NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Alcoholism Theories by Alcoholic Anonymous Alcoholism itself is a complicated issue. There are many factors that can influence or affect a persons behavior around alcohol that range from family life to stress and problems created from work, friends, and money, to name a few. Just as there are many factors, there are many ideas on how alcoholism is caused and why it happens in only a small percentage of the population. These ideas are all very different and there are no concrete answers as of yet. Alcoholic Anonymous was found in 1930 and became largest organization in US helping alcoholics to release from disease. A lot of theories of alcoholism have been developed in AA and AA specialists successfully implement them in practice.
One theory on alcoholism and its causes developed by AA specialists is the Biochemical Theory. It attempts to explain heavy intake of alcohol using physiological and biochemical mechanisms, such as heredity and the quality of home life for children. There have been numerous studies done on family heredity and its link to alcoholism, but each one doesnt produce the same results. Dr.
Area did a study on family histories and family links with alcoholism. His study produced results that showed a strong link with alcoholics and previous alcoholics in the family. He produced numbers that showed alcoholism between brothers of known alcoholics was 21 percent, among sisters nine percent, among fathers 26 percent and among mothers two percent compared with general frequencies of three to four percent for the general population. Opponents say that there could be a number of reasons, such as shared cultural and environmental factors instead of shared genes.
A second study was conducted by Dr. Donald Goodwin that used adopted children in Denmark. The study showed that sons of alcoholics were at a greater chance of developing alcoholism than the sons of non-alcoholics, 18 percent versus five percent. A study of the same type was conducted by Dr. Ann Roe in New York City. She used fostering agencies around the city and studied 36 children who had an alcoholic for a biological father.
Each child had been taken out of the home by the age of 10. There was also a control group of children who had no genetic link to alcoholism and were also in foster homes. The follow-up came when the children were around 30 years old, the study showed no difference between the two groups in adult drinking behavior. This shows that studies can show different things. This makes it harder to pinpoint alcoholism when there are conflicting studies on only one aspect of alcoholism. Psychological Theories are the second main set of scientific theories.
There are three main focuses including personality traits, learning theory and psychoanalytic theory. A study was done by Blane that suggests personality traits such as low frustration tolerance, sociability, feelings of inferiority combined with attitudes of superiority and fearfulness of dependency. Opponents of this theory state that these traits are common in many other people and are not just associated with alcoholics. The study was also unstructured and uncontrolled by nature making it hard to correlate solidly with alcoholism.
The third type used in AA programs is psychodynamic interpretations of alcoholism. Dr. McCord used three basic positions to base his ideas on. The Freudian view that alcoholism results from one or more unconscious tendencies, including self-destruction, oral fixation and latent homosexuality. He states alcoholics have a powerful urge to destroy themselves because of guilt and a need for punishment caused by unacceptable views and wishes. The second of his ideas is the oral longing, which is a sexual longing, a need for security, and a need for the maintenance of self-esteem simultaneously.
This is thought to come from difficult family settings that lead to oral fixations. Homosexuality is also linked with this by the theory that the youths father dejects him and it forces the child into independence, which is experienced as rejection and deprecation. The child is then left with needs for oral indulgence and with feelings of inadequacy about his masculinity. The homosexuality is latent, as the alcoholic thinks he can subdue it through alcohol. These theories dont provide much to test for accuracy, but are interesting anyway. They are fairly different from other ideas on the causes of alcoholism and can help a person understand other views more easily.
Thr ar several different typ's of mting's. Thr ar 2 typ's of opn mting's. On is opn star mting's which ar opn to both alcoholics and nonalcoholic. In this typ of mting's th members of A.
A. shar the stori's, the problm's with alcohol, what brought thm thr, and how the lif has modified sinc attending A. A. Th othr typ of opn main is discussion mting's. A member discuss briefly the xprint with alcohol, and thn lads a discussion on recovery or another alcohol read problem brought up by some at th main. Close discussion mting's ar th sam as opn discussion mting's, but ar for alcoholics and prospective A.
A. members/ popl who may hav drinking problm's only. Thr ar also stp mting's, which ar normally close. At ths mting's on of th Two Stp's ar discuss.
Alcoholics Anonymous has xpandd its locations to includ holding mting's in both correctional, and treatment facilities. By doing this thy ar abl to xt hlp to popl who ar in nd, but until to go to mting's. Obviously popl in jail or prison cannot lav to and regularly should mting's. Patients in treatment facilities ar also help by ths mting's. Thy ar in treatment and recovering, but also ar receiving counseling and / or therapy along with bing abl to and mting's. Th Alcohol Safty Action Project (A.
S. A. P. ) and Driving Will Intoxicated (D. W.
I. ) may hav Alcoholics Anonymous members conducting informational mting's as part of the programs. Ths ar not regular A. A. group mting's, but informational mting's about A. A. Social factors also affect whether or not a person will consume alcohol, and if they do the amount of alcohol a person consumes.
AA programs based mainly on this theory They also affect how the person will act while intoxicated. An example of social influences is the father of the bride at a wedding. It will play a large part in determining how much he drinks through the evening. They will also decide whether or not he decides to get in his car and drive home, risking his live and many others. There are formal and informal influences, the formal being legislation and penalties for drunk driving and the informal will be the guests and friends at the wedding who will try to persuade him to let someone else do the driving. With social factors in mind, finding ways to prevent alcohol related problems should relate at least somewhat around these factors.
Social factors influence people just as much if not more than laws and jail time. All of these ideas on alcoholism and its causes are just the tip of the iceberg. It is a complicated issue with many complicated ideas on how it occurs, why it occurs, and how it would be best prevented. Just as there many ideas on its causes, there are just as many if not more on treatment and prevention methods.
There are many theories out there which can be taken into consideration, but there is no solid answer to alcoholism as of yet. Th symbolic intractionist they of Rudy should also b adopted as th basis for public policy treatment and prevention programs. spatially, w hav could th symbolic list of th they-human affairs ar composed of mor than my physical activities; thy also includ symbolic factors which, in this cas, involve spiritual nds. Th intractionist list mphasizs th collective natur of most human behavior. Th argument with respect to alcoholism is that th individual drinks defiantly as a part of collective action, and h rovers as a part of collective action: "From an intractionist proactiv, deviant designations ar bst view as outcome or culminations of many collective actions btwn participants." Treatment and prevention programs, thn, should mphasiz th communal, collective natur of both alcoholism / addiction and recovery from alcoholism / addiction . Certainly pr pressure plays a rol in alcoholism / addiction , and pr pressure can also play a part in initiating recovery.
Th problem is that "Pressure" is not what works in AA, but, rather, group acceptance, group sharing, group involving in positive, healthful activities. Th individual may b build or pressure into using alcohol and drugs, but h will not b build or pressure into successful, long-trm recovery. This must b, as in AA, a matter first and last of individual choice, individual responsibility, individual commitment -- always within th communal nvironmnt such as is provide by Alcoholics Anonymous and such as is rcommndd by Rudy. Bibliography: Alcoholics Anonymous.
New York, Works Publishing Company; 1939 Alcoholics Anonymous. New York, Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. ; 1955 Allen, James. As A Man Thinketh. Toronto, The Mission Book Co. , Ltd. ; ND Fosdick, Harry Emerson. The Meaning of Service.
New York, Association Press; 1927 Kurtz, Ernest. Not-God - A History of Alcoholics Anonymous. Center City, Hazel den Educational Services; 1979
Free research essays on topics related to: thy ar, personality traits, prevention programs, alcoholics anonymous, social factors
Research essay sample on Alcoholism Theories By Alcoholic Anonymous
