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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.
Term Paper ID:26137
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Essay Subject:
Examines clinical trials evaluating effectiveness of AA in getting & keeping alcoholics sober, including gender issues.... More...
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4 Pages / 900 Words
9 sources, 9 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Examines clinical trials evaluating effectiveness of AA in getting & keeping alcoholics sober, including gender issues.
Paper Introduction:
The problem of alcoholism is viewed as a major social problem, one that has an impact not only on the individual affected and not only on his or her family but on society as a whole. Alcoholism has been examined from a number of different perspectives in an attempt to explain its etiology or its consequences. The prevailing perspective is the medical model, which holds that alcoholism is a disease, which also means that it can be treated through medical means. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an organization that makes use of a theory of self-help to enable alcoholics to take control of their own lives and to learn to change their behavior, following a disease theory of alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous stands outside the medical model in that it does not offer a "cure" and indeed holds that the individual will always be an alcoholic. What the alcoholic
Text of the Paper:
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Emrick et al. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an organization thatmakes use of a theory of self-help to enable alcoholics to take control oftheir own lives and to learn to change their behavior, following a diseasetheory of alcoholism. AA addresses the behavior by means of aTwelve Step program and is deemed an intervention rather than a treatment.In AA as in other treatment programs, differences can be noted between theway men and women relate to alcohol, respond to social pressures, andrespond to treatment. Alcoholics Anonymous stands outside the medicalmodel in that it does not offer a "cure" and indeed holds that theindividual will always be an alcoholic. A systemsapproach to alcohol treatment. There have been three randomized clinical trials that have examinedthe effectiveness of the AA program, either with or without additionalsimultaneous treatment programs (Ditman, Crawford, Forgy, Moskowitz, &McAndrew, 1967; Brandsma, Maultsby, & Walsh, 198 ; and Walsh, Hingson,Merrigan, Morelock-Levenson, Cupples, Heeren, Coffman, Becker, Barker,Hamilton, McGuire, & Kelly, 1981). Buchman andhis followers developed a five-step course of action known as the five"C's": confidence, confession, conviction, conversion, and continuance.Members would gather together in private homes or hotels for what werecalled "house parties." Buchman believed that real change could be broughtabout only in a public situation, with public confession an importantelement (Glaser, Greenberg, & Barrett, 1978, 165). Welsh (198 ). Bufe (1998) takes note of an organization called Women for Sobriety,a self-help program for women alcoholics that is the first such programinstituted nationally. Hamilton,T.G. "Implications of gender for alcohol treatmentresearch: a quantitative and qualitative review." British Journal ofAddiction, 1249-1261. Ditman, K.S., G.G. Jarvis (1992) suggests that women may prefer more one-on-onetreatment. Most studies have addressed thequestion of how to predict who will join AA, and then how such involvementmight predict outcome. Moskowitz, C. "A randomized trial of treatmentoptions for alcohol-abusing workers." New England Journal of Medicine, 775-782. Barker, S.K. Tonigan, J.S., R. The program was developed with the idea that women alcoholicsrequire a different sort of program in recovery than the kinds used formale alcoholics, and the success of the approach has shown that this istrue. Greenberg, and M. Kelly (1991). Baltimore:University Park Press. Hingson, D.M. Alcoholics Anonymous" Cult or cure? While theresearchers tried to provide estimates of the magnitude of relationshipsdetermining affiliation with AA and drinking outcome, they also stated thatmany relationships might differ if study findings were grouped by clientcharacteristics. McCrady and W.R. Outpatienttreatment of alcoholism: a review and comparative study. (1994). In terms of whether involvement in AA reduces drinking,Emrick et al. The problem of alcoholism is viewed as a major social problem, onethat has an impact not only on the individual affected and not only on hisor her family but on society as a whole. Coffman, C.A. "Meta-analysis of the Alcoholics Anonymous Literature: a search for moderatingvariables." Paper presented at the Research Society on Alcoholismsymposium "Meta-Analysis in the Psychological Literature," Maui, Hawaii. Merrigan, S. Miller (1994, June). The latter is an organizationfounded in 1921 by Dr. Frank Buchman, and it is essentially an evangelisticorganization devoted to combating the forces of materialism. Tucson,Arizona: See Sharp Press. Bufe notes that there are some 7.5 million womenalcoholics in the United States alone, and this program has been addressingtheir situation since July 1976. Barrett (1978). Emrick, C.D., J.S. McGuire, and C.A. (1998). 1249-1261. MacAndrew(1967). It was believed that thiswas because men and women may respond differently to AA so that involvementin AA is less beneficial for women. Tonigan, Toscovam, & Miller (1994) tried to address these same issuesby taking various factors into account, such as gender and origin ofpatients. Glaser, F.B., S.W. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. Toscova, and W.R. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation. Montgomery, and L. Demographic characteristics showed nocorrelation, while factors related to alcohol consumption, such as quantityconsumed each day and severity of physical dependence, showed somecorrelation. He continued todrink and during this time met an old school friend and drinking partner,Eddy T., who had recently joined the Oxford Group Movement, also known asthe First Century Christian Fellowship. Bufe, C. "Treatment needs of women with alcoholproblems." Alcohol Health and Research World, 2 6-211. Tonigan, H. Crawford, E.W, Forgy, H. Brandsma, J.M., M.C. Becker, T.A. (1992). (1993) looked at earlier studies and found that greaterinvolvement in AA had a modest effect on reducing drinking. What the alcoholic can be is analcoholic who does not drink. Beckman (1994) finds that women mightrequire different treatment settings than men to achieve optimal treatmentoutcomes. The prevailing perspective is the medical model, whichholds that alcoholism is a disease, which also means that it can be treatedthrough medical means. Other studies have looked into thisissue and offered similar theories. Miller(eds.). Maultsby, and R.J. Heeren, G.A. This program has been very effective inhelping women overcome their alcoholism and learn a totally new lifestyle.The program has been used not only by women alcoholics in small self-helpgroups but also in hospitals, clinics, treatment facilities, and women'scenters. The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous was Bill W., pronounced ahopeless alcoholic in 1934 at Towns Hospital in New York. The study also found that the relationship betweeninvolvement in AA and abstinence was stronger in studies analyzing only menrather than with those including men and women. References Beckman, L.J. Alcoholism has been examined froma number of different perspectives in an attempt to explain its etiology orits consequences. The reason for this was simply that the recovery rate for malealcoholics was higher than for female alcoholics under traditionaltreatment programs, so the change was made (Bufe, 1998, 182-183). This program is based on a ThirteenStatement Program, thirteen affirmations of positivity encouragingemotional and spiritual growth. Emrick, Tonigan, Montgomery, & Little (1993)considered this issue in a review of 1 7 earlier AA studies. In terms of affiliation, this study found that while the overallrate of AA affiliation was comparable for outpatient and inpatient samples,affiliation was modestly correlated to consumption-related factors only foroutpatients. Walsh, D.C., R.W. "A controlled experiment on the use of court probation for drunkarrests." American Journal of Psychiatry, 16 -163. Jarvis, T.J. Women would thus clearly benefit less from a group-orientedsetting such as AA. Morelock-Levenson, L.A.Cupples, T. Little (1993)."Alcoholics Anonymous: what is currently known?" In Research on AlcoholicsAnonymous: opportunities and alternatives, B.S. (1993) reviewed 33 drinking studies as towho joins AA and analyzed 31 demographic and drinking-related clientcharacteristics, finding that the characteristic most strongly correlatedwith joining AA was the previous use by the drinker of external supportmechanisms to stop drinking.
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