Understanding AA’s Spiritual Path of Recovery from Alcoholism part 1 | Dr. Kevin Hart | MC4 P5

Kenneth Hart, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in the Adult Clinical Graduate Program of the Department of Psychology, University of Windsor

In the past decade, behavioural scientists interested in addictive behaviour change have given increased attention to studying the grass-roots community-based mutual-aid support group known as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Despite this remarkable surge of interest, there is still a general lack of knowledge among scholars and many types of practitioners about the true nature of AA and what its primary objectives really are.

It is possible that some misconceptions stem from a generalized failure to appreciate there are actually two major arms to AA. In the current presentation, I will describe the first arm of AA as comprising “The 12-Spiritual Steps,” the planned program of recovery. I will use AA’s own literature to describe the spirituality of each of the first 11 Steps. Step 12, the outcome of this process of change, will be described as actualization of many of the virtues that make life worth living. Abstinence, according to AA literature, is conceived as a ‘side-effect’ of the Sense of Transcendence or Spiritual Intelligence.

I also differentiate between the first arm of AA (ie., “the Steps”) and its second arm, which consists of “the fellowship”. Examples of the fellowship consist of such things as attending AA meetings and contact with an AA sponsor. As described in AA sanctioned literature, the fellowship is meant to be spiritual in nature. This is because its intent is to provide an interpersonal infrastructure to support members in their pursuit of the planned program of spiritual growth operationalized in the Steps.

Some AA groups have a high percentage of secular members who are exclusively engaged in the fellowship branch. Thus, along side of AA’s spiritual fellowship, there is also an orthogonal secular fellowship. In the presentation, I will term this secular counterpart “Pseudo-AA.” These Pseudo-AA members attend meetings and may have a sponsor. However, by definition, they are not engaged in the planned program of recovery. We can think of this subgroup as comprising alcoholics who are not motivationally ready to establish a relationship with the God of their understanding. AA literature strongly suggests secular members of AA who are not engaged in the process of growing along spiritual lines are unlikely to achieve the same quality of life as their spiritual seeking counterparts.

Education objective:
Attendees will learn the nature of spirituality in 12-step programs

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