Alcoholics Anonymous Effectiveness: Faith Meets Science PMC

For example, individuals in a study might be randomized to attend AA or to attend psychotherapy; they do not select their treatment. Because of randomization, motivated people would end up being randomized both to psychotherapy and to AA, so it would not be the case that the “deck was stacked” in favor of AA. If those randomized to attend AA were more likely than those randomized to psychotherapy to be abstinent 2 years later, this would demonstrate an effect specific to AA that could not be due to a selection bias in which only motivated people attend AA. Randomization would also equalize other pre-existing conditions that might confound AA’s effect. Fortunately, every AA participant has had a similar experience. The organization itself was founded by recovering alcoholics. The success of this recovery program is based on the concept that one alcoholic has the ability to help another alcoholic, as only an alcoholic can.

Project MATCH also has evidence of a temporally correct association, reporting that frequency of AA meeting attendance as well as overall AA involvement months 1–6 significantly predicted the percentage of days of alcohol abstinence during months 7–12. One must be able to rule out other explanations than AA exposure for having led to abstinence. This addresses the concern that those who attend AA are a select sample who would be sober anyway, without ever going to AA. For example, if those who attend AA are highly motivated to do something about their drinking, it could be that this motivation is the cause of their abstinence; it would be unfair to credit AA for their successful outcome. Evidence of specificity ideally requires experimental manipulation of exposure to AA.

Alcoholics Resource Center

Attendees may share stories and include commentary surrounding their journey of sobriety. There may be others who interject and support or share their story, or provide advice for others’ knowledge.

Because of the anonymous and voluntary nature of AA meetings, it has been difficult to perform random trials with them; the research suggests that AA can help alcoholics make positive changes. United States courts have ruled that inmates, parolees, and probationers cannot be ordered to attend AA.

Alcoholics Anonymous Austin

Each group is a self-governing entity with AA World Services acting only in an advisory capacity. AA is served entirely by alcoholics, except for seven “nonalcoholic friends of the fellowship” of the 21-member AA Board of Trustees.

At some point during the meeting a basket is passed around for voluntary donations. AA’s 7th tradition requires that groups be self-supporting, “declining outside contributions”. Weekly meetings are listed in local AA directories in print, online and in apps. In 1941, interviews on American radio and favorable articles in US magazines, including a piece by Jack Alexander in The Saturday Evening Post, led to increased book sales and membership. Eventually, he gained formal adoption and inclusion of the Twelve Traditions in all future editions of the Big Book. At the 1955 conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Wilson relinquished stewardship of AA to the General Service Conference, as AA grew to millions of members internationally. The Twelve Traditions are AA’s guidelines for members, groups and its non-governing upper echelons.

The 12 Steps of AA

By sending him to the Oxford Group—a non-denominational, altruistic movement modeled after first-century Christianity; the basis for the twelve-step program was developed directly from Bill W.’s reading of William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience. Some members founded the group to help in maintaining sobriety. Within days, Wilson admitted himself to the Charles B. Towns Hospital after drinking four beers on the way—the last alcohol he ever drank. Under the care of William Duncan Silkworth , Wilson’s detox included the deliriant belladonna. At the hospital, a despairing Wilson experienced a bright flash of light, which he felt to be God revealing himself. Following his hospital discharge, Wilson joined the Oxford Group and recruited other alcoholics to the group. Wilson’s early efforts to help others become sober were ineffective, prompting Silkworth to suggest that Wilson place less stress on religion and more on the science of treating alcoholism.

• In fact, CBT and MET aftercare patients attended more meetings than the TSF outpatients, and the aftercare patients overall attended twice the number of meetings at every follow-up compared to the outpatients [22, see pp.191–192].
• Jack Lemmon’s character attends an AA meeting in the film.
• There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
• Yet, it is a courageous first step in admitting to yourself that you may have a drinking problem that can be helped by the shared experience of recovered alcoholics.

This is beneficial for those who wish to remain connected to friend and family members and feel family members support creates feelings of safety. Closed meetings could protect privacy, allowing limited or no outside involvement. Whether you decide to go to a closed or open meeting depends exclusively on what you’re comfortable with.

Answer these 12 questions to decide

For more information on other treatment options, contact a treatment provider today. Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information. January marks the beginning of a busy season for our phone volunteers and they need your help! Whenever a suffering alcoholic reaches out for help via our hotline, they turn to our 12-step call list. If you know what it’s like to call for help or you know what it’s like to talk to a newcomer at a meeting, please call Central Office today if available Monday – Saturday 9am- 5pm. The AlcoholicsAnonymous.com helpline is free, private, and confidential.

It is the first point of contact with AA for many who believe they may have a drinking problem. It’s an AA member at our office who answers the phone when anyone in the eighteen-county area calls what is alcoholics anonymous. Enzyme malfunction may be why binge drinking can lead to alcoholism A new study in mice shows that restoring the synthesis of a key brain chemical tied to inhibiting addictive behavior may help prevent alcohol cravings following binge drinking. Most of the studies that measured abstinence found AA was significantly better than other interventions or no intervention. Humphreys noted that counseling can be designed to facilitate engagement with AA — what he described as “an extended, warm handoff into the fellowship.” For the review article, Humphreys and his colleagues evaluated both AA and 12-step facilitation counseling. Alcoholics Anonymous, the worldwide fellowship of sobriety seekers, is the most effective path to abstinence, according to a comprehensive analysis conducted by a Stanford School of Medicine researcher and his collaborators.