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Related Concept Videos

Self-Help Support Groups01:28

Self-Help Support Groups

Self-help support groups are voluntary, community-based organizations that provide a platform for individuals with shared concerns to exchange support, insights, and practical strategies for coping with life challenges. Typically led by group members or paraprofessionals, these groups form a cornerstone of mental health care, especially in reaching populations that are underserved by traditional healthcare systems.
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
One of the primary strengths of self-help...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI01:30

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI

Adopting a healthier lifestyle often requires overcoming significant challenges, but leveraging psychological, social, and cultural resources can facilitate meaningful change. Effective self-change hinges on understanding and applying key tools such as motivation and goal setting, which help sustain efforts toward long-term health benefits.
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Cognitive Dissonance01:38

Cognitive Dissonance

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
Healthcare Agencies I01:18

Healthcare Agencies I

Healthcare agencies provide healthcare services to people. In the United States, voluntary agencies are often non-profit centers sponsored by donations, grants, or fundraisers. One such organization is Meals on Wheels, which provides meals to the elderly and homebound. The American Heart Association and the American Lung Association are other non-profit community organizations. Doctors and nurses are frequently active members of these organizations, which offer health checks and educational...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
07:31

Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice

Published on: January 7, 2019

Alcoholics anonymous effectiveness: faith meets science.

Lee Ann Kaskutas1

  • 1School of Public Health, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA. lkaskutas@arg.org

Journal of Addictive Diseases
|April 3, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) shows strong evidence for effectiveness in promoting abstinence, with higher attendance linked to better outcomes. However, experimental proof of AA

Area of Science:

  • Addiction research
  • Psychology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is debated.
  • Divergent interpretations of existing research complicate understanding.
  • Need for a structured review of AA effectiveness evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically review the scientific literature on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) effectiveness.
  • To organize evidence based on criteria for establishing causation.
  • To enable readers to independently assess AA's impact on abstinence.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focused on AA effectiveness.
  • Organized research findings according to six causal criteria: magnitude, dose-response, consistency, temporal accuracy, specificity, and plausibility.

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Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
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Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder

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  • Evaluated evidence strength for each criterion.

    • Main Results:

    • Strong evidence supports AA for abstinence (criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, 6).
    • Abstinence rates are approximately doubled for AA attendees.
    • Higher AA attendance correlates with higher abstinence rates.
    • Experimental evidence for AA's specific effect (criterion 5) is mixed.

    Conclusions:

    • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) demonstrates significant effectiveness in promoting abstinence.
    • Evidence supports AA's role in recovery through multiple causal pathways.
    • Further research is needed to clarify the specific causal contribution of AA compared to other interventions.