| Summary: | The purpose of this study is to explain how shame can be experienced by women with the stigmatizing illness of alcoholism. Another aim is to illustrate how this shame can be affected in social interaction with others and by other circumstances. The following questions will be highlighted in this essay: How can shame be experienced by female alcoholics? What can affect shame in interaction with other people, from the view of female alcoholics? What other circumstances can affect the shame, from the view of female alcoholics?This study features interviews with women who have successfully gone through the process of rehabilitation from the illness of alcoholism, have a long going and stable sobriety and arecurrently part of the work force. The study also features interviews with therapists specializing in the field of addiction recovery and have considerable experience in their fieldof working with women suffering from alcoholism.The subject matters shame and stigma form the theoretical/analytical tools for this research. Various researchers’ views and explanations concerning stigma are from Erving Goffman and Howard Becker, and concerning shame the views and explanations are from Tomas J. Scheff and Suzanne M. Retzinger. However, the theoretical standpoint of this study is Brené Brown’s Shame Resilience Theory.The results that can be drawn from this study are that shame is experienced as deep and difficult during the time when the alcoholic is active, but shame can decrease considerably with recovery. Interactions with other people were shown to be essential in affecting shame. The response of other people decided whether shame decreased or increased.
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