An Outsider’s View of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings

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An Outsider’s View of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings

Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences dealing with alcoholism will be revealed. Not only are statistics, like the facts mentioned before, important when dealing with an issue such as alcoholism, but personal accounts and information are often more powerful and influential evidence. Non-alcoholics should be allowed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for research purposes.

There are two groups of people pertinent to this project. Members of AA will provide information through sharing their experiences in interviews to those that will read and learn from the project, such as future alcoholics, new AA members, college students, and everyone in between. The members of the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are the most valuable first-hand accounts, and will be the first to supply information with this project. Though a few members may be less than cooperative to provide personal information, most are more than willing to share their experiences in order to help others in any way possible. In the first visit to the AA meeting, several o...

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...ld, and atheist. The importance of these people is that they are constantly contributing their own conversation to the topic of how alcoholism affects them, in their own personal way. This project plans to contribute in a different way: by providing all of these stories to a new audience.

From a biological perspective, alcoholism is a disease that affects the brain’s functioning and AA is a route to sobriety. From a psychology major’s perspective, it is more than just a place for victims of alcoholism. It is an opportunity to observe how people go from drunk to sober with help from their AA friends.

Works Cited

Do You Think You’re Different? New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1976.

Dictionary.com..October 6th, 2004. <www.dictionary.com>

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism .. October 6th, 2004. <www.niaaa.nih.gov>

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