The integrated pedagogy in Alcoholics Anonymous as a community of practice In this paper I have studied the integrated pedagogy in Alcoholics Anonymous using Wenger’s theoretical model of communities of practice and from a point of view of situated learning. Focus has been on recovery from alcohol addiction as a process of social identity change where learning is seen as an appropriation of artefacts by an interaction between participation and reification which leads to a higher level of competence and a change in identity. A diversity of methods has been used such as text analysis of printed material from AA in combination with direct observations at AA-meetings and qualitative interviews with long-time, high intensity participants in the AA-community. The results indicate that Alcoholics Anonymous has a powerful pedagogic system in which a whole of norms, principles and stories are represented in all its parts. The interviewed participants report similar changes in identity and capacity to function in life, despite the differences between them in background as well as in which part of the specific activities in AA they focused on during their trajectory in AA. The study has limitations though all the participants are long-time sober members with a strong identification as members of AA and consequently not representative for the cohort of attenders at AA. The background search for literature makes it clear that the phenomenon of Alcoholics Anonymous is practically not studied from a pedagogical perspective which opens possibilities for future research.

Abstract: Prior research indicates a growing number of Children of Alcoholics (CoAs) in Sweden, and increased levels of externalizing behaviours in these individuals. According to international research, externalizing behaviours as criminality are more often displayed in CoAs than children with non-alcoholic parents. CoAs are also more often treated for panic attacks, depression and post-traumatic stress. The assumption is that high risk parents often have high risk children. With the aim to investigate the relationship between parental alcoholism and youth criminality in Sweden a systematic literature review has been conducted. Five databases were used to find relevant publications; Libsearch, Swesub, Eric via Ebsco, ProQuest and Google Scholar. A total of 530 texts were scanned and 17 studies eligible to inclusion were read and analysed according to PRISMA, a preferred reporting system of literature reviews. Inclusion criterions were; Sweden as geographical area, attention on children and young adults aged 13-25 years and a focus on parental drinking and youth criminality. The publications were also to be peer reviewed and published between 1998 and 2018. Results indicate a significant correlation between parental drinking and youth criminality in Sweden. CoAs display externalizing behaviours as aggression, conduct disorders, antisocial behaviour and criminality more often than children without alcoholic parents. It can be concluded that research on the field of CoAs is not the most researched in Sweden but in line with international findings and would benefit from further attention so we in the future can work with preventive measures based on solid knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to re-examine the issue of whether adult children of alcoholics experience more depression, anxiety, and lower self-esteem than do children of non-alcoholic families. This study is a replication of the study of David Dodd, entitled A Comparison of Adult Children of Alcoholic Families with Adult Children from Non-Alcoholic Families. 1990. The measures used in this study were as follows: Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Coopersmith Adult Self-Esteem Inventory, and a questionnaire developed by this writer designed to obtain family history regarding not only alcoholism, but other issues of family dysfunctionality as well. The subjects for this study were 231 students enrolled in the counselor education program at this university, all aged 19 or older. Of the 230 subjects, 31 were male and 199 were female. Eleven males identified themselves as children of alcoholics, as measured by the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, and 60 females identified themselves as children of alcoholics. Thus, a total of 71 subjects in this study were identified as children of alcoholics. T-tests were conducted to see whether any differences existed between the male and female groups. No significant differences were found. Results of this study showed that family dysfunctionality rather than parental alcoholism was the factor of variability regarding depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. There appears to be a strong relationship between parental alcoholism and family dysfunctionality, but dysfunctionality clearly has more impact upon depression, anxiety, and self-esteem in the adult children of these families than does alcoholism.

No description available.

Alcohol use disorders are a major health problem in the United States; approximately 7.4% of the population meets the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence. However, Reed, Levin, and Evans (2012) reported a lack in research regarding alcoholism's risk factors and how these influence Alcoholics Anonymous involvement. Though there is evidence for several risk factors, researchers have found mixed results regarding gender and impulsivity. Social learning theory was the theoretical foundation of this study and guided the exploration and interpretation of these risk factors. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to understand the relationship that impulsivity (as measured from the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-15) and gender contribute to involvement (as measured by the Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement scale), as well how impulsivity may moderate gender-based differences. Based on this goal, the target population included individuals who have been a part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program in an urban location in a Western state. This study followed a purposive sampling procedure to target this population, which resulted in a final sample of 136 participants. A series of analyses including chi squares, t-tests, and an ANCOVA did not provide any evidence that involvement depended on gender or impulsivity. This study provides a better understanding of how gender and impulsivity influence attendance and will enhance intervention practices and improve outcomes for people suffering from alcohol addiction. By increasing knowledge on Alcoholics Anonymous involvement, and why it works for some and not for others, the study provides support for professionals, families, and communities involved with participants of the program.

It has been argued that individuals receiving traditional alcohol treatment do not necessarily perceive life-long abstinence from alcohol as a favorable treatment outcome, and that negative expectations associated with this abstinence goal may have an adverse effect on treatment outcome. However, "abstinence expectancies" have never been systematically explored. This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior to investigate the relationship between the abstinence outcome expectancies of alcoholics beginning treatment and subsequent alcohol consumption. The independent and combined effects of abstinence outcome expectancies, alcohol outcome expectancies, self-efficacy expectancies (to abstain from alcohol use), and the normative beliefs of individuals beginning inpatient abstinence-oriented alcohol treatment were related to level of drinking during the 90 days following treatment. One hundred ten individuals receiving inpatient alcohol treatment were recruited for the main portion of this study. A questionnaire that included belief-based measures of attitude toward alcohol and abstinence, a belief-based measure of social normative pressure to either use or abstain from alcohol, a belief-based measure of one's perceived behavioral control to abstain from alcohol, and a measure of behavioral intention to use alcohol during the 3 months following treatment was developed for use in this study. The questionnaire was administered to all subjects. During the 90-day Follow-Up period, subjects were sent brief questionnaires and asked to report any alcohol or drug use. Eighty-nine percent of the subjects provided follow-up information for the first 30 days, while 76% provided information for the entire 90 days. An analysis of the data indicated that scores obtained from the belief-based measure of perceived behavioral control and scores from the belief-based measure of attitude toward abstinence were moderately correlated with intention to abstain from alcohol, while alcohol attitude scores and subjective norm scores were uncorrelated. Contrary to expectations, scores obtained from a measure of intention to use alcohol and the measure of perceived behavioral control were minimally predictive of scores from follow-up measures of drinking. However, intention and perceived behavioral control were minimally predictive of scores from follow-up measures of drinking. However, intention and perceived behavioral control scores were somewhat more predictive of drug use for the 90-day Follow-Up period. These results were discussed in light of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the similarities between alcohol expectancies and drug expectancies.

The present study is concerned with pre-treatment dropouts in an outpatient alcoholism treatment clinic. Previous pre-treatment dropout studies have been made in settings where there is one intake session followed by a treatment program. In the setting of the present study, however, there is an extended intake process, consisting of three (and occasionally four) group intake sessions followed by a session of staffing and then treatment. This study, therefore, differs from previous investigations, in that it considers as "pre-treatment dropouts," those clients who drop out at any point during the intake process, rather than just those clients who do not appear for treatment following an intake session. For purposes of orientation, we begin with a discussion of the problem of alcoholism and the process of intake.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology). Johannesburg September 1996. / Research has established that biological, sociological and psychological factors are involved in the presentation of alcoholism.Within the psychological domain, research has consistently found that a relatively small number of trait-clusters represent the personality profiles of a significant proportion of alcoholics. Dependency has consistently emerged as a prominent feature in a number of these profiles. Research into the relationship between dependency and alcoholism is limited. The majority of significant studies on the relationship between alcoholism and personality have failed to investigate the nature or extent of gender differences. Gender differences are influenced by social forces, including the social construction of gender. The social construction of gender is influenced by patriarchal interests and forces. Patriarchy is a social dynamic that encourages, inter alia, the expression of dependency needs and behaviours in women, and discourages their expression in men. Dependent individuals are motivated to enter and maintain nurturing and supportive relationships with others. High dependency needs can have a negative impact on interpersonal relationships, and can result in the failure of these relationships. Such failure is experienced by dependent individuals as emotionally distressing, and results in affective pain. Alcohol, under certain, everyday conditions can temporarily alleviate emotional pain. The current study hypothesized that as a consequence of the above dynamics, dependency is more likely to be a feature in the presentation of women alcoholics than among men alcoholics. This was tested by comparing the mean levels of dependency for women alcoholics with that for men alcoholics, women non-alcoholics and men non-alcoholics. The MCMI-II self-report inventory was used to measure dependency. Data was obtained from an alcoholic outpatient clinic and a general medical outpatient clinic. Women alcoholics were found to report higher levels of dependency than women non-alcoholics. However, they were not found to manifest higher levels of dependency than men alcoholics. / AC2017

No description available.

”Spiritus contra spiritum” - En religionspsykologisk studie avomvändelseprocesser hos medlemmar i Anonyma Alkoholister(”Spiritus contra spiritum” - A religious psychological study on transformation processesamong members of Alcoholics Anonymous)The purpose of this study was to understand and illustrate the conversion processes forpeople who have attained sobriety through membership in Alcoholics Anonymous. My aimwas to ascertain how the interviewees constructed their life story regarding their path tosobriety. I sought to learn how "God" as a function, a central tenet of AlcoholicsAnonymous, served the interviewees in achieving and maintaining sobriety. Dan P.McAdams’s (1993) The stories we live by: personal myths and making of the self, providedthe theoretical tools. Steinar Kvale´s (1997) The qualitative research interview provided themethod. The conclusion was that membership in Alcoholics Anonymous allowed theinformants a sense of healing, conversion and reconciliation from their earlier alcohol abuse.Through this confident community the informants were provided with the narrative meansto improve their life story and truth by a renewed identity and spiritual awakening.Keywords: