Alcoholics Anonymous is likely the most well-known program for sobriety. It has nearly two million members worldwide, and it’s the default treatment for alcoholism in US healthcare.
I’m interested in studying AA because of its profound potential for behavior change. Alcoholism is a notoriously intractable condition. Genetics predisposes some people to alcoholism; changes in alcoholics’ brains put potential for relapse on a hair trigger.
That Alcoholics Anonymous can get a subset of patients to never drink again is impressive. That it does so non-pharmacologically – really, with just words and people – makes it well worth studying. Its practices, structure, and approaches to new alcoholics are a master class in persuasion.
The Big Book is Alcoholic Anonymous’s primary text. (long title: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism). The Big Book is one of the best-selling books of all times (30 million copies sold). It originated the “twelve-step program” now used widely among addictions outside alcohol. During a time when alcoholism was seen primarily as a character defect, the Big Book spread the paradigm of alcoholism as an illness.
In this summary and analysis of The Big Book, learn:
- The principles behind Alcoholics Anonymous, and why they work for alcoholics
- Why the “belief in a higher power” is not as problematic as you may think
- The powerful persuasive techniques AA use to recruit members and get them onboard