Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka hur olika vändpunkts processer i en kristen kontext kan se ut. Resultatet av studien visar att en betydande push-faktor ut ur missbruket för våra informanter bestått av de negativa konsekvenserna som missbruket fört med sig, initialt försämrad hälsa. Parallellt med detta upplevde informanterna att det var någonting utanför deras egen kontroll som ”drog” dem ur missbruket. Våra informanter har haft känslan av att någon leder dem och manar gott för dem. Studien ger vid handen att frälsningen och mötet med Gud har givit vägledning för informanterna i hur man kan bygga upp ett liv utan alkohol och narkotika. I denna process har vi sett hur kristna vänner och stödpersoner spelat en betydande roll i processen mot ett liv utan droger. Våra informanters utsagor säger oss även att omvändelse/frälsning inte automatiskt innebär befrielse från missbruk, ty en del har haft återfall, men det tycks som att den kristna livsåskådningen underlättar den dagliga kampen. / God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, Courage to change the things I can, and then wisdom to know the difference.

I denna studie har fyra före detta livsstilskriminella intervjuats för att ta reda på vad som föranledde deras beslut att upphöra med en kriminell livsstil, hur respondenternas resa mot förändring sett ut samt vilka avgörande faktorer som funnits under processens gång.  Det är en kvalitativ studie där semistrukturerade intervjuer har gjorts med personer som själva identifierat sig som före detta livsstilskriminella. Materialet har analyserats utifrån en modell utvecklad av Antonovskys (1991) teori Känsla av Sammanhang, begreppet Rock Bottom och teorier om Sociala Band (Hirschi, 1969; Sampson och Laub, 1993).  Analysen följer en kronologisk ordning, vilket i studien benämns som resan mot en livsstilsförändring. Resan startar vid en avgörande tid i livet där respondenterna har nått botten, vilket kan jämföras med Rock Bottom. Detta är vad respondenterna själva valt att kalla vändpunkten och blev startskottet på en lång resa. När respondenterna nått botten var de sociala banden till det konventionella samhället nästintill obefintliga och de hade därmed en avsaknad av social kontroll. Under tiden för förändringen förbättrades de sociala banden till det konventionella samhället successivt. Nya sociala sammanhang, sysselsättningar och nära relationer byggdes upp och de sociala banden ledde till att respondenterna inte längre ville begå brott. I krisen, som skulle föranleda vändpunkten, hade respondenterna en låg känsla av sammanhang, vilket har visat sig vara starkt sammankopplat med svaga sociala band till det konventionella samhället. Allt eftersom tiden gick och de sociala banden förstärktes ökade även känslan av sammanhang. Analysmodellen visar att alla dessa faktorer samverkar med varandra och är under förändring i uppbrottsprocessen. Den här processen övergår efter ett tag till att bara vara en del av livsloppet, som pågår för resten av livet. Utöver detta har studien visat att en individ som ska kunna upphöra med brott behöver också upphöra med droger.

Considering the prevalence of addiction issues within the U.S., this study focused on the topic of recovery from drug and alcohol dependence in order to add to current literature. Prevention and recovery services are two of the most common ways of combating the addiction issue, and counselors are at the forefront of both movements. The bottoming out experience (BOE) and the turning point (TTP) are two common lay terms of factors within changing addictive behaviors, yet the connection of these constructs to recovery remains unstudied and unknown. The current study tested a model that levels of the BOE and the TTP are predictive of early recovery (ER). The data from this study was obtained from a national dataset previously collected from 230 grant-funded addiction treatment centers that utilize the Global Assessment of Individual Needs (GAIN) assessment instrument. A review of the literature gaps, coupled with available data, influenced decisions on research design and statistical analysis procedures. As clear definitions of the BOE, TTP, and ER have not been discovered through research, a descriptive, correlational research design was chosen in order to understand not only what constitutes a BOE, TTP, and ER, but also to discover the relationships between the BOE, TTP, and ER in their natural state. The purpose of correlational studies is to investigate the relationship between two or more variables without researcher manipulation and such designs are common in the counseling and counselor education research field (Heppner, et al., 2008). Because correlational research is exploratory in nature, structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to understand the components of each construct and was used to test the hypothesis of the relationships iv between the BOE, TTP and ER. Although SEM is a confirmatory technique, it is frequently used in an exploratory manner because it combines elements of confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regressions and allows for various possibilities of the relationships between constructs and variables (Schrieber, et al., 2006). The literature on ER, BOE, and TTP provides enough evidence to test a theoretical model, which is the purpose of SEM. The hypothesized model assessed data at intake for the BOE, TTP and ER. Once constructs were delineated through measurement models/CFA, SEM path analysis was used to understand how the constructs related to one another. The first three hypotheses were rejected in the study, and measurement model modifications were conducted, which yielded good fit indices. Results from Hypothesis One indicated that hypothesized factors did not load on the BOE, and instead, the BOE at the intake level was a measurement of mental health severity. Results from Hypothesis Two indicated that hypothesized factors did not load on TTP; however, TTP did resulting factor structure created through model modification contained factors of awareness, motivation, and support. Results from Hypothesis Three also indicated that hypothesized indicators did not load into ER; however the resulting factor structure contained indicators of abstinence and environmental support. Lastly, Hypothesis Four yielded three resulting models, all of which had good fit indices. Therefore, hypothesis four was accepted. It is noteworthy that direct effects were not all significant, and the p value in all final models was significant. There was not a significant relationship between the BOE and ER at the intake level; however, there was a significant relationship between the BOE and TTP, as well as TTP and ER at the intake level. The direct v effects between the BOE and ER may have had a role in the significant p values, as well as the large sample size. Within the three resulting models, the BOE had significant relationships with TTP, spiritual support, and motivation. Both spiritual support and motivation also had significant relationships with ER. Therefore, the results from the current study support that there are existing relationships between the BOE and TTP; however, the relationship between the BOE and ER at the intake level was not significant.

No description available.

Sudden personal transformation (SPT) was defined as a subjectively reported, positive, profound, and lasting personal change that follows a relatively brief and memorable inner experience. Although such change has been described in numerous biographies, works of fiction, and religious and scholarly texts, a consistent definition and systematic program of research is lacking in the psychological literature. Moreover, almost nothing is known about what causes such change from the subjective point of view of individuals who have experienced it first hand. This study used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore the common beliefs of three participants about the factors that facilitated and the mechanisms that caused their SPT. Findings reveal that all participants reported a life transition, feeling miserable, feeling exhausted, feeling unable to resolve adverse circumstances, reaching a breaking point, and support from others facilitated their individual SPT’s. All participants also indicated that a formalized activity or ceremony as well as a process outside of their conscious control (either a higher power or a deep inner wisdom) produced or caused their SPT’s. Implications for future research and counselling practice are discussed. / Graduate