12 Steps to Anonymity

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is one of the most well known treatment programs for those suffering from an alcohol use disorder (referred to from this point forward as an AUD). It is based largely on a 12 step method that is said to lead to abstinence and later help those who have AUD's maintain abstinence. Researchers Brenna Greenfield and J. Scott Tonigan sought to find how this "step work" (p. 553) predicts later use of the substance. Participants were gathered by way of public fliers, public AA meetings and other substance use disorder treatment programs in a specific city in the southwest. Participants were required to begin each assessment with a blood alcohol content of .05 or lower. Participants were also paid up to $200 total for their cooperation in the study. Assessments occurred 3, 6 and 9 months after the initial assessment. The participants were issued a 24 item self report questionnaire referred to as the GAATOR, a AAI which is 13-item self report tool that measures past experiences in AA or the Form 90 which is a questionnaire administered by an interviewer assesses the participants in terms of the previous 90 days. In the beginning of the study (referred to as the baseline by the researchers) participants consumed an average of 14.02 drinks per drinking day. As the study progressed and AA exposure increased, this rate dropped. At 3 months the rate was 9.67 drinks per drinking day, 8.84 drinks per drinking day at 6 months and 8.60 drinks per drinking day at 9 months. Along with the decrease in drinking that occurred as the time in AA increased, the researchers also saw a rise in people self-reporting themselves as members of AA. At the baseline only 65.9% of participants claimed membership in AA. However, it was interesting to see that at 3 months the membership claims were 80%, at 6 months the claims were 79% and at 9 months the number had dropped all the way to 76%. This is one implication seen in the study. It appears that although the first few months of AA may be easier to commit to, the long-term goal of abstinence may be harder as it appears that commitment to the group decreases overtime. One major limitation seen in this study is the lack of variability in participants. All participants were gathered from the same southwestern city.

Abstract

Greenfield, B.L., Tonigan, J.S. (2013). The general alcoholics anonymous tools of recovery: The adoption of 12-step practices and beliefs. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(3), 553-561.