Mutual support and recovery in the Russian Alcoholics Anonymous online community:

摘要

AimsIn Russia the paradigm of alcoholism as a disease is still in contrast to the general perception of alcoholics as weak-willed. This article studies alcoholism and recovery in Russia through the case study of the Russian Alcoholics Anonymous online group. It studies how people who are seeking help for their drinking problems in this online community come to incorporate a new self-understanding of being ill with alcoholism.DesignThe data were collected from a Russian online support group for people struggling with alcoholism. The source material consists of 617 posts by more than 35 individuals. The data was analysed with qualitative content analysis using the RQDA software.ResultsThe online group acts as a virtual space where people can anonymously talk about alcoholism and engage with AA's 12-Step program. Typically, a new forum member goes through a process of admitting one's problem with alcohol and coming to a new understanding of oneself as a person suffering from a chronic disease. This process i...