Motherhood and alcoholism: exploring maternal experiences and perceptions of mothers who abuse alcohol

Abstract

South Africa has experienced increased rates of substance use, in particular the use of alcohol. These increased rates have also been witnessed amongst women of reproduction age. This has manifested in the high rate of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in South Africa. This study explored how mothers abusing and recovering from alcohol use, experience and perceive motherhood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mothers who were abusing and recovering from alcohol use. It was revealed from the data that identifying one’s self as an alcoholic was important to determine how women view themselves as alcoholic mothers. In order to understand how these mothers experience motherhood, it was crucial to understand how alcoholism manifests in women. Particularly, whether these women are recovering or currently using alcohol; the impact of alcohol use on mothering responsibilities; how different stages of alcohol use impacts on mothering behaviours and responsibilities; and the mother-child relationship. Motherhood is regarded as central to these women’s identities as they are still able to practice what is expected of them as mothers, despite using alcohol. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on alcoholism amongst South African women, assisting in understanding how mothering is practiced in the context of alcohol use and how motherhood is important to women seeking to recover from alcohol use. From the findings, treatment centers will gain a holistic view of women using alcohol which could assist in developing programmes aimed at addressing maternal practices and training in these centers; especially considering the difficulty of engaging in maternal duties while in a treatment center. Results indicating difficulties mothers have with their children indicate the importance of this study in assisting treatment centers to focus on mother-child relationships during rehabilitation. Lastly the effectiveness of support groups (e.g. Alcoholic Anonymous) based treatment could also serve as important in women-based rehabilitation.