De som inte syns - en kvalitativ studie om att vara anhörig till missbrukare

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to examine how it affects people, psychologically and socially, by having a close relative that have an alcohol or a narcotic addiction. We have done a qualitative study through thematised interviews with seven adults that have a close family member or a friend that have or has had an addiction. We have analyzed in what way these people have been affected, how they coped with the situation and what kind of support they have used and received. The theories we have used for the analysis of this study was; coping, family systems perspective and codependency as a disorder. The main results we have found are that some coping strategies seems to be more effective than others, such as setting up boundaries and keeping a distance from the addict. The majority of the respondents described themselves as codependent and with a disorder that they had to recover from. They all pointed out the importance of making the problem more visible in society.