[Coping with drinking--how do females and males relate to their alcoholic partners?]

This study is concerned with 35 couples of which one partner is an alcoholic. The afflicted person and corresponding partner have sought assistance either with a psychotherapist or with Alcoholics Anonymous or Al-Anon respectively. The research instrument used is Oxford's Coping-with-Drinking-Questionnaire alongside a partially standardized interview. Using different versions of this questionnaire a record is built up of what coping strategies a partner has used in the past and what types are being used at the time of the interview. The alcoholic also fills out a questionnaire which records how far he or she has perceived the coping strategies used by his or her partner. The study leads to the following results: 1) Partners of alcoholics significantly reduce the coping strategies they utilize, over time. 2) This is particularly true for Al-Anon members. 3) The alcoholics do not fully realize the extent to which their partners are using coping strategies, before they enter a specific treatment. 4) In addition, there are significant differences between A.A.members and those who have sought assistance from other institutions or persons (the latter group remembers less the measures taken by their respective partners.