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Running head: ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS SUPPORT GROUP 1
Alcoholics Anonymous Support Group
Rachel Nunez
Psychology 306
Liberty University
November 29, 2019
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Introduction
Chemical dependency is a huge issue in society although it is entirely treatable.
Treatment options include support programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), Narcotics
Anonymous (NA); Cocaine Anonymous (CA) and many others that have been largely successful
in the treatment and recovery of chemical addictions. This paper will focus on one of the first
and most successful treatment plans in the nation known as Alcoholics Anonymous. I will
discuss the history of A.A., the purpose for the program, the reason why the program is so
effective, the 12-step model and stages referenced in the meetings and my personal observations
during attendance at the meetings. Included in the discussion are advantages and effectiveness of
the program as well as the challenges participants encounter in the program. The purpose of this
discussion is for the reader to gain knowledge about the A.A. program and understand the value
of programs like these.
History of Alcoholic Anonymous
Alcoholic Anonymous (A.A.) is a spiritual-based program that was founded in 1934 by
Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who were both alcoholics (Inaba and Cohen, 1997, p. 1.25).
Prior to A.A., Bill, a New York stockbroker and Dr. Bob, a surgeon were both involved with the
Oxford Group, “a fellowship that emphasized universal spiritual values in daily living”
(Alcoholics Anonymous, 2017). Both men, after achieving sobriety, began to work with other
alcoholics at the City Hospital in Akron and in 1939, they published their A.A. textbook which is
now known at the Twelve Steps of Recovery ("Alcoholics Anonymous: Historical Data", 2017).
From that point, the A.A. developed and multiplied rapidly.
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From the beginning, Alcoholics Anonymous has been identified as a program that helps
alcoholics reach and maintain sobriety. The only requirement for membership is the desire to be
sober. The program is spiritual in nature as members are encouraged to connect to a higher
power or a power greater than themselves, but the concept is not forced on anyone. There is no
religious affiliation in A.A’s history. A.A.’s success is tied to its principles known as the twelve
(12) step program. It is based on 12 traditions/steps that help the alcoholic reach sobriety and
avoid relapse. A.A. has more than 2,000,000 recovered alcoholics in the U.S., Canada and other
countries and women make up 38% of the total membership (aa.org, 2017).
Peer Review Articles
Is Alcoholics Anonymous Effective?
In the article titled Is Alcoholics Anonymous Effective, the author discussed the advantage
of A.A. as being the most widely known and available program of its type. They also discussed
the popularity and nationwide availability of the program; the economical, no-cost membership
advantage; the convenience of morning and evening sessions to accommodate all schedules and
the support of having a sponsor who is also a recovering addict, to assist the member through the
program. In light of the internet era, A.A. also has an online community where “one can keep
connected to others in the program in the comfort of home or work [as well as] non-session
days” (Branscum, 2010)
One of the noted disadvantages of the A.A. program lies in the spiritual references infused
throughout the program. For those who might not have spiritual beliefs or connection, it could
prove to be a great deterrent. Branscrum (2010) concludes that it is difficult to truly measure the
effectiveness of the program since studies such as “the Cochrane review and others suggest that
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A.A. is either not effective or mildly effective.” Others emphasize that there have been very few
studies that have accurately assessed the effects of A.A.
How Effective is Alcoholics Anonymous?
In the article entitled How Effective Is Alcoholics Anonymous, research indicates that peo-
ple who keep up with an A.A. connection are more likely to recover from their addiction. The
study was based on a group of veterans needing alcoholism treatment from the VA hospital.
They consumed at least four or more drinks daily and had many alcohol related problems (health,
legal and personal). The result of the study suggested that a high participation level in A.A. re-
maining in A.A. produced less serious alcohol issues in the second year while those who had less
serious alcoholic problems in the first year were less involved in A.A. in the second year. The
author concluded that while expressed intentions are not a reliable source of commitment to
change behavior, the 12 step meetings help create the commitment and motivation to continue
(McKellar, et al, 2003).
How Effective is A.A. and 12 Step Treatment
An article entitled How Effective is A.A. and 12 Step Treatment addressed the disadvanta-
geous side of A.A. In the article a Harvard psychiatry professor, George E. Vaillant conducted an
eight-year study of 100 people who went through the 12-step treatment at the Cambridge Hospi-
tal. When comparing the treated group with the untreated group, he discovered that people diag-
nosed with alcohol dependence who were never treated were just as prone to quit drinking as
those who went through the 12-step program. In an experiment termed the “Brandsma Study”
conducted in 1980, 197 patients with a diagnosis of alcoholism were randomly assigned to one of
four treatment/control groups. The study found that 50% of the untreated control group reported
an overall reduction in their drinking while 88% of treated group reported a reduction in drinking
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at the end of the treatment period ("How Effective is A.A. and 12 Step Treatment", 2009). Also
noteworthy was the dropout rate was significantly higher in the treated group than any of the
control groups. The conclusion was that although A.A. may be a good fit for some, a large major-
ity of people appear to do better with a harm reduction approach found in groups like SMART
Recovery or Rational Recovery. The researchers attributed the dropout rate to the spiritual or
theological nature of A.A., a turnoff to atheists and agnostics, as well as the philosophy of pow-
erlessness over alcohol prevalent in the A.A. community.
Model of Treatment
There are two types of A.A. meetings; Open and Closed meetings. The Open meetings are for
those who seek help with their alcoholism and those outside A.A. who desire to be a support and
resource to the alcoholic. “These people in their daily work are frequently in contact with the
suffering alcoholic and by their very presence at (the) meeting have shown their concern and
willingness to help…” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2017). A Closed meeting is limited to only the
alcoholic or those who believe they have a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking.
Members share about their drinking, how they came to A.A. and how the program has helped
them stay sober. All meetings take place seven days a week, with morning and evening sessions.
There are several types of meeting groups that are geared toward meeting the individual needs of
the recovering alcoholic. For example, there are men only/women only meetings for those who
find it easier to focus on recovery without the presence of the opposite sex. There are gay and
lesbian groups, agnostic and atheist groups, Spanish speaking groups and even groups for the
young people. Whatever atmosphere feels comfortable and conducive for someone to openly
express themselves. As Doweiko (2014, p.516) states “It is not so much how you came to A.A.,
as what you are going to do now that you are here.” The meetings typically have the same
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format; they are chaired by a member from the group who has had a significant amount of time
practicing sobriety. The chairperson opens the meeting by stating his/her name and status. For
example, “I’m John and I’m an alcoholic”. He/she then welcomes everyone to the meeting with
a special welcome to the new attendees and a request that they introduce themselves. A member
is then asked to read the “How it Works” section from the A.A. book. Then the 12 steps, 12
traditions and confidentiality statement are read/recited. The remainder of the hour-long meeting
is member sharing or discussing something they would like the group to know. In the tradition
of the 12 steps, the first step is always the most important and involves admitting the
powerlessness they have over alcohol. The remainder of the steps encompass taping into their
“higher power”’ identifying, confronting and overcoming whatever behaviors that contributed to
the addiction; accepting the effects of the disease; building on what they have accomplished from
the earlier steps; suspending judgments about others; not giving in to false pride; continuing
spiritual growth and lastly, carrying the message to others (Doweiko, 2015, p.516).
Personal Observations
I attended three Beginners meeting (BG) called “Primary Purpose,” all open meetings that
met on a Tuesday. The focus of a beginners meeting is to introduce new people to tools needed
for gaining and maintaining sobriety and meeting others in the beginning stages of their sobriety.
The group meetings took place in my hometown of Titusville, Florida. One of the same
members facilitated the meeting on two occasions. After the first meeting I went up and talked
with the facilitator “John” about my purpose for being there to observe. He was very gracious
and friendly and proceeded to share his story about how the group saved his life. My first
observation was the lack of women in the room; no more than five women in a room of 36
people. “John” opened the meeting with a welcome, an acknowledgement of newcomers and
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asking different members to read the A.A. Preamble and the 12 Traditions. Afterwards, everyone
said the serenity prayer. Many people shared very personal stories and all spoke of their higher
power being of great help to them. One talked of owning a business and ending up living under
a bridge, another talked of how it was the only way she could function. It was a very heart-
wrenching experience of the impact of alcohol abuse on not only the individual’s life but of those
around them. I saw bonds of friendship, love and support that they had for each other. I was
handed a list of handwritten telephone numbers of women who would be there to support and
encourage “if I needed someone to call,” and several people pointed out the sponsor list on the
back wall. Toward the end of the meeting, a member was asked to hand out colored coded,
medallions that looked like poker chips. The chips were handed out based the length of time
being sober (red=30 days, gold=60 days, green 90 days…and so on). There was genuine
happiness and celebration for those who made it through their milestone. At the end of the
meeting, everyone stood, held hands and recited the Lord’s Prayer and encouraged each other
with the recovery slogan “keep coming back, it only works if you work it.”
Conclusion
Attending the A.A. meetings, listening to the stories of struggle and victory and studying
about the disease and effects of alcohol were all instrumental in understanding how real and
prevalent alcoholism is in society. The group therapy/support approach used in the A.A. program
has numerous advantages and has had great success since its inception in 1934. A.A. values the
idea of personal responsibility and self-determination as a model of change which is the same
doctrine of Christ, that one accepts responsibility for his/her sin and seeks change. Although
there are some who disagree with the effectiveness of the program, the fact is that the outcome of
groups like Alcoholic Anonymous “result in long-term abstinence, along with tremendous health,
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social, emotional and/or spiritual benefits…” (Inaba & Cohen, 2014, p.9.6). As a Christian, I am
encouraged to know that A.A. has had a positive influence on so many suffering alcoholics. The
positive impact of A.A. is based on biblical principles of spiritual and character development and
I consider it as the reason for the success of the program.
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References
Alcoholics Anonymous: Historical Data: The Birth of A.A. and Its Growth in the U.S./Canada.
(2017). A.A..org. Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
https://www.A.A..org/pages/en_US/historical-data-the-birth-of-A.A.-and-its-growth-in-
the-uscanada
Doweiko, H. E. (2015). Concepts of chemical dependency (9th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
How Effective is A.A. and 12 Step Treatment. (2009). HAMS: Harm Reduction for Alcohol.
Retrieved 11 October 2017, from https://hams.cc/
Inaba, D. and Cohen, W., (2014). Uppers, downers, all arounders: Physical and mental effects of
psychoactive drugs. Medford, OR: CNS Publications.
Branscum, Paul, (2010). Is alcoholics anonymous effective? Journal of Alcohol and Drug
Education, 54(3), 3-6. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-
proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/820916051?accountid=12085
McKellar J, Stewart, E, Humphreys, K (2003). Alcoholics Anonymous involvement and positive
alcohol-related outcomes: Cause, consequence, or just a correlate? A Prospective 2-Year
Study of 2,319 Alcohol-Dependent Men. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
(April 2003): Vol. 71, (2), 302–08.
