Alienation and Alcohol Use Disorder: A Thematic Analysis of Life Histories from the Lundby Study

Abstract

The 40-year follow-up of a subset of men (N=41) from the Lundby Community Cohort indicated that the development of alcohol use disorders was related to different problem areas, including work situations. The present study examines the life stories of the 23 subjects who had been interviewed 3 times before and were alive at the follow-up. It is the accounts of (mostly former) problem drinkers about how their work and their drinking fitted together. It also illuminates how work alienation is related to social class and to alcohol-use disorders and recovery. It shows that the life course perspective can lead to a fuller understanding of the subjective experience. The alienation model might also give some clues for treatment and prevention.