Long-Term Sustained Recovery from Alcohol Use Disorders Among Veterans: A Grounded Theory Investigation

This grounded theory study explored veterans’ conceptualization of recovery and factors contributing to establishing and maintaining long-term recovery among veterans. Alcohol misuse is a significant health challenge resulting in negative consequences across multiple dimensions. Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) are a significant problem in the general population, but they are even more prevalent among active duty military service men and women as well as veterans. Participants were nine veterans averaging 27.9 years in recovery. Six major themes emerged from veteran interviews including: (1) early negative life experiences, (2) early exposure and access to alcohol, (3) alcohol filled a need, (4) enabling of drinking behaviors in the military, (5) early recovery experiences, and (6) later recovery experiences. Veterans defined recovery as total abstinence and enhancement of quality of life. Implications for future research, exploration of deficits in recovery models, veteran-specific clinical practice, and the effect of trauma on the initiation of AUD in veterans and long-term recovery is discussed.