| Summary: | <p> Identity development and an individual’s self-concept can inform how one experiences the world and defines himself/herself. Personal identity can be culturally defined as well as socially developed (Koski-Jannes, 2002). Considering addiction, specifically alcoholism, an individual’s involvement with an arguably deviant category may negatively and/or positively affect his/her identity process (Adler & Adler, 2003) and potential recovery prospects (Koski-Jannes, 2002; Walters, 1996; Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, 2003). Uncovering the individual’s experience of his/her own identity transformation can provide a better understanding for potential recovery and treatment modalities that have been unknowingly overlooked. The lived experiences may offer a comprehensive understanding of the challenges involving the alcoholic identity, and illuminate how identity development can embrace or deter one from seeking current treatment strategies and recovery. Thus, gaining direct perspectives of individuals who take on the alcoholic identity can offer clinical implications, inform future theoretical perspectives, and advise current treatment approaches. This qualitative dissertation explores the identification process of self-identified people who live with alcoholism utilizing an in-depth approach into the lived experiences that informed their own understanding of the identity transformation they endured, and the factors that influenced the decision to self-identify.</p><p>
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