuals overcome drug and alcohol problems without participating in 12 step-type self-help groups or formal treatment. A secondary purpose was to infer implications for clinical practice. These objectives were accomplished by synthesizing qualitative findings related to self-resolution of drug and alcohol problems. Based on this work, self-resolution appears to be a temporal process that is motivated by personal interpretations of life circumstances. The central self-resolution strategy involves investing and reinvesting in self. This process varies in difficulty and is influenced by a number of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal factors. Owing to the nature of the change process, stage-appropriate brief interventions are recommended to help individuals invest and reinvest in themselves.