Why Do People Become Alcoholics - Dissertation Example

They might smash a bar stool on your head, for example, which could cause a serious head injury. If you are a student, drinking alcohol can lead to serious academic problems. It is harder to study well when you are hungover. Your grades are likely to decline and your classmates are likely to lose respect for you. You may even engage in risky sexual behavior that might have long-term consequences for you. The problem for students is that the temptations are everywhere. Campuses are full of bars and there is a real culture of binge drinking.

It is important to be true to yourself and avoid situations that call for excessive drinking—for example, a keg stand party. We need to find out why people become alcoholics. If we can find a reason for this we can begin to solve the problem and treat people who have this serious problem. 3. Literature Review There are numerous books on this subject that can be of use. Among these books are Hedblom (2007) which provides a good overview of the subject and how alcoholics recover from the problem.

Another useful book is O'Farrell (2006) which looks at how couples deal with alcoholism. These books, among others, can help put the issue in perspective and provide some real insight. A number of other useful sources on addictive personality are as follows: Engs, Ruth C. "The Addictive Process and Addictive Behaviors." Addictive Behaviors. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 March 2010 Mason, Stephen, Ph.D. Rev. of The Addictive Personality. Psychology Today. N.p., 14 March 2009. 4. Hypothesis My hypothesis is that alcoholism is a product of an addictive personality.

Different types of personalities react differently to stimuli. We need to find out why people become alcoholics. We need to see if there is something about their personality that leads to them becoming alcoholic. This research will enlighten us. An operational definition that will assist us in this matter is the definition of an alcoholic. The definition we will be using is someone who drinks five or more units of alcohol per day. 5. Research method I will begin with an examination of both primary and secondary research.

Statistical information will be compiled by using libraries and the internet. The main source of findings will be participant observation. I will visit with alcoholics and observe their activities to determine if the hypothesis is correct. I will try not to be intrusive as I live side by side with the alcoholics and examine their behavior and activities. I will also use some surveying and sampling. Sampling will be conducted through the collection of e-mail addresses from a rehabilitation center and empirical surveys conducted via email.

This will be an important tool for data collection. In conducting this research, the e-mail addresses will come from sources that are alcoholic. In addition, e-mail addresses will be obtained through a web page designed to attract people who have addictive personalities. These web addresses will be linked from various resources that will allow a link to the address. An ideal sample size of 100 respondents will be expected in order to conduct the research. This type of sampling is known as non-probability sampling.

According to Trochim (2006), non-probability sampling describes the unlikely event that will occur when a sample is taken when there is not an equal possibility for all who are concerned to be chosen. 

Because of the limitations of access to alcoholics or addictive personalities, only those who happen to come across the link or who are access through other means will have an opportunity to respond (Trochim, 2006). Anyone without internet access will have no opportunity to be sampled. 

Data collection
Data will be collected in the form of notes and responses to emails and surveys. I may do interviews with the alcoholics too. This data will be compared against the operational definition and kept confidential until the date of publication.
Analyzing results

The results will be analyzed. A report will be written that details my findings. The data collected will be compared against the hypothesis and the results established.
Sharing results

I will finally publish the result in a leading scientific journal. The journal will be peer-reviewed. Everyone will know the outlines of my research and methodology and be able to judge for themselves.