Drinking Behavior and Alcoholics Anonymous

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Alcoholics Anonymous promotes the idea that alcoholism is a disease, but some professionals have issues with this concept because they argue that this premise means that a person is not responsible for their own drinking behavior. The author points out that some critics of Alcoholics Anonymous argue that group members are so involved with AA that they have substituted the group for alcohol, but the dependence usually diminishes as the alcoholic finds more self-esteem and has a longer time in sobriety. The paper reviews the now popularized element of Alcoholics Anonymous that sobriety, or any difficult task, must be faced "one day at a time".

From the Paper:

"Alcoholics Anonymous was created for every person who finds him or herself in need of help to quit drinking. The premise of AA is that it should be available to everyone and that it should exclude no one. Requesting funding is strictly against the AA guidelines. One of the most important aspects of AA is that group members are asked to tell their story to other members. The feeling that you are not alone is powerful to many alcoholics. Group members share their experiences and give hope to others who can see no way out of their alcoholism. This hope feeds many group members and some who hear it, may find the strength needed to change their life (Smith, 1993). Group therapy is used for many kinds of problems that people encounter and the similarities in situations create a bond between group members."

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