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... of phenomena. " Any researcher who enters the realm of alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous and hopes and / or expects to emerge from his study with a final definition and fixed and comprehensive understanding of those entities will surely be disappointed. The strengths of Rudy's symbolic interactions theoretical approach, and his use of participant observation and in-depth interviewing methodologies, are that they are appropriate to the material at hand, and that they will yield the most and most useful data for analysis. On the other hand, the same theory and methodologies are weak because the data they yield will be so fluid and open to interpretation and so reliant on the intuition of the researcher and the candidness of the subjects. The weakness, obviously, is rooted more in the dynamic nature of the material under study than in the theory and methodologies selected. Rudy essentially finds his experiences with and in Alcoholics Anonymous impressive with respect to validating the ideas and practices of AA.
Rudy concludes that AA seems to have the best and most effective answers to alcoholism in society today, and that other, more legalistic and restrictive approaches have not had a significant effect: "Perhaps once we understand that 'law making is not behavior making' and that television commercials, product labeling, and drug education programs in our schools still leave us with an alcohol problem, we will begin to think about drinking and drinking problems differently and explore, in a variety of settings, those basic interpersonal ties and responsibilities that tend to grow within Alcoholics Anonymous" (Rudy 115). As mentioned, Goode's book is hardly appropriate as a basis for comparison with Rudy's book, primarily because Goode deals in an utterly superficial way with AA, if it can be said that he deals at all with AA. The two books do deal, with the nature of alcoholism, however, and here we have the basis for contrast. Whereas Rudy essentially agrees with AA that alcoholism is most effectively treated when seen as a disease (from which the alcoholic never fully recovers, but can achieve an ongoing recovery through complete abstinence and the practice of the principles of the AA program), Goode presents an array of perspectives, never focusing on any one of them, and then essentially rejecting the AA view that an alcoholic can never drink without the return of the disease in a full-blown fashion. The very language of Goode indicates his underlying assumptions. He writes, for example, of "recovered" alcoholics (as if there were such beings), and claims that "very little is conclusively agreed upon in this field" (Goode 131).
In fact, the vast majority of the professionals in the field wholeheartedly agree on the disease model of alcoholism, and practice in their recovery programs the fundamentals of AA, including the Twelve Steps and the AA insistence that a spiritual need lies at the heart of recovery. The argument of Rudy is, essentially, that AA is correct in its description of alcoholism and recovery from alcoholism. Society's approach on a political and governmental level indicates ongoing ignorance as to the nature of alcoholism and drug addiction, summed up in the "Just Say No" campaign. This means nothing to the alcoholic or drug addict, who will continue to drink and use drugs until his or her life "hits bottom. " He or she may use and / or drink unto death. "Just Say No" simply will not do as social policy if the country truly believes in a comprehensive and effective drug / alcohol program on a national level. The "war on drugs" or "drug control" in any form will not stop the alcohol / drug program.
Restriction of alcohol sales to individuals 18 or 21 has not kept children from obtaining alcohol, just as Prohibition did not work. Drug education is certainly a step in the right direction, but by itself it will prove no more effective than drug control through attacks on Colombian drug lords or destruction of alcohol commercials. All of these approaches are useful, but without the implementation on a national level of the principles and practices of Alcoholics Anonymous, those more superficial efforts will prove negligible in the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction. To simply tell a youngster who is lonely and frightened and uncertain of his place in the world and perhaps unwilling even to go home after school to an abusive and / or alcoholic parent -- to simply tell that child to "Just Say No" is to demonstrate an overwhelming ignorance about the nature of alcoholism and drug addiction. It is vital that public policy be based on the increasingly accepted conclusion -- endorsed by the sources consulted by Rudy -- that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases.
The "Just Say No" approach implies that a person who says yes is somehow evil, or immoral, or weak. The disease concept frees the individual from responsibility for his disease -- but does not free him from responsibility for his actions and, finally, for his recovery. Rudy's conclusions also should help lead to a public policy which increasingly relies on the communal nature of recovery. The "Just Say No" approach implies that it is an individual matter -- both the use of alcohol and drugs and the refusal to use them. Rudy's book explores the reasons behind the success of Alcoholics Anonymous, and those reasons in this context suggest that a communal rather than an individual approach is required. After a list of personal explanations from recovering members of AA with respect to their lonely, desperate drinking experiences, Rudy writes that "The loneliness and isolation of these explanations are the exact opposite of the sharing, love, and involvement of the typical AA setting.
AA members frequently describe in testimonials the warmth, intimacy, caring and sharing that typify the 'fellowship of AA. ' Perhaps the AA society's reestablishment of social relationships... indicates real social relations among many heavy drinkers... Weakened interpersonal support systems, permissive and ambivalent sanctioning responses, normalization of deviant drinkers by others, and withdrawal are factors contributing toward the development of drinking problems" (Rudy 112). With respect to public policy, then, based on Rudy's conclusions it is vital that treatment programs emphasize the social elements of recovery. The individual alcoholic will very likely find it impossible to recover separate from a community of recovering alcoholics. This has been, at least, the experience of alcoholics who have found recovery success in Alcoholics Anonymous.
The symbolic interactions theory of Rudy should also be adopted as the basis for public policy treatment and prevention programs. Essentially, we have covered the symbolic element of the theory -- human affairs are composed of more than merely physical activities; they also include symbolic factors which, in this case, involve spiritual needs. The interactions element emphasizes the collective nature of most human behavior. The argument with respect to alcoholism is that the individual drinks defiantly as a part of collective action, and he recovers as a part of collective action: "From an interactions perspective, deviant designations are best viewed as outcomes or culminations of many collective actions between participants" (Rudy 95 - 96). Treatment and prevention programs, then, should emphasize the communal, collective nature of both alcoholism / addiction and recovery from alcoholism / addiction .
Certainly peer pressure plays a role in alcoholism / addiction , and peer pressure can also play a part in initiating recovery. The problem is that "Pressure" is not what works in AA, but, rather, group acceptance, group sharing, group involvement in positive, healthful activities. The individual may be bullied or pressured into using alcohol and drugs, but he will not be bullied or pressured into successful, long-term recovery. This must be, as in AA, a matter first and last of individual choice, individual responsibility, individual commitment -- always within the communal environment such as is provided by Alcoholics Anonymous and such as is recommended by Rudy. Bibliography: Works Cited Flores, Philip J. Group Psychotherapy With Addicted Populations.
New York: Haworth, 1988. Goode, Erich. Drugs in American Society. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1989. Rudy, David R. Becoming Alcoholic.
Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois U P, 1986.
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Research essay sample on Alcohol And Drugs Alcoholics Anonymous
