| The purpose of this study was to examine women's perceptions of barriers to alcoholism treatment. The study also examined elements of the treatment seeking process, including perceived motivating and enabling factors behind successfully entering alcoholism treatment. This was an exploratory, qualitative study. An open-ended, structured interview guide was used during telephone interviews. A nonprobability sample of 15 women participating in Alcoholics Anonymous was used.; Many women attempting to enter treatment for alcoholism experience several barriers. The most commonly encountered barriers were internal, such as experiencing denial of a problem with alcohol, or external, such as lack of knowledge about available treatment programs and/or lack of payment methods. In regards to motivating and enabling factors for entering treatment, many women had significant social support in their lives and possessed a personal motivation to go into treatment.; The findings support previous research conclusions that a great deal of societal stigma is still attached to female alcoholism. |
