Exiting Alcoholics Anonymous disappointed: A qualitative analysis of the experiences of ex-members of AA

Abstract

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an NGO designed to support anyone who identifies as alcoholic to stop drinking alcohol. Existing qualitative research in this field has primarily reflected the experiences of those who have conformed to AA ideology and had positive experiences in AA. To address this, the current study aimed to explore the perspectives and experiences of individuals who have left AA with some degree of disappointment. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 11 ex-members of AA from America, Australia, and England, who were recruited from several private social media platforms. The study used an interactionist conception of social career involving conversion and deconversion, and data were analyzed thematically. Findings included that while participants experienced some genuinely positive aspects of AA, they retrospectively believed that they remained in AA because they had been indoctrinated into a particular way of understanding themselves. Moreover, findings highlighted participants’ concerns with the people, ideology and practices within AA that ultimately led to their dissociation from the community. Our findings demonstrate a disparity between the idealistic principles in AA and the actual experiences of participants, and this is discussed in relation to the breadth of possible experiences across varying groups and AA’s unregulated peer-to-peer framework.

The politics of belonging in Alcoholics Anonymous: A qualitative interview study

“…This finding is in line with existing literature that has highlighted the strong core narrative that is taught and learnt by AA members (Cain, 1991; Humphreys, 2000; Rudy, 1986; Thune, 1977). However, in our recent study exploring the experiences of ex‐members of AA, we noted that AA groups likely encourage conformity to the prototypical AA narrative to different extents through their culture and sponsorship practices (Glassman et al, 2020a). Some groups comprise members who seem to be very aligned with AA ideology and discourage divergence from AA ideology (Glassman et al, 2020a).…”

“…However, in our recent study exploring the experiences of ex‐members of AA, we noted that AA groups likely encourage conformity to the prototypical AA narrative to different extents through their culture and sponsorship practices (Glassman et al, 2020a). Some groups comprise members who seem to be very aligned with AA ideology and discourage divergence from AA ideology (Glassman et al, 2020a). Conversely, some groups attract members who may wholly reject aspects of AA ideology, such as those who attend atheist/agnostic groups.…”

“…A major critique of AA is that members must conform to a uniform and inflexible narrative to the detriment of their own sense of self or personal identity (Greil & Rudy, 1983; Rudy, 1986). Indeed, a number of studies indicate that struggles to conform to fundamental aspects of AA lead to either ambivalence toward, or disaffiliation from, the organization (Caldwell & Cutter, 1998; Glassman et al, 2020a; Kitchin, 2002; Tonigan et al, 2002). For example, individuals who do not accept the concept of a “higher power” have been found to engage with AA less intensively compared to those who do (Caldwell & Cutter, 1998; Tonigan et al, 2002).…”

“…For example, individuals who do not accept the concept of a “higher power” have been found to engage with AA less intensively compared to those who do (Caldwell & Cutter, 1998; Tonigan et al, 2002). Further, Glassman et al (2020a) highlighted various components of AA ideology that ex‐members were unable to accept and cited as their reasons for leaving AA, such as the beliefs that “alcoholism” is a chronic incurable illness and that “alcoholics” have no control over alcohol.…”

Why stigma matters in addressing alcohol harm

“…Thus, blame remains an important component of alcohol stigma which may be somewhat reduced, but far from eliminated, by illness-orientated models of AUD [54][55][56]. Indeed, self-identification amongst Alcoholics Anonymous members is in part a way to resolve the stigmatised identity, though again these effects may involve 'mixed blessings' [23,27,57,58]. Illness models may carry other costs including prognostic pessimism, that is, reduced beliefs in a person's capacity to recover [4,[59][60][61], poorer recovery outcomes [4,62] and indeed lower problem recognition [30].…”